New York Yankees All-Time Roster

The New York Yankees have had more Hall of Famers and all-time greats than you can count, and because of this there will be some omissions in this list. Greats such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig will obviously be on the roster, but who will fill out the rest of the team?

To be eligible, the player must have played for the Yankees for at least five seasons, so you won't see people like CC Sabathia.

Lets take a look at the all-time Yankees roster, including every field position, designated hitter, starting pitchers and closer.

Catcher: Yogi Berra

Stats as a Yankee:

.285/.348/.483, .830 OPS, 358 HR, 1,430 RBI, 411 K, 704 BB, 30 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

18-time All-Star, 13-time World Series champion, three-time AL MVP

Yogi Berra is the obvious choice at catcher.

He won a massive 13 World Series titles with the Yankees, and other than four games with the New York Mets at the end of his career, he was a lifetime Yankee.

Yogi Berra dominated the majors from the catcher position in a way that baseball has never seen before or since.

Honorable Mention: Bill Dickey

First Base: Lou Gehrig

Stats as a Yankee:

.340/.447/.632, 1.080 OPS, 493 HR, 1,995 RBI, 790 K, 1,508 BB, 102 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

Seven-time All-Star, six-time World Series champion, two-time AL MVP, one Triple Crown

Lou Gehrig was the "Iron Horse" and the heart and soul of the Yankees during his reign at first base. Babe Ruth was the most recognizable player on the team, but you could argue that Gehrig was the better, not to mention the most valuable, overall hitter and player.

Perhaps the most iconic moment in Yankee history was his tragic yet inspiring farewell speech. In 100 years, Lou Gehrig will still be remembered as one of the all-time greats and arguably the best Yankee of all-time.

Honorable Mention: Don Mattingly

Second Base: Tony Lazzeri

Stats as a Yankee:

.293/.379/.467, .847 OPS, 169 HR, 1,154 RBI, 821 K, 830 BB, 147 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

All-Star, five-time World Series champion

Tony Lazzeri was the most difficult selection. Second base is by far the Yankees weakest position, but that does not tarnish Lazzeri's career. He is a legitimate Hall of Famer and will remain as the starting second baseman on this roster until Robinson Cano surpasses him near the end of his career.

Honorable Mention: Robinson Cano

Shortstop: Derek Jeter

Stats as a Yankee:

.313/.383/.449, .832 OPS, 240 HR, 1,196 RBI, 1,653 K, 994 BB, 339 SB, 3,088 H

Awards as a Yankee:

Twelve-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion, five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, two Hank Aaron Awards, Rookie of the Year, World Series MVP, All-Star Game MVP

What can I say? Ever since 1995, Derek Jeter has been a great Yankee, but when he retires you will see Jeter's name in Monument Park with the likes of Gehrig, Ruth and Mantle.

A lot of people will call him an awful defensive shortstop because of advanced sabermetrics, but if you actually watched him throughout his career then you would have seen an amazing player making plays nobody has ever seen before. Derek Jeter put his heart and soul into each and every game. He encapsulates what a Yankee is.

If watching him does not convince you that he is an all-time great, then his stats will: most stolen bases by a Yankee (339), most hits by a Yankee (3,088) and most games played as a Yankee (2,402). But Jeter's most important accomplishments are his five (and counting) World Series rings.

Honorable Mention: Phil Rizzuto

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez

Stats as a Yankee:

.295/.391/.550, .941 OPS, 284 HR, 903 RBI, 921 K, 607 BB, 128 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

Seven-time All-Star, World Series champion, two-time AL MVP, three Silver Sluggers, Hank Aaron Award

Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids and opted out of the biggest contract in baseball history to sign an even bigger one, but he is a great player.

I ignored his stats and accomplishments from Seattle and Texas, but I was still impressed. He has always been known as a choke artist in the playoffs, as exemplified in the 2011 ALDS, but he did carry the Yankees in the 2009 playoffs by hitting six home runs and having an OPS of 1.308.

Honorable Mention: Graig Nettles

Left Field: Mickey Mantle

Stats as a Yankee:

.298/.421/.557, .977 OPS, 536 HR, 1,509 RBI, 1,710 K, 1,733 BB, 153 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

Twenty-time All-Star, seven-time World Series champion, three-time AL MVP, one Gold Glove, one Triple Crown

Am I cheating a little with this one? Yes, but I couldn't leave Mickey Mantle off this team.

Mickey Mantle played center field for the Yankees, but a player who hits 500+ home runs, wins seven World Series and wins the Triple Crown cannot be overlooked.

I was not alive to watch Mickey Mantle play, but from what I've heard he was sensational. Not only were his skills at the plate second to none, but his defense was also impeccable.

Honorable Mention: Dave Winfield

Center Field: Joe DiMaggio

Stats as a Yankee:

.325/.398/.579, .977 OPS, 361 HR, 1,537 RBI, 369 K, 790 BB, 30 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

Thirteen-time All-Star, nine-time World Series champion, three-time AL MVP

Joe DiMaggio gets bonus points for dating Marilyn Monroe, but he was no slouch on the field.

DiMaggio played perhaps the most coveted position in baseball, center field for the New York Yankees, but instead of flopping due to the pressure, he thrived because of it.

DiMaggio's career was shortened because of World War II, but we cannot dwell on what could have been. Even without those seasons, DiMaggio's accomplishments speak for themselves. He is one of the all-time great Yankees and will remain there forever.

Honorable Mention: Bernie Williams

Right Field: Babe Ruth

Stats as a Yankee:

.349/.484/.711, 1.195 OPS, 659 HR, 1,971 RBI, 1,122 K, 1,852 BB, 110 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

Two-time All-Star, seven-time World Series champion, AL MVP

Was there any doubt about who would play right field for the Yankees?

Babe Ruth is perhaps the best player of all time. The Yankees bought him from the Boston Red Sox and never looked back. He quickly became the most dominant player the world had ever seen.

Ruth held records in almost every single offensive category, including slugging percentage, on-base percentage and home runs (until Hank Aaron broke it). Ruth really needs no explanation: Nobody in their right mind would leave him off this list.

Honorable Mention: Roger Maris

Designated Hitter: Reggie Jackson

Stats as a Yankee:

.281/.371/.526, .897 OPS, 144 HR, 461 RBI, 573 K, 326 BB, 41 SB

Awards as a Yankee:

Five-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, Silver Slugger, AL MVP

Reggie Jackson was deemed Mr. October, but it was tough to put him on this list because of his short stint as a Yankee. In the end, I decided to do it because of the lack of other good options at DH.

Despite not being in New York for very long, Jackson picked up some very impressive accomplishments, including an MVP Award and, most importantly, two World Series rings.

Starting Pitcher: Whitey Ford

Stats as a Yankee:

3,170.1 IP, 236-106, 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 1,956 K, 1,086 BB

Awards as a Yankee:

Ten-time All-Star, six-time World Series champion, Cy Young Award, World Series MVP, three-time AL TSN Pitcher of the Year

Whitey Ford is the best Yankee starting pitcher of all time. He won three Pitcher of the Year awards and an amazing six World Series championships.

I can only dream of a pitcher like him being in the Yankee starting rotation right now, because the Yankees have not had a pitcher as dominant as Ford since he retired.

Starting Pitcher: Ron Guidry

Stats as a Yankee:

2,392.0 IP, 170-91, 3.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 1,778 K, 633 BB

Awards as a Yankee:

Four-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, five Gold Gloves, Cy Young Award, AL TSN Pitcher of the Year

Ron Guidry was a Yankee for his entire career, and during his stint the electrifying lefty delivered exactly what the Yankees needed: pitching.

A Yankees' career would not be complete without a World Series championship, so it was good that he won them in 1977 and 1978, because the Yankees of the 1980s were awful. I barely remember Guidry, but he was one of my dad's favorite Yankees in his era.

Starting Pitcher: Lefty Gomez

Stats as a Yankee:

2,498.1 IP, 189-101, 3.34 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 1,468 K, 1,090 BB

Awards as a Yankee:

Seven-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion

Lefty Gomez anchored the pitching staff of five World Series teams to help complement Dickey, DiMaggio, Gehrig and Lazzeri on the other side of the ball.

Gomez was a great regular season pitcher, but the most impressive thing about him was his postseason prowess. He was 6-0 with a 2.88 ERA in seven postseason starts, which makes him an even better Yankee, because if you don't come through in the postseason, what's the point? In baseball, World Series are the only things that matter in the grand scheme of things.

Starting Pitcher: Andy Pettitte

Stats as a Yankee:

2,535.2 IP, 203-112, 3.98 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 1,823 K, 820 BB

Awards as a Yankee:

Three-time All-Star, five-time World Series Champion, ALCS MVP

I could go on for hours about how important Pettitte was to the Yankees, but I will keep it short and simple because there really is no debate. Pettitte deserves to be on this list, there is no question about it.

Andy Pettitte was a member of the Core Four, along with Jeter, Posada and Rivera. He, like Gomez, is best known for his postseason performances. Pettitte owns the record for most postseason wins by a pitcher with an incredible 19.

Nineteen wins and five rings! He is in the all-time Yankee rotation because of those two accomplishments.

Starting Pitcher: Mike Mussina

Stats as a Yankee:

1,553.0 IP, 123-72, 3.88 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 1,278 K, 318 BB

Awards as a Yankee:

Three Gold Gloves

Tragically Mike Mussina never won a World Series for the Yankees because he came to New York in 2001 and left in 2008, and the Yankees won the 2000 and 2009 World Series just before and after his time. Despite his lack of rings, I think Mussina deserves to be here.

Not only did he win more than 15 games per season while in New York, but he also had a 3.00 ERA in his three World Series starts to go along with a respectable 3.80 ERA in October as a Yankee.

Closer: Mariano Rivera

Stats as a Yankee:

1,211.1 IP, 75-67, 603 SV, 2.21 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 1,111 K, 275 BB

Awards as a Yankee:

Twelve-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion, five-time AL Rolaids Relief Man Award, three-time Delivery Man of the Year, World Series MVP, ALCS MVP

Rivera so far has 603 saves, five World Series rings, a 0.70 postseason ERA and 42 postseason saves. Was there really another option?