Who are the best Yankees of all time? Some of the greatest athletes of all time have represented the New York Yankees who are one of most successful professional sports teams in the world.
Best Yankees of All Time
The New York Yankees are one of the most popular and most valuable franchises in the world of sports and they’ve been able to attract and maintain some of the best athletes in history. Let’s take a look at the 10 best Yankees of all time.
10. Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson joined the Yankees from the Oakland Athletics in 1977 after winning the World Series three times in a row. Jackson made a name for himself for being a clutch performer and won a further two World Series championships with the Yankees in only five seasons.
Despite a relatively short time spent in New York, he’s one of the best Yankees players of all time and was known for this athletic ability and power hitting. He earned the World Series MVP award in both 1977 and 1978 and earned the nickname “Mr. October” because of his ability to step his game up in playoff situations.
9. Don Mattingly
One of the best Yankees of all time is Don Mattingly who played for the Yankees from 1982 to 1995. Had it not been for a back injury he picked up in 1987 that stayed with him for the rest of his career, he’d likely be much higher up on this list.
Mattingly earned the American League MVP award in 1985, earned six All-Star selections and nine Gold Glove awards. He was known for his incredible consistency at the plate, his exceptional defense at first base, and is considered by many to be the best Yankees player ever to have not appeared in a World Series.
Don Mattingly defensive highlights pic.twitter.com/tmtsMhDSKM
— Joe Randazzo (@Yankeelibrarian) January 24, 2023
8. Whitey Ford
In 1974 Whitey Ford’s number 16 was retired by the New York Yankees and he remains one of the best players in team history. He played his entire 16-year career with the Yankees and is tied for fourth-best winning percentage in baseball history with an incredible . 690 winning record.
Ford made a habit of winning and is credited with winning a franchise record 236 games for Yankees and had a career 236–106 record. He was a ten-time All-Star, six-time World Series championship winner and he won both the Cy Young Award and World Series MVP in 1961.
7. Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter is one of the most iconic baseballers to ever play the game. Jeter played for the Yankees from 1995 to 2014, won five World Series championships and earned five Gold Glove awards. Known for his clutch hitting and leadership he’s in the top 10 for most hits in MLB history.
Jeter was team captain of the Yankees from 2003 to 2014 and throughout his time in New York, he only failed to make the playoffs on three occasions. Jeter was clutch, stepping up the bigger the occasion was and he retired as one of the greatest shortstops in major league history.
Very few commercials make me tear up & all of them involve Derek Jeter! 🥹#TheCaptain #RE2PECT2JETER ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rCaqwzvY6x
— RE2PECT 2 JETER (@RE2PECT2JETER) January 29, 2023
6. Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is known for having the best baseball walk up song ever with Enter Sandman by Metallica, which earned him the nickname “The Sandman”. Rivera is considered by many to be the greatest closer in major league history and one of the best Yankees of all time.
Throughout his 19-year career spent entirely at the Yankees, Ribera was feared for his “cutter” pitch, and he posted a record 652 saves and an ERA of 2.21, best of all time for pitchers starting their careers in the live ball era.
Flashback to when Metallica performed ‘Enter Sandman’ at Yankee Stadium for Mariano Rivera Day.
When watching the Yanks in the early 2000’s and hearing this come on, you knew the game was pretty much over and it was time to fire up the opposing teams bus. Mo was that automatic. pic.twitter.com/APuleyRGdg
— ZT (@NY_EvilEmpire) November 15, 2022
5. Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra played his entire career in New York, spending 18 seasons with the Yankees and a single season with the Mets. Despite his 5-foot-7 frame, he was an extremely powerful hitter, was an excellent catcher and seemingly always came good in clutch situations.
Known as being one of the greatest, if not the greatest catcher of all time, Berra was an 18-time All-Star and he won an incredible 10 World Series championships, the most of any player in history. Berra also earned three American League MVP awards and went back-to-back in 1954 and 1955.
4. Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle played for the Yankees for the entirety of his 18-year career between 1951 to 1968. Known for his incredible power and speed between bases, Mantle was a 20-time All-Star, a feat only possible as the MLB held two All-Star games from 1959 through 1962.
Mantle won seven World Series championships and earned three MVP awards. He hit 536 career home runs, leading the league in walks and runs scored five times, and in home runs four times. He was known for his clutch play and owns the record for most home runs in World Series play with 18 in total.
3. Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio played for the Yankees in 13 seasons across two spells, with a gap between 1942 and 1946 as he was enlisted as a sergeant in the US Army Air Force. DiMaggio could do everything. He could run the bases, throw a ball, catch a ball, hit a ball, and hit a ball far.
DiMaggio was a symbol of elegance and excellence. With a level of unmatched grace he was an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons, won the American League pennant 10 times, won 9 World Series championships and holds the hitting streak record of 56 games in a row set in 1941.
2. Lou Gehrig
Known for his power hitting and durability, Lou Gehrig played a key role in the Yankees dynasty between 1927 and 1953. Gehrig starred for the Yankees in 17 seasons before retiring in 1939 due to ALS which is also known as Lou Gehrig disease, an illness he tragically succumbed to a few years later.
A central figure of the Yankees middle batting lineup, Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games which was a record that stood for 56 years. Gehrig hit 493 career home runs, hit at over .300 in 12 straight seasons, led the league in RBI five times and had over 100 RBI in a season 13 times.
1. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth isn’t just the best Yankees player of all time, he’s the greatest baseball player in history. Known as the “Sultan of Swat”, Ruth played a key role in the early part of the Yankees dynasty and dominated his era like nobody else ever has.
Ruth led the league 12 times in homeruns, belted 40 home runs in a season 11 times, and hit at over 0.300 on 17 occasions. A clutch performer, Ruth won four World Series championships with the Yankees, and his slugging percentage in 41 World Series games was a phenomenal .741.
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