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All-Century Roster: Yankees
By Gary Brooks
SportsLine Baseball Editor
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It's impossible to find a starting spot when trying to chronicle the
exploits of Yankees history. And it doesn't seem as if an ending point is
reachable either. No matter what you say about most of the greatest Bronx
Bombers, there could also be more added.
 | | | Baseball fans are used to seeing seasons end with a Yankees celebration.(Allsport) | |
The Yankees' history is so rich that instead of debating whether players
of different generations were the best in history, you must first debate
whether they have been the best at their position for their own team.
With 23 Hall of Famers who spent the majority of their careers as
Yankees and another dozen who were one-time Yankees, they could field
second and third teams that would be far greater than many franchise's
first teams.
In addition to leading the sports world with 25 World Championships, the
Yankees also have the most MVPs -- 20 by 12 players. If you must dig for a
weakness over 100 years, the Yankees pitching staff could be the culprit.
Though the Yanks have had their share of aces, they haven't had as many as
some other teams.
Nonetheless, there's no doubt that baseball's greatest team and greatest
lineups called Yankee Stadium home and turned the pinstripes into fashion.
Lineup
| Yogi Berra, Catcher, 1946-63 |
| His name and personality would have been enough to make Berra a fan favorite but it was his consistent excellence during the best sustained run of dominance in baseball history that made him a Yankees legend. Though he never led the league in any offensive category, Berra is one of just four players -- three Yankees -- to have won three AL MVP awards ('51, '54, '55). He hit 20 or more homers 11 times and drove in 90 or better nine times while also providing the best backstop work in the game, including an errorless 1958. Berra made his way to the Yankees as an outfielder but was the full-time catcher by 1949. He became known as one of the toughest outs in the game because he was so adept at hitting balls out of the strike zone. |
| Lou Gehrig, 1B, 1923-39 |
| Defined by a streak and a still-incurable disease, Gehrig is one of a handful of players to become recognized beyond the baseball world as a champion of consistent excellence. He had individual seasons comparable to the greatest ever while his game and personality had few flaws. After his rookie season, Gehrig never had a season in which he didn't reach the magnificent double of 100 runs and 100 RBI. Over his career he averaged more runs and RBI per game than any player in the century. He was the first player in the century with four homers in a game and his 184 RBI in 1931 are the AL record. |
| Joe Gordon, 2B, 1938-43, '46 |
| Not many second baseman have averaged 100 RBI over a four-year period but Gordon did from 1939-42 when he also hit 100 homers and twice scored more than 100 runs. Gordon was the AL MVP in 1942 when he hit .322 with 18 homers and 103 RBI. On Sept. 8, 1940, Gordon hit for the cycle. In 1,000 games as a Yankee, he had 1,000 hits. |
| Derek Jeter, SS, 1995-99 |
| In the growing trend of big shortstops with power and grace, Jeter has developed into one of the most valuable players in the game. Phil Rizzuto was certainly a key figure in a long run of Yankees dominance, but Jeter's skills and production in a short time have proven him to be the Yankees' best. He's a .318 career hitter who has increased his power numbers and runs scored over the past four seasons to become a feared hitter as well as a quality fielder. |
| Graig Nettles, 3B, 1973-83 |
| Nettles' career highlight reel begins with his defense in the 1978 World Series, but he certainly provided much more. In 1976 he led the AL with 32 homers and in 1977 he had his best season, hitting 37 homers and driving in 107 runs to lead the Yanks to the first of back-to-back World Series wins over the Dodgers. He hit 319 of his 390 career homers as a third baseman, more than any other AL third baseman. |
| Babe Ruth, OF, 1920-34 |
| Of course, Ruth built baseball as much as he did the Yankees and is certainly the player of the century. He changed the game, making the high-arching long ball a glamorous event and raising baseball to its elite status in America's entertainment structure. In addition to his 714 home runs, Ruth has the ninth-best average (.342) ever, the second-most runs scored (2,174), second-most RBI (2,213), highest slugging percentage (.690) and second-highest on-base percentage (.483). And you'll also find him on the Red Sox all-century team as a pitcher. |
| Joe DiMaggio, OF, 1936-42, '46-51 |
| DiMaggio is a rare Hall of Famer defined by terms like style, grace and elegance. His Hollywood marriage to Marilyn Monroe had something to do with that but it also took into perspective the way he glided around center field and the base paths. He made the game look easy, most notably by hitting in 56 consecutive games and striking out just 369 times in a career which included 361 homers. No similar ratio can be found in any other power hitter. And he likely would have cruised past the 400-homer mark had it not been for the deep power alley in left field at the old Yankee Stadium. Add to that three years of military service and one year lost to injury and DiMaggio's numbers could have been huge. Yet, his image is still as one of the greatest players ever. Playing for 10 World Series winners and winning three MVP awards will do that. |
| Mickey Mantle, OF, 1951-68 |
| Playing in a dozen World Series in a 14-year stretch, winning seven, Mantle was showcased as the finest player on the greatest team of an era. Nobody in World Series history hit more homers, drove in more runs or scored more than Mantle. His October play simply put the finishing touches on an outstanding career of regular-season dominance in which he was the game's most feared hitter. Mantle had no weaknesses, developing into the greatest switch-hitter ever, and winning MVP awards in 1956, '57 and '62. He hit tape-measure home runs, tracked balls down in the gaps and was a fine baserunner despite numerous injuries that at times made it hard for him to even walk. |
| Roger Maris, DH, 1960-66 |
| Everyone considered Mantle the superior all-around player in the early '60s as the Yankees made their last strong run for 25 years, but Maris had his share of outstanding seasons and is one of 11 back-to-back MVP winners ('60, '61). The Yankees played in five consecutive Series after acquiring Maris from the Kansas City Athletics after the 1959 season. Of course, his 61 homers in 1961 made Maris a legend. His single-season homer record stood longer than Ruth's. A hand injury robbed Maris of much of his power following the 1963 season and has kept Maris from being named to the Hall of Fame. |
Pitchers
| Whitey Ford, SP, 1950, '53-67 |
| Ford used the World Series stage to earn a label as the best postseason pitcher ever. When he retired he owned 15 World Series records including a scoreless innings streak of 33 and 10 wins. In the greatest era for baseball in New York City, Ford played on 11 AL champions. Only five times did he have an ERA over 3.00 and never too far over. His career mark of 2.75 is .01 better than Sandy Koufax and the best among his contemporaries. Ford is the Yankees' record holder with 230 wins and his .690 career winning percentage is the best ever for pitchers with at least 200 wins. |
| Red Ruffing, SP, 1930-42, '45-46 |
| A mining accident when he was a teenager cost Ruffing four toes and his dreams of being an outfielder, but it led to him moving to the mound, where he became a Hall of Famer. He had a tough-luck start to his career with poor Red Sox teams, but when he became a Yankee he won consistently. He won 20 games four times and played on seven AL championship teams. He's generally considered the top right-handed pitcher in Yankees history and if not for World War II, he likely would have been a 300-game winner. |
| Lefty Gomez, SP, 1930-42 |
| "Goofy" led the AL in wins and ERA in 1934 and '37 when he recorded his third and fourth 20-win seasons. He also led the league in strikeouts three times and his 189 wins are No. 3 in team history. He was 6-0 in the World Series and won three All-Star games. Gomez's career began in power-pitching fashion, but arm troubles turned him into a deception artist and kept him from making a run past 200 wins. |
| Ron Guidry, SP, 1975-88 |
| "Louisiana Lightning" had one of the 10 most dominant seasons since the dead-ball era when he went 25-3 in 1978. The 5-11, 160-pound slider specialist set a Yankee record with 248 strikeouts, had an 18-strikeout game, led the AL with a 1.74 ERA and his winning percentage (.893) was the third best ever. Guidry had two more 20-win seasons, leading the AL with 22 in 1985. His 170 wins are fourth in Yankees history. He went 3-1 in World Series play. |
| Spud Chandler, SP, 1937-47 |
| Chandler really had just a few outstanding seasons and his prime was cut short due to military service but as long as he was part of the Yankees staff, all he did was win. He's the only pitcher in history with more than
100 wins who won more than 70 percent of his decisions. He went 109-43
(.717). His best season, 1943, brought the AL MVP award. He went 20-4,
leading the AL in wins, complete games (20), shutouts (5) and ERA (1.64). |
| Mariano Rivera, RP, 1995-99 |
| Some consider Goose Gossage among the best relievers in history. Dave
Righetti had the longest successful tenure as a Yankees closer and also
pitched a no-hitter as a starter. But in a position battle as tight as any
on this unfair roster, Rivera gets the nod. From 1997-99 he averaged 41
saves and a 1.86 ERA. In '96, he played a huge role in the Yankees World
Series team going 8-3 in a setup role. From '96-98 opponents hit just .204
off of him and he struck out 286 while walking just 89. |
| Bench |
| Phil Rizzuto, Charlie Keller, Bill Dickey, Tony Lazzeri, Bernie
Williams, Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Earle Combs, Willie Randolph,
Bobby Richardson, Elston Howard, George Selkirk, Rickey Henderson, Dave
Winfield, Reggie Jackson, Bobby Murcer, Clete Boyer, Wade Boggs, Chris
Chambliss, Lou Piniella, Roy White, Frank Crosetti, Wally Pipp, Gil
McDougald, Bob Meusel, Red Rolfe, Tommy Henrich, Joe Pepitone, Moose
Skowron, Paul O'Neill, Nick Etten. |
| Best season |
 | | | Babe Ruth headlines the most ferocious lineup in history -- the '27 Yankees.(Allsport) | |
Current fans can't imagine a team better than the 1998 Yankees. Fans of the first half of the century would cite other competition.
The 1998 Yankees might have won 114 games, but the 1927 Bronx
Bombers had the better winning percentage, going 110-44 (.714). The '27 team scored 975 runs, 35 more than the '98 team which played eight more games. The 975 runs were 135 more than anyone else in the league, while the '98 Yanks didn't lead the league in runs.
The '27 Yanks hit 22 points better than the league average (.307 to .285) while the '98 Yanks were close at .288 when the league hit .271. The '27 Yankees staff had a 3.20 ERA to lead the league, well ahead of the league average of 4.14 In '98, a 3.82 ERA was well ahead of the league's 4.65. Babe, Lou and the gang get the edge of Derek and Bernie's team. |
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| Worst season |
| Only twice has the team lost 100 games and the 1912 season was the ugliest. At 50-102, the Highlanders, as they were then called, finished 55 games behind the World Series-winning Red Sox. |
| Best individual season, player |
| If you throw the strength of the rest of the
league and other factors into the mix there can be argument made for Ruth, DiMaggio, Gehrig or Mantle having had the Yankees' greatest season. But sticking strictly to overwhelming stats, Babe Ruth's 1921 tops the list. He set major league records with 457 total bases and 119 extra-base hits, had a career-best 171 RBI and his 177 runs were 10 more than anyone else in the century. Ruth hit .371 with an .846 slugging percentage, 59 homers and he won two games on the mound. |
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| Best individual season, pitcher |
| When Ron Guidry went 25-3 in 1977, his .893 winning percentage set a record for pitchers with more than 30 starts. He won his first 13 starts, struck out 18 Angels on June 17 and his nine shutouts tied Babe Ruth's AL record for left-handers. |
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