All-Time New York Yankees Team
Mariano Rivera brought a lot of happy days to the Yankees.
The New York Yankees are the most accomplished franchise in North American sports history, with 27 World Series championships and 40 American League pennants.
But who are the best of the best in their history?
There are some no-brainers on the pinstripes' greatest 25-man roster, but not every exceptional player makes the cut.
Meet the all-time Yankees team.
Note: All stats are through Aug. 28, 2019.
Yogi Berra — Catcher
New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra tags out Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Granny Hamner at home plate in Game 3 of the 1950 World Series.
Experience: 19 seasons (1946-65)
Years with Yankees: 18 seasons (1946-64)
Career stats: 2,120 games, .285/.348/.482, 358 HR, 1,430 RBI, 1,175 runs
Yankees stats: 2,116 games, .285/.348/.483, 358 HR, 1,430 RBI, 1,174 runs
World Series titles: 10 (1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Yogi Berra — Catcher
Yogi Berra hit 358 home runs in his career.
Bottom line: Yogi Berra is better known for his Yogisms, but he was a world-class catcher in his heyday.
He won three American League MVP awards and was the runner-up two other times.
He also won 10 World Series, a record that likely will never be broken, and caught the only perfect game in World Series history.
Lou Gehrig — First Base
Lou Gehrig catches a high fly ball hit against the Cleveland Indians in 1936.
Experience: 17 seasons, all with Yankees (1923-39)
Career stats: 2,164 games, .340/.447/.632, 493 HR, 1,995 RBI, 1,888 runs
World Series titles: 6 (1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Lou Gehrig — First Base
New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig in 1935.
Bottom line: Lou Gehrig might be the greatest first baseman of all time and posted amazing numbers for any era.
He was a two-time American League MVP who hit .361 in 34 World Series games and played in 2,130 consecutive games, which only was topped by Cal Ripken in 1995.
Robinson Cano — Second Base
Robinson Cano hit 204 home runs with the Yankees.
Experience: 15 seasons (2005-present)
Years with Yankees: 9 seasons (2005-13)
Career stats: 2,164 games, .302/.352/.491, 321 HR, 1,265 RBI, 1,225 runs
Yankees stats: 1,374 games, .309/.355/.504, 204 HR, 822 RBI, 799 runs
World Series titles: 1 (2009)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Robinson Cano — Second Base
Robinson Cano gets a hit in 2005.
Bottom line: This choice might irritate some people, but Robinson Cano is the best all-around second baseman in Yankees franchise history.
He won five Silver Slugger awards in his nine seasons in the Bronx and picked up two Gold Gloves while patrolling second base.
He’s smooth in the field, which rubs people the wrong way, but the Yankees were lost at the position when Cano left for Seattle in 2014 and are only recently escaping the void thanks largely to Gleyber Torres.
Derek Jeter — Shortstop
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter completes a double play against the Seattle Mariners in 2009.
Experience: 20 seasons, all with Yankees (1995-2014)
Career stats: 2,747 games, .310/.377/.440, 260 HR, 1,311 RBI, 1,923 runs
World Series titles: 5 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Derek Jeter — Shortstop
Derek Jeter was a career .310 hitter.
Bottom line: A lot was made of Derek Jeter’s defensive decline at the end of his career, but he is one of the greatest Yankees. Ever.
His 1,923 runs are second only to Babe Ruth in franchise history, and he was the first Yankees player to record 3,000 hits in pinstripes.
He had the most at-bats, over 3,000 more than second-place Mickey Mantle, yet still has the eighth-best career batting average in franchise history.
Plus, Jeter won five World Series, and played in two more, in his exemplary 20-year career. Cooperstown will be calling in 2020.
Alex Rodriguez — Third Base
Alex Rodriguez hit 351 home runs with the Yankees.
Experience: 22 seasons (1994-2016)
Years with Yankees: 13 seasons (2004-16)
Career stats: 2,784 games, .295/.380/.550, 696 HR, 2,086 RBI, 2,021 runs
Yankees stats: 1,509 games, .283/.378/.523, 351 HR, 1,096 RBI, 1,012 runs
World Series titles: 1 (2009)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Alex Rodriguez — Third Base
Alex Rodriguez in 2004.
Bottom line: Alex Rodriguez was the best shortstop in baseball when he came to the Yankees in 2004 but moved to third base an became a lightning rod during his tenure in the Bronx.
He won the AL MVP twice (2005, 2007), hit 30-plus home runs in seven straight seasons in pinstripes and put the team on his back during the 2009 postseason with a .365 batting average and team-best six home runs.
Mickey Mantle — Left Field
Mickey Mantle hits against the Washington Senators in 1956.
Experience: 18 seasons, all with Yankees (1951-68)
Career stats: 2,401 games, .298/.421/.557, 536 HR, 1,509 RBI, 1,676 runs
World Series titles: 7 (1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Mickey Mantle — Left Field
Mickey Mantle hit 54 home runs in 1961 and 536 in his career.
Bottom line: Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest power-hitting outfielders in major league history and held the record for most home runs in playoff history (18) for more than 30 years, until MLB expanded the postseason to three rounds.
He played in the World Series 12 times, won three MVP awards, finished as runner-up three other times and hit the second-most homers in Yankees history.
He replaced Joe DiMaggio as their franchise center fielder but gets to patrol left field on the all-time team.
Joe DiMaggio — Center Field
Joe DiMaggio gets a hit against the Washington Senators in 1941.
Experience: 13 seasons, all with the Yankees (1936-51)
Career stats: 1,736 games, .325/.398/.579, 361 HR, 1,537 RBI, 1,390 runs
World Series titles: 9 (1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Joe DiMaggio — Center Field
Joe DiMaggio won nine World Series with the Yankees.
Bottom line: If Joe DiMaggio’s career numbers aren’t quite up to the rest of the team, consider he lost three full seasons of his prime to serve in World War II.
Nicknamed "The Yankee Clipper" for his grace and speed, DiMaggio won three MVP awards, including the 1941 season, where he batted .357, led the majors in RBI and recorded a major league-record 56-game hit streak.
He helped the Yankees win nine of the 10 World Series he played in.
Babe Ruth — Right Field
Babe Ruth hits a home run during an exhibition game against the Boston Braves in 1929.
Experience: 22 seasons (1914-35)
Years with Yankees: 15 seasons (1920-34)
Career stats: 2,503 games, .342/.474/.690, 714 HR, 2,214 RBI, 2,174 runs
Yankees stats: 2,084 games, .349/.484/.711, 659 HR, 1,978 RBI, 1,959 runs
World Series titles: 7 (1915, 1916, 1918, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1932)
All-time Yankees team role: Starter
Babe Ruth — Right Field
Babe Ruth in 1927.
Bottom line: Babe Ruth is the greatest player in major league history, and he spent the bulk of his prime years in the Bronx. Where do we even begin?
Ruth leads the Yankees' franchise in 16 offensive categories, including batting average (.349), OPS (1.195), runs (1,959), total bases (5,131) and, of course, home runs (659).
He led the majors in homers nine times as a Yankee but only won the MVP award once (1923), because a player was only allowed to win the honor once by major league rules at the time.
Reggie Jackson — Designated Hitter
Reggie Jackson hit three home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.
Experience: 21 seasons (1967-87)
Years with Yankees: Five seasons (1977-81)
Career stats: 2,820 games, .262/.356/.490, 563 HR, 1,702 RBI, 1,551 runs
Yankees stats: 653 games, .281/.371/.526, 144 HR, 461 RBI, 380 runs
World Series titles: 4 (1973, 1974, 1977, 1978)
All-time Yankees team role: Designated hitter
Reggie Jackson — Designated Hitter
Mr. October.
Bottom line: Reggie Jackson was the most controversial Yankees player until A-Rod came along, and Jackson's career in the Bronx was like a comet. But there’s no question "Mr. October" delivered in New York.
He boosted the Yankees to their first championship in 14 seasons in 1977 and was the World Series MVP, with his legendary three-homer game in the clinching Game 6.
He followed up that performance by helping the Yankees defeat the Dodgers again in the Fall Classic in 1978.
Bill Dickey — Catcher
New York Yankees catcher Bill Dickey at spring training in 1935.
Experience: 17 seasons, all with Yankees (1928-46)
Career stats: 1,789 games, .313/.382/.486, 202 HR, 1,209 RBI, 930 runs
World Series titles: 7 (1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943)
All-time Yankees team role: Reserve
Bill Dickey — Catcher
Bill Dickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.
Bottom line: Every team needs two catchers, and the only question is who would wear No. 8 for this squad.
Bill Dickey, like Yogi Berra, has his No. 8 retired in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium, thanks to a Hall of Fame career where he was the backstop for seven championship teams.
Phil Rizzuto — Shortstop
Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto completes a double play against the Cleveland Indians in 1951.
Experience: 13 seasons, all with Yankees (1941-56)
Career stats: 1,661 games, .273/.351/.355, 38 HR, 563 RBI, 877 runs
World Series titles: 7 (1941, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953)
All-time Yankees team role: Reserve infielder
Phil Rizzuto — Shortstop
Phil Rizzuto in 1952.
Bottom line: Phil Rizzuto also could serve as the team’s color commentator, but we like him in the role of utility infielder.
Rizzuto’s numbers don’t match up to today’s game, but shortstops were expected to do much less during his heyday.
Plus, he was the 1950 AL MVP and the runner-up to Ted Williams in 1949, played an exceptional shortstop for seven World Series winners and could do all the little things to help a team win.
Don Mattingly — First Base
Don Mattingly hits a home run against the California Angels in 1988.
Experience: 14 seasons, all with the Yankees (1982-95)
Career stats: 1,785 games, .307/.358/.471, 222 HR, 1,099 RBI, 1,007 runs
World Series titles: 0
All-time Yankees team role: Reserve infielder
Don Mattingly — First Base
Don Mattingly had 2,153 hits in his career.
Bottom line: We’d need Don Mattingly’s bat off the bench.
Though he probably would not get to play much first base given Lou Gehrig’s presence on the team, he could play outfield or third base in a pinch.
Mattingly is unquestionably the greatest Yankees player never to win a World Series, and was the quiet and dignified leader during a period of chaos in franchise history.
Back injuries limited his career, unfortunately, and he was stuck between two dynasty periods, but he deserves to be on this team.
Bernie Williams — Outfield
Bernie Williams hits a home run against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999.
Experience: 16 seasons, all with Yankees (1991-2006)
Career stats: 2,076 games, .297/.381/.477, 287 HR, 1,257 RBI, 1,366 runs
World Series titles: 4 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
All-time Yankees team role: Reserve
Bernie Williams — Center Field
Bernie Williams slides to make a catch against the Seattle Mariners in 2000.
Bottom line: Bernie Williams had no chance to crack the starting outfield for the all-time team, but he is still worthy of a spot.
Williams has the 10th-best WAR in franchise history (49.6), won four Gold Gloves and was the cleanup hitter for four championship teams.
He especially shined in the ALCS, hitting .321/.413/.549 in 41 games, helping the Yankees win the pennant six times.
Paul O’Neill — Outfield
Paul O'Neill hits a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1996.
Experience: 17 seasons (1985-2001)
Years with Yankees: 9 seasons (1993-2001)
Career stats: 2,053 games, .288/.363/.470, 281 HR, 1,269 RBI, 1,041 runs
Yankees stats: 1,254 games, .303/.377/.492, 185 HR, 858 RBI, 720 runs
World Series titles: 5 (1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
All-time Yankees team role: Reserve
Paul O'Neill — Outfield
Paul O'Neill makes a catch against the New York Mets in the 2000 World Series.
Bottom line: Aaron Judge probably will take this spot down the road, but for now, it is Paul O’Neill, whose trade from Cincinnati is considered the turning point of Yankees franchise history in the 1990s.
O’Neill was a linchpin in New York’s dynasty, particularly in the playoffs where he posted a career .281 postseason average with 24 extra-base hits with the Yankees.
O’Neill would give this team a good left-handed bat off the bench that also could play both corner outfield positions. Remember, he started his career with the Yankees in left field before settling into his signature right-field position in 1996.
Whitey Ford — Left-Handed Pitcher
Whitey Ford pitching against the Chicago White Sox in 1963.
Experience: 16 seasons, all with Yankees (1950-67)
Career stats: 236-106 (.690), 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3,170.1 IP, 1,956 strikeouts
World Series titles: 6 (1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962)
All-time Yankees team role: No. 1 starter
Whitey Ford — Left-Handed Pitcher
Whitey Ford delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 6 of the 1960 World Series.
Bottom line: The Yankees' hitters get the praise, but Whitey Ford was a 10-time All-Star and the ace of 11 World Series teams.
He earned himself the nickname "The Chairman of the Board" for his poise under pressure and has the most career wins (10) in World Series history.
His best season came in 1961, when he won 25 games, the Cy Young Award, then was named MVP of the World Series, winning two of four games in the Yankees' five-game series win.
Ron Guidry — Left-Handed Pitcher
Ron Guidry pitching in 1978.
Experience: 14 seasons, all with Yankees (1975-88)
Career stats: 170-91, 3.29 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2,392 IP, 1,778 strikeouts
World Series titles: 2 (1977, 1978)
All-time Yankees team role: No. 2 starter
Ron Guidry — Left-Handed Pitcher
Ron Guidry gets set to deliver in 1977.
Bottom line: Few starting pitchers in Yankees history have been more dominant than the one they nicknamed "Gator."
Ron Guidry won 20-plus games three times, including his 25-3 Cy Young season in 1977.
He backed up his ace status by dominating in the World Series, going 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in four career World Series starts.
Red Ruffing — Right-Handed Pitcher
Red Ruffing pitching in Game 1 of the 1942 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Experience: 22 seasons (1924-47)
Years with Yankees: 15 seasons (1930-46)
Career stats: 273-225, 3.80 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4,344 IP, 1,987 strikeouts
Yankees stats: 231-124, 3.47 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 3,168.2 IP, 1,526 strikeouts
World Series titles: 6 (1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941)
All-time Yankees team role: No. 3 starter
Red Ruffing — Right-Handed Pitcher
Red Ruffing compiled a 231-124 record over 15 seasons with the Yankees.
Bottom line: We need a right-handed starter on the all-time Yankees team, so Red Ruffing gets the nod. It’s not like the Hall of Famer is any slouch.
After joining the Yankees in 1930, Ruffing had four 20-win seasons and finished over .500 in 14 of 15 seasons.
He was 7-2 in World Series games, helping the Bombers win six of the seven championship series he played in.
Lefty Gomez — Left-Handed Pitcher
Lefty Gomez pitching against the Washington Senators in 1942.
Experience: 14 seasons (1930-43)
Years with Yankees: 13 seasons (1930-42)
Career stats: 189-102, 10 saves, 3.34 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2,503 IP, 1,468 strikeouts
Yankees stats: 189-101, 10 saves, 3.34 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2,498.1 IP, 1,468 strikeouts
World Series titles: 5 (1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939)
All-time Yankees team role: No. 3 starter
Lefty Gomez — Left-Handed Pitcher
Lefty Gomez in 1942.
Bottom line: Lefty Gomez was a seven-time All-Star who won the pitching Triple Crown twice.
He was a perfect 6-0 in the playoffs, allowing only 16 earned runs in 50.1 innings in his postseason career.
Andy Pettitte — Left-Handed Pitcher
Andy Pettitte delivers against the Boston Red Sox in 1997.
Experience: 18 seasons (1995-2013)
Years with Yankees: 15 seasons (1995-2003, 2007-13)
Career stats: 256-153, 3.85 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 3,316 IP, 2,448 strikeouts
Yankees stats: 219-127, 3.94 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 2,796.1 IP, 2,020 strikeouts
World Series titles: 5 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009)
All-time Yankees team role: No. 5 starter
Andy Pettitte — Left-Handed Pitcher
Andy Pettitte during Game 2 of the 2003 World Series against the Florida Marlins.
Bottom line: Andy Pettitte was a bulldog for the Yankees, though many forget the trade rumors that dogged him throughout the 1999 season.
He never got the league-wide recognition he deserved, but Pettitte averaged 15 wins and 186.1 innings per season in pinstripes.
His 19 playoff wins, 18 of which came with the Yankees, are the most in major league history.
CC Sabathia — Left-Handed Pitcher
CC Sabathia pitches against the Baltimore Orioles in 2013.
CC Sabathia — Left-Handed Pitcher
CC Sabathia in 2009.
Bottom line: We love having CC Sabathia in any role on this team, whether it’d be a starter or reliever.
It just sort of feels like Sabathia wouldn’t complain if he was put in a long-reliever role to help the team win.
He’s 10th on the Yankees' all-time wins list and fourth in franchise history in strikeouts, even though he played his formative years beating the Yankees with the Cleveland Indians.
Rich "Goose" Gossage — Right-Handed Pitcher
Goose Gossage hurls a pitch in the 1981 American League Championship Series against the Oakland A's.
Experience: 22 seasons (1972-94)
Years with Yankees: 7 seasons (1978-83, 1989)
Career stats: 124-107, 3.01 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 1,809? IP, 1,502 strikeouts
Yankees stats: 42-28, 151 saves, 2.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 533 IP, 512 strikeouts
World Series titles: 1 (1978)
All-time Yankees team role: Setup man
Rich "Goose" Gossage — Right-Handed Pitcher
Goose Gossage in 1978.
Bottom line: Rich "Goose" Gossage was one of the original closers, a weapon used by manager Billy Martin for multi-inning saves to shorten games.
Gossage was one of the greatest from the get-go, finishing 55 games and throwing 134.1 innings while picking up 27 saves in 1978, his first season with the Yankees.
He gave up just two runs in 10 innings that postseason, tossing two innings in each of his five appearances and locking down the Yankees' World Series championship that year.
Aroldis Chapman — Left-Handed Pitcher
Aroldis Chapman pitches against the Cleveland Indians in 2019.
Experience: 10 seasons (2010-present)
Years with Yankees: 4 seasons (2016, 2017-present)
Career stats: 33-26, 272 saves, 2.24 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 530.1 IP, 875 strikeouts
Yankees stats: 13-5, 110 saves, 2.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 184.2 IP, 283 strikeouts
World Series titles: 1 (2016)
All-time Yankees team role: Lefty bullpen specialist
Aroldis Chapman — Left-Handed Pitcher
Aroldis Chapman in 2016.
Bottom line: Aroldis Chapman already is one of the most dominant relievers in Yankees history, with the fifth-most saves in franchise history.
We like his 100 mph-plus fastball and devastating slider as a lefty specialist on this team.
Sparky Lyle — Left-Handed Pitcher
Sparky Lyle fires away during a playoff game against the Kansas City Royals in 1977.
Experience: 16 seasons (1967-82)
Years with Yankees: 7 seasons (1972-78)
'Career stats: 99-76, 238 saves, 2.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 1,390? IP, 873 strikeouts
Yankees stats: 57-40, 141 saves, 2.41 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 745? IP, 454 strikeouts
World Series titles: 2 (1977, 1978)
All-time Yankees team role: Setup man
Sparky Lyle — Left-Handed Pitcher
Sparky Lyle had 238 saves in his career.
Bottom line: Sparky Lyle, like Goose Gossage, showed that the bullpen wasn’t reserved for failed starters.
Few compare the Red Sox’s trade of Lyle for Danny Cater and a player to be named (Mario Guerrero) to that of Babe Ruth, but Lyle had a dominant tenure in the Bronx, taking home the 1977 Cy Young Award by winning 13 games and saving 26, then winning three more playoff games.
Lyle set up games for Gossage in 1978, and the Yanks won 99 and the World Series.
Dave Righetti — Left-Handed Pitcher
Dave Righetti pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1983.
Experience: 16 seasons (1979-95)
Years with Yankees: 11 seasons (1979-90)
Career stats: 82-79, 252 saves, 3.46 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 1,403.2 IP, 1,112 strikeouts
Yankees stats: 74-61, 224 saves, 3.11 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 1,136.2 IP, 940 strikeouts
World Series titles: 0
All-time Yankees team role: Setup man
Dave Righetti — Left-Handed Pitcher
Dave Righetti in 1981.
Bottom line: Dave Righetti started as a starter, famously throwing a no-hitter against the Red Sox on July 4, 1983, but became the Yankees' closer after Goose Gossage departed following the 1983 season.
Righetti was a good one, too, locking down a major league-high 46 games in an eye-popping 106.2 innings in 1986.
Righetti had 20-plus saves in eight seasons in the Bronx on teams that were good but never great.
His 224 saves are second in franchise history, behind the all-time team’s closer.
Mariano Rivera — Right-Handed Pitcher
Mariano Rivera saved 652 games for the Yankees.
Experience: 19 seasons, all with Yankees (1995-2013)
Career stats: 82-60, 652 saves, 2.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1,283? IP, 1,173 strikeouts
World Series titles: 5 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009)
All-time Yankees team role: Closer
Mariano Rivera — Right-Handed Pitcher
Mariano Rivera was the first player in MLB history to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote.
Bottom line: Who else would be the closer but the greatest closer of all time? Mariano Rivera has the most saves and games finished in major league history and the best ERA+ (205) in the history of the game.
He saved his best for the playoffs, where despite three high-profile blown saves, he finished with a 0.70 playoff ERA in 141 innings in 96 postseason appearances.
He didn’t allow a run in the playoffs for more than three years, 23 straight scoreless appearances between 1998 and 2000.
Joe Torre — Manager
Manager Joe Torre, left, led the Yankees to four World Series titles.
Experience: 29 seasons (1977-84, 1990-2010)
Years with Yankees: 12 seasons (1996-2007)
Career stats: 2,326 wins, 1,997 losses (.538)
Yankees stats: 1,173 wins, 767 losses (.605)
World Series titles: 4 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
All-time Yankees team role: Manager
Joe Torre — Manager
Joe Torre had a 1,173-767 record as Yankees manager.
Bottom line: There are Yankees managers with more wins, more World Series championships and more prestige.
But Joe Torre is a modern-day manager who had to persevere through a 15-team American League, three rounds of playoffs and a wild card to win his four championships and six American League pennants.
His Yankees won the AL East 10 times and made the playoffs in each of his 12 seasons in the Bronx, which is why he gets our nod as skipper of the Yankees' all-time team.