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Yankees News: Should captaincy go with Derek Jeter?

By Caleb Gebrewold

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New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman feels that with former captain Derek Jeter now retired, so too should be the title of Yankees captain, telling ESPN Radio:

"As far as I’m concerned, and I’m not the decision maker on this, that captaincy should be retired with No. 2.  I wouldn’t give up another captain’s title to anyone else.  Leadership comes in a lot of forms, it would be hard to anoint someone captain, regardless of how great they might be."

While I agree with Cashman that Jeter was “perfect” for the role, I don’t think that the Yankees should stop having captains.  There is no argument that can change my mind on this.

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Growing up, Jeter was my favorite player, and the face of the franchise, and he’s the only Yankees captain ever that I’ve actually been old enough to remember.  Seeing him retire was tough, as his rookie season coincided with the first season that I religiously watched baseball at the age of three.  Don’t get me wrong, he was a great captain, but greatness can only be followed if the opportunity is presented.

It appears that Cashman is having a tough time coming to grips with the current state of the roster, one which presents no candidate for captaincy.  The role of captain isn’t thrown around as lightly these days.  While there were four from 1979-1988, there have only been two since then, Jeter and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

A captain must be a leader, both on and off the field, and in an age where every mistake of a ballplayer is brought to light, nobody embodied the role better than Jeter.  Was he the greatest captain in Yankees history?  Maybe, maybe not.  Should he be the last?  No.

After Lou Gehrig was forced to retire, it was stated by Joe McCarthy that the Yankees would never have another captain, so this isn’t the first time this has been discussed (if this had been the case, Jeter would never have gotten the chance).  For 37 years, the Yankees were without a captain, robbing many of baseball’s all-time greats of the opportunity, until George Steinbrenner realized Thurman Munson‘s leadership was so great that he was deserving.

Unfortunately, Munson’s untimely passing three years later left the Yankees without a captain once again, yet the captaincy title was reissued only three years after Munson.  Since Munson being named captain in 1976, the longest the Yankees have gone without a captain is from Mattingly’s retirement following the 1995 season until 2003 when Jeter was named captain.

While Jeter was the longest-tenured captain in Yankees history, McCarthy’s mistakes should not be repeated.  Let’s say Aaron Judge comes up, is a great hitter, and an even greater leader who remains with the Yankees throughout his career.  Why should he be stripped of the opportunity to be labeled a captain?

If Jeter is the last captain, then it should not be as a way to honor the recently retired legend.  It should be due to the fact that nobody deserving has come along.  While I think that the Yankees have several players who are great leaders, none are exactly what you think of as captain of the team.

With an aging roster full of question marks, Cashman has attempted to sway the conversation into controversy.  After retiring two of baseball’s greatest players in consecutive years, the Yankees must compete in 2015, captain or not.  While the Yankees could go years without a captain (maybe even the longest they’ve gone since Munson receiving the honor), there will be one, someday.  Before that, the Yankees must find a franchise face.

Currently though, Cashman needs to focus on the state of the roster, and winning games in 2015, as another losing season could produce a major shake up.

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