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Assembling the Yankees Ultimate All-Time 25-Man Roster

Evan Halpine-Berger|
Aug 12, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez (13) waves to the fans during a pregame ceremony honoring him prior to him playing in his last game as a Yankee prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez (13) waves to the fans during a pregame ceremony honoring him prior to him playing in his last game as a Yankee prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Yanks Go Yard assembles the New York Yankees ultimate 25-man roster, using all of the greatest players in franchise history during their peak seasons.

Given how depressing the modern New York Yankees have been over the last month, let’s distract ourselves with a game. If you had to fill out a 25-man roster using the best players in Yankees history, who would you choose?

It’s important to remember that when you select a player, you have to specify which particular vintage of that player you are choosing for your club. My attempt at building the best super-Yankees team is what follows, but feel free to quibble with my choices in the comments.

Starting Lineup

  1. LF- Rickey Henderson (1985, Age 26) 157 OPS+ and 9.9 WAR
  2. CF- Mickey Mantle (1957, Age 25) 221 OPS+ and 11.3 WAR
  3. DH- Babe Ruth (1923, Age 28) 239 OPS+ and 14.1 WAR
  4. 1B- Lou Gehrig (1927, Age 24) 220 OPS+ and 11.8 WAR
  5. 3B- Alex Rodriguez (2007, Age 31) 176 OPS+ and  9.4 WAR
  6. RF- Joe DiMaggio (1941, Age 26)  184 OPS+ and 9.1 WAR
  7. 2B- Robinson Cano (2012, Age 29) 148 OPS+ and 8.4 WAR
  8. C- Thurman Munson (1973, Age 26)  142 OPS+ and 7.2 WAR
  9. SS- Derek Jeter (1999, Age 25) 153 OPS+ and 8 WAR

Bench

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IF/PR- Snuffy Stirnweiss (1945, Age 25) 139 OPS+ and 8.5 WAR

OF- Bobby Murcer (1972, Age 26)  181 OPS+ and 8.1 WAR

PH/1B- Jason Giambi (2002, Age 31) 172 OPS+ and 7.1 WAR

C- Yogi Berra (1956, Age 31) 142 OPS+ and 6.3 WAR

Just Missed the Cut- Position Players

Joe Gordon (1942), Graig Nettles (1976), Tony Lazzeri (1929), Bill Dickey (1937), Roger Maris (1960), Brett Gardner (2010).

Rotation

  1. Ron Guidry (1978, Age 27) 208 ERA+ and 9.6 WAR
  2. Lefty Gomez (1937, Age 28) 193 ERA+ and 9.4 WAR
  3. Andy Pettitte (1997, Age 25) 156 ERA+ and 8.4 WAR
  4. Catfish Hunter (1975, Age 29) 144 ERA+ and 8.1 WAR
  5. CC Sabathia (2011, Age 30) 143 ERA+ and 7.5 WAR

Bullpen

CL- Mariano Rivera (1996, Age 26) 240 ERA+ and 5 WAR

SU- Rich Gossage (1982, Age 30) 179 ERA+ and 4.5 WAR

SU- David Robertson (2011, Age 26) 399 ERA+ and 4 WAR

MR- Tom Gordon (2004, Age 36) 204 ERA+ and 4 WAR

MR- Dave Righetti (1986, Age 27) 168 ERA+ and 3.8 WAR

LR- Lindy McDaniel (1970, Age 34) 176 ERA+ and 4.2 WAR

LR- Joe Page (1949, Age 31) 156 ERA+ and 4.2 WAR

Just Missed the Cut- Pitchers

Russ Ford (1910), Jack Chesbro (1904), Herb Pennock (1924), Bob Shawkey (1920), Mike Mussina (2001), David Cone (1997), Mel Stottlemyre (1965), Dellin Betances (2015)

Next: Three Under-the-Radar Free Agent Upgrades for the Yankees

There’s no other franchise that could put together a roster that formidable. One of the things that stuck out to me when researching this was how well A-Rod’s peak Yankees seasons stacked up against other pinstriped legends. His 2007 season was simply one of the best performances by a Yankees player ever, and I don’t think most fans appreciated how great he was at the time.

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