Yankees: Their Top Five second basemen over the last half-century

Typically, a Yankees lineup features power hitting outfielders, first and third basemen, and occasionally a catcher. Often overlooked are those who have held down the second base position on teams that routinely won championships. This is a tribute to those players.

When the Yankees build a championship team, they almost always concentrate on strength up the middle. Even today, the team the Yankees field focuses on their shortstop, Didi Gregorius, their second baseman, Starlin Castro, catcher Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Hicks who is admirably filling in for Jacoby Ellsbury.

And before that, the Core Five tandem that included Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, and Jorge Posada won four World Championships in five years based on the same premise.

As we know, the game of baseball has changed, and the accent on power is expected from all positions. Castro doesn’t disappoint as he already has 12 home runs and 45 RBI in less than half a season.

And the power keeps on coming when you consider Jose Altuve and his ten home runs with 34 batted in, Daniel Murphy with 12 bombs and 39 driven in, and Brian Dozier who has 12 home runs and 32 RBI in less than half a season.

But when you look at the second base position, there is more to consider than just power. The second baseman is one-half of the double play combination that must make those plays that get pitchers out of a potential big inning.

The second baseman must make all the routine plays as well and coordinate with the shortstop as to who’s covering on a steal. Add to that covering first base on a sacrifice bunt, and you have the makings of a player who automatically is an integral part of any team.

So, with all that in mind, let’s take a look back at the last half-century of New York Yankees second baseman with an eye towards picking out the best. Leading off………

You might find this one a surprise, but…….

Luis Sojo gets the nod for the number four position in the ranking of the Yankees all-time best second basemen in the last half-century.

Sojo never played more than 100 games in a season for the Yankees, and yet for those that recall, he was always in the middle of a win for his team, as depicted in the video above.

Championship teams are built as much with role players as they are with All-Stars who earn the big bucks. And it is notable that Sojo never made more than $800,00 in a season while playing for the Yankees.

But he does have three championship rings.

In four World Series appearances, all with the Yankees, he batted .400 with a .904 OPS, while fielding his position without a flaw.

Other than that, Sojo’s stats as a major leaguer would barely rate a second look. An overall .261 hitter, he played his last game at the age of 36. Fittingly, it was with the Yankees who picked him up off the scrap heap in 2003 following his release by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After appearing in only three games, the Yankees also released him proving that some fairy tales do not end well.

But for those that recall, Luis Sojo was magic as a role player and second baseman for a team that won and won big during his tenure with the Yankees.

Back to the sixties for this one………….

Bobby Richardson hit a total of 34 home runs for the Yankees during his tenure as their second baseman from 1957-1966.

But during that time, his team won three World Championships, including back to back titles in 1961 and 1962 against the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.

In 1960, a series that the Yankees lost in a final seventh game in which Bill Mazeroski pulled off a Bobby Thompson home run sending the Bombers home, while Richardson became the Most Valuable Player in a losing cause batting .367 with 12 runs batted in and an unimaginable 1.054 OPS.

A seven-time All-Star, Richardson would end his career with a pedestrian batting average of .266, hardly worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.

But to the Yankees, he was the glue along with Tony Kubek up the middle that created the chance for others like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to rise to their heights propelling the team to the World Series and beyond.

In later years following his retirement from baseball, Richardson would move on to pursue his faith as a minister of the gospel. Criticized by some for bringing religion to the forefront of baseball, he persevered.

At Mickey Mantle’s bedside during his last days, Richardson spoke with “The Mick” who was mournful for his behavior over the years and the two sealed a friendship that had its origins in the Yankees clubhouse many years before. Richardson also would also deliver the eulogy at Mantle’s funeral service.

Bobby Richardson is the personification of the major league second baseman who quietly does his job with none of the glitter and glam that makes him a name to remember in the Yankees annals. But any closer look reveals something much different.

Don’t cha know…………

The brooding face of Robinson Cano aptly fits his tenure with the Yankees. But before we go any further with this, let’s look at the numbers he produced.

In nine seasons with the Yankees from 2005-2013, Cano finished second in the balloting for Rookie of the Year in his inaugural season and was chosen as an All-Star five times.

He hit .300 or better five times in a Yankees uniform and scored 100 or runs in a season in four consecutive years. He also fielded his position flawlessly.

And yet, there was something about Robbie Cano that didn’t sit right with Yankees fans and, ultimately, the front office when they “let him go” to the Seattle Mariners not believing that he was worth the $240 million the Mariners signed him for.

History will decide the outcome of that contract, but in the immediacy of the decision the Yankees were faced with, the common belief among Yankees fans was that Cano played baseball with a nonchalance that irked nearly everyone.

Blessed with immeasurable talent, Cano could be seen in the field barely nipping a runner at first base with an underhand toss on a play that usually would have beaten the runner by three steps to the bag.

Witness here this video in which Cano did not run out of the box……

Nevertheless, baseball rewards numbers and even some of the nastiest characters like a Ty Cobb make it to the Hall of Fame. And even Cobb, in later years, had those fangs removed by some generous writing.

Cano had the numbers and deserved a ranking at or near the top of the Yankees best second baseman over the last fifty years.