Yankees: Ranking their five best all-time utility players

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The Yankees have been fortunate to have a powerhouse lineup over the years. But when injuries have befallen them, they’ve also been able to reach into the depths of their bench to pick up play without a hiccup. These are the Utility Players who are the backbone of any team, and these are the Yankees best.

The Yankees have not won 27 World Championships with their regular one through nine lineups alone. It takes the full complement of a blended 25-man roster to win at the major league level. And in particular, a winning team must have at least one player who is designated as the utility player.

By definition, the word utility is most used as an adjective meaning, “useful, in particular through being able to perform several functions, denoting a player capable of playing in several different positions in a sport.”

Utility players, unlike home run hitters these days, don’t grow on trees. They are almost always handpicked by a manager who sees versatility, resilience, and adaptability to team needs in a player.

Typically, they are infielders by trade with the capability of stepping into the outfield in emergency situations. Rarely do they have a big ego.Utility players might sit for days without playing and then all of sudden they find themselves called on to play for two weeks when a player goes down.

I’ve selected five Yankees utility players who have made outstanding contributions to the team over the years. As with any “Best Of” themes, there is bound to be controversy regarding the players who are selected, or perhaps players who should have been chosen but were omitted.

As always, that’s part of the fun, and I invite you to share your thoughts and comments about this story or anything Yankees on the Yanks Go Yard Facebook page.

#5 Randy Velarde

Randy Velarde played for sixteen mostly non-distinctive years in the major leagues. His career with the Yankees spanned eight seasons during a period when they were rebuilding, and the Core Four was making their way through the minor leagues.

He missed the Yankees first of five World Championships in 1996 by a hair when he left the team in 1995 to sign as a free agent with the California Angels.

Velarde was instrumental in the Yankees infield, playing shortstop, second and third base, as well as in the outfield when needed.

The most games he appeared in was in 1992 when he played in 121 games. Mainly a singles hitter, Velarde collected 152 of them on his way to 200 hits in 1999 after he had left the Yankees.

His biggest moment with the Yankees occurred in the playoffs on October 8, 1995, when he singled off Randy Johnson to drive in Pat Kelly and hand the Yankees a 5-4 lead in the top of the 11th inning. The lead was short lived though as the Yankees went on to lose the series to the Mariners.

Like most utility players, Velarde did nothing in spectacular fashion, but he did everything well. He averaged .261 with the Yankees, but in his final four years with the team that jumped into the .280’s, and he batted .301 in 1993.

Following his retirement from baseball, Velarde made headlines in 2011 as seen in this report from the New York Daily News:

Randy Velarde took the witness stand in the Barry Bonds perjury trial Wednesday, where with a grim face and a taciturn Texas accent he told the jury about receiving performance-enhancing drugs from Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson. “I just told him who I was and could he put me on his program,” Velarde recalled of his first conversations. “We had our meetings in parking lots.”

Velarde now lives quietly with his family in Midland, Texas, his native state. Interviewed by Lubbockonline.com, Velarde says:

“It was always just baseball,” he said. “I wanted to be a major league baseball player from the time I was knee-high to a grasshopper.”

#4 Homer Bush

Homer Bush played only two full seasons with the Yankees, but he left his mark engrained with the fans of New York.

When tallied up, he appeared in a total of only 64 games for the team. But like a quality utility player, he made every one of them count, achieving a batting average of .348 during his tenure with the team.

Perhaps best described as a journeyman ballplayer, Bush played only seven years in the big leagues before retiring in 2004. His lifetime batting average, though, is an impressive .285.

In 2015, the Texas Rangers named him Director of Youth Baseball Programs. He is also the author of a book titled Hitting In The Zone.

As a fan favorite, Bush has maintained a relationship with the Yankees, as seen here as a participant in a Yankees Fantasy Camp with another fan favorite, Mickey Rivers.

His time was short with the Yankees, but his memories of the team and our memories of him are long.

#3 Gil McDougald

Gil McDougald played on Yankees teams that won five World Championships. He was on the field when Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and he was the American League’s rookie of the year in 1951, playing third base and second base and hitting .306.

Playing on teams that featured Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, and Whitey Ford, McDougald seldom made the back pages of New York newspapers. But his impact on the team never went unnoticed by his teammates.

Sadly, McDougald’s career will always be marked by one moment in time. It’s described here by New York Times:

On the night of May 7, 1957, at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, McDougald drilled a line drive off a pitch from the Indians’ brilliant young left-hander Herb Score that struck Score in the face. Only in his third season but seemingly destined for the Hall of Fame, Score remained on the ground for several moments. He was carried off the field, having sustained a severe injury to his right eye and a broken nose.

Later, McDougald would say, “If Herb loses the sight in his eye, I’m going to quit the game.” Score never did lose an eye but he also never fully recovered from the injury.

As your typical utility player, he played second, short, and third, often mixing them into the same game. A reliable but not flashy defensive player, he made all the plays he should make.

A five-time All-Star, he finished as high as fifth in the MVP voting in 1957. In that same year, he was first in the league in sacrifice hits with 19, an achievement that’s rare in the game as it’s played today.

After his playing days, McDougald ran a building maintenance company in New Jersey, and he coached baseball at Fordham University from 1970 to 1976.

#2 Ronald Torreyes

A bundle of energy and surprising production, Ronald Torreyes has been the backbone of the New York Yankees in 2017. A poster boy for Utility Player in the major leagues, Torreyes has answered the call when needed by Joe Girardi every single time.

Yankees fans recall, for instance, when he was handed the shortstop job when Didi Gregorius suffered an injury while playing in the World Baseball Classic tournament. During April, he batted .313, contributing 21 hits in 21 games, 18 of which were as a starter, while driving in 13 runs.

A free swinger, Torreyes arrives at the plate ready to hit. During that same month, he received no walks but struck out only seven times, or once every three games.

More recently, Torreyes was called on to replace the injured Starlin Castro during August. With a few days still left in the month, Torreyes has outdone himself, this time batting .338.

Much like Derek Jeter was when he played, Torreyes always seems to be in the middle of everything anytime the Yankees put together a good inning. And occasionally, the “Little Guy” comes up with the big hit as seen here when he ripped a walk-off single to center field to give the Yankees a 2-1 victory in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Overshadowed by Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, Torreyes gets my vote as the Yankees MVP for 2017.

#1 Luis Sojo

As an opening statement, Luis Sojo has as many World Championship rings as Derek Jerek. His highest salary with the Yankees was $800,000, and he earned every penny of it.

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The only time his name appears on the leaderboards, awards, or honors was in 1991 when he led the league in sacrifice hits with 19. Sojo never made an All-Star team, but his value to the Yankees is best seen by the fact they traded for or signed him as a free agent six different times during his years with the team.

The role player, the last one selected to the 25-man roster when the team headed north, that was Luis Sojo.

His game winning hit in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series propelled the Yankees to a win over the New York Mets in the first ever Subway World Series (below).

Following his retirement from baseball as a player, Sojo remained with the Yankees organization as a manager in their minor league system. In a report by the YES Network, Sojo “has been categorized as a good “players’ manager,” and that also helps him build a quick rapport with players who are nearly three decades his junior.”

As someone for whom the game never came easy, Sojo is a natural born teacher who reminds his players daily of the need to work hard and play harder.

Next: The Yankees may have found a new version of Luis Sojo

If the Yankees decide to look internally when Joe Girardi leaves his position, there is a good chance Sojo will at least be called in for an interview.

It’s been fun writing this, and I hope you’ve enjoyed recalling these players from yesteryear. And don’t forget, I invite you to share your thoughts and comments about this story or anything Yankees on the Yanks Go Yard Facebook page.

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