Yankees: All-time greatest seasons by position

Left field – Joe Dimaggio (1939)

You can’t have an all-season Yankees’ roster, let alone lineup, without ‘Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio. The man knew how to hit and play the game like only the best do. Three years were taken away from him because of World War II, but that still doesn’t hurt his Hall of Fame career.

If DiMaggio were able to play baseball in 1943-1945, he would have done more of the same. He consistently held a mid .300 batting average with 20-40 home run potential and a very high on-base percentage in the low .400s

His 1941 season was a wild ride to watch for fans as he set the consecutive hit streak record of 56 games. However, I considered his 1939 season to be his best. He batted .381 with an OBP of .448 and SLG of .671. He also smashed 30 home runs and drove in 126 runs.

While he was primarily a center fielder for the team, on my roster, I’ll move him to left field to cover the broad left-center field gap of old Yankee Stadium. I think everyone reading this should have an idea of who will play center field for my all-season Yanks’ team.

Honorable mention

Roger Maris (1961)

Roger Maris needs some attention for his 61 home run season in 1961. Surprisingly, Maris had a better WAR in 1960 (7.5) than he did in 1961 (6.9). But that’s not going to prevent me from considering his ’61 season for a roster spot.

He slashed .269/.372/.620 with 61 home runs and 141 RBI in 1961. I wouldn’t be surprised if new power hitting Yankee Giancarlo Stanton has a similar season in 2018. Stanton is identical to Maris in a way because he is a big swing guy that doesn’t hit for a high average, typically.