Yankees: All-time greatest seasons by position

The most historic franchise in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees, have had a plethora of extraordinary talents play for them. Which players have had the greatest single-season performances?

Some of us have only heard of the great players to wear pinstripes and bring home 27 World Series championships. Now it is time to take a look at the best players at their positions over their careers with the Yankees.

I had to do this piece after a couple of Yankee fans I follow on Twitter tweeted out some interesting posts about an all-time greatest lineup. The question was initially posted by Justin Diamond, “A Yankees fan who doesn’t hate the Mets,” according to his profile.

Then, the analytical Zachary Abate, who I recommend you follow if you want impressive stats on your Twitter feed, decided to post his most excellent lineup opinion. Each player that Abate picked had the highest WAR performance at each position in franchise history.

Now before I reveal my picks for the players with the best season in club history according to position — and therefore plug them into a Yankees’ lineup, I would like to remind everyone that so many great players have played for the Bronx Bombers. And it was hard to pick these players out by their corresponding calendar year, but I tried my best.

How I determined the roster

To provide a different lineup than Abate’s, I did not make my decisions based off of WAR. Even though I think WAR is a vital attribute to consider when comparing players, I’ll instead rely on others.

The slash line (AVG/OBP/SLG) was critical to my calculations for hitters, and I gave a boost to Gold Glove fielders. For pitchers, I relied heavily on FIP, ERA, WHIP, innings pitched and strikeouts.

Similar to Abate, I’ll get very analytical and crunch the numbers to put the very best team forward representing a monster season. However, I will also factor in the legacy and clutch performances each of these players had with the organization.

After highlighting which player I choose for my starting lineup, I’ve listed off the reserve players. And to be honest, creating this list puts things in perspective for me, as a die-hard Yankees fan.  Maybe it will do the same for you.

No. 1 starter – Ron Guidry (1978)

I never had the chance to watch Guidry play live, but growing up watching Yankees Classics on the YES Network helped me understand how great of a player Guidry was. He was a lights-out starting pitcher, agile as a fielder and a clutch performer.

Without a doubt, Ron Guidry’s 1978 season was the most dominating year for a Yankees’ starting pitcher. He was nicknamed ‘Louisiana Lightning’ for a good reason.

In ’78, Guidry went 25-3, with these eye-popping numbers: an ERA of 1.74, FIP of 2.19. WHIP of 0.946 and 248 strikeouts in 273.2 innings pitched.

Starting rotation

No. 2 – Allie Reynolds (1952)

After the Yankees acquired Allie Reynolds from the Cleveland Indians, the right-handed pitcher flourished in pinstripes. His career year was in 1952 when he pitched 244.1 innings, went 20-8, struck out a league-high 160 batters, had the lowest ERA in the league at 2.06, a 1.191 WHIP and a FIP of 2.89

No. 3 – Andy Pettitte (1997)

One would have to consider Andy Pettitte to take the mound for the Yankees’ all-season team.  He may not have the hardware (Cy Young Awards) or legendary statistical seasons to back-up his importance to the franchise, but Pettitte has five World Series rings. Also, he is ranked thirteenth in individual WAR (51.6 WAR) for the Yankees’ franchise.

While he came close to winning the Cy Young Award in his second big league season, the following season was his best. In 1997, Pettitte, at the age of 25, had a record of 18-7, with a 2.88 ERA, a 1.240 WHIP and 2.96 FIP.

No. 4 – Whitey Ford (1961)

Ford was always a great pitcher for the Yankees who could go the distance while limiting damage.  I considered his 1964 season almost his best because of his career low FIP of 2.45, but he had crazier numbers at the age of 32 in 1961.

‘The Chairman of the Board’ threw an outstanding 283 innings, went 25-4 with an ERA of 3.21, a WHIP of 1.180 and led the league with a low FIP of 3.14.

No. 5 – Roger Clemens (2001)

One of my favorite players growing up was Pettitte’s buddy, Roger Clemens; and his 2001 Cy Young season was worth considering. During “The Rocket’s” Cy Young campaign with the Yankees, he pitched 220.1 innings, struck out 213 batters, went 20-3 with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.257 WHIP and 3.29 FIP. He also finished eighth in MVP votes.

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Long relievers

LHP – Lefty Gomez (1934)

At the age of 25 in 1934, Gomez arguably had his best season. Gomez went 26-5 that year, with a league-low 2.33 ERA and 1.133 WHIP, and a 3.57 FIP. He also tossed a league-high 281.2 innings (an astronomical number compared to today’s game) while striking out a league-high 158 batters.

LHP – C.C. Sabathia (2009)

Lastly, the big dog, C.C. Sabathia deserves consideration for nearly a decade of being a valuable pitcher for the franchise. Immediately after signing with the Yankees, Sabathia had his best season when he brought a World Series championship back home in 2009.

At the age of 28, while surprisingly missing the All-Star Game, Sabathia went 19-8 in 230 innings with an ERA of 3.37, WHIP of 1.148 and a FIP of 3.39.

Catcher – Thurman Munson (1975)

The Yankees, in their long history, have had many great catchers play for them. Legends like Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Elston Howard, and more recently Jorge Posada and Gary Sanchez have had fantastic individual seasons. However, the heart and determination of Thurman Munson are unmatched.

Munson was named the Yankees’ captain for a reason. He was a gritty and tough ballplayer and a Gold Glove fielder at the most physically demanding position on the field. Also, he was my father’s favorite baseball player growing up, so I guess I have some bias here.

In my opinion, his best individual season was 1975, which is in opposition to Abate’s 1973 preference for a couple of reasons. Munson was not known for being a power hitter, but instead a consistent and clutch performer who found ways to drive in runs without the long ball.

While 1973 was his best season in regards to power because of his career-high 20 home runs, .487 SLG, and .849 OPS, I still prefer his 1975 performance. At the age of 28, Munson had a three slash of .318/.366/.429, an OPS of .795, 12 home runs and despite the low power numbers he still managed to drive in 102 RBI.

Backup catcher

Choosing Munson over the other great performances of Yankees’ catchers, I named before is not meant to discredit them at all. All of them had fantastic seasons that deserved consideration.

However, if Munson’s career was not tragically cut short because of the devastating plane crash, who knows what more he could have done.

C/OF Yogi Berra (1950)

If I didn’t choose Munson to be in my all-season Yankees’ starting lineup, you wouldn’t be surprised if I decided on Yogi Berra. He is one of the best catchers ever to play the game and had many memorable quotes, obviously. While he had many great seasons, I prefer his 1950 performance.

Berra, at the age of 25 in 1950 had a three slash of .322/.383/.533 with a career-high OPS of .915. He also whacked 28 home runs and drove in 124 runs. I believe 1950 was his best season, but he finished third in MVP voting that year while winning the award in 1951, 1954 and 1955.

Honorable mentions

I had a difficult time passing any of these following great players up. The organization has had many outstanding catchers throughout their history.

Bill Dickey (1936-1937)

Bill Dickey was a phenomenal offensive force for the Yankees before Berra, and he had an exceptionally sick run between 1936 and 1937. In those two years combined, Dickey had a three slash of .345/.422/.591, giving him an incredible OPS of 1.012. He also hit 51 home runs and drove in 240 runs.

Elston Howard (1963)

Elston Howard won the Gold Glove Award and the American League MVP for his fantastic season in 1963. At the plate, he batted .287 with an OBP of .342 and SLG of .528. He also hit a career-high 28 home runs and drove in 85 runs.

Jorge Posada (2007)

Posada was a vital member of the organization in the 90s and the first decade of the 2000s. He was the Yankees’ catcher for my entire childhood, and I will remember him forever.

One could think his career-year was 2003 when he finished third in the AL-MVP voting. However, his 2000 performance was a little better. While Posada in 2003 had a career high in home runs (30) and runs batted in (101), he had a higher three slash in 2000.

At the age of 28, Posada had rightfully won the Yankees’ starting catcher job, and he did not disappoint. In 2000, he won his first of five Silver Slugger Awards, and he made his first All-Star appearance. But in my opinion, 2000 wasn’t even Posada’s best year. It was 2007 when he was 35.

In 2007, Posada had a remarkable career-high three slash of .338/.446/.543, and he hit 20 home runs while driving in 90. In 2007, Posada also made his final All-Star appearance after a three-year drought and won his last Silver Slugger Award.

I was very close to choosing this Posada as the Yankees’ catcher in my all-season lineup, but Posada was not as good of a fielder as Munson was.

Gary Sanchez (2017)

It seems the Yankees sure know what to look for when scouting catchers because that’s a pretty impressive list. The future of current catcher Gary Sanchez appears to be bright as well. I’m confident he will break the AL catcher home run record in 2018, but hopefully, he improves his fielding as well.

In 2017, Sanchez had a three slash of .278/.345/.531 while hitting 33 home runs and driving in 90 batters. He also made his first All-Star Game appearance and won his first Silver Slugger Award.

First base – Lou Gehrig (1927)

Lou Gehrig is the best first baseman in MLB history. He had a long and prosperous career that was cut short because of the terrible ALS disease. But during his time playing, he was a class act and ferocious left-handed bat.

Gehrig in 1927 had a remarkable three slash of .373/.474/.765 while hitting 47 home runs and driving in an outstanding 173 RBI’s. He also led the league in total bases that year, and he would do so another three times in his career.

The most impressive factor of Gehrig’s career was his consecutive streak of games started.

He was a once in a lifetime player that excelled in baseball. It’s sad that his career was cut short, but MLB will never forget him or his memorable speech in Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939.

Honorable mentions

Having ‘The Iron Horse’ starting at first base means the backup may never see playing time. So while none of these players’ seasons will make the active roster, they are worth mentioning.

Don Mattingly (1986)

I feel bad for Don Mattingly because he retired right before the Yankees’ dynasty began, after a long career with no World Series appearances. He’ll still go down as one of the best first basemen in Yankees’ history because of his sick bat.

In 1986, ‘Donnie Baseball’ had a slash line of .352/.394/.573, hit 31 home runs and drove in 113 runs. The previous year, he won the MVP after driving in league-high 145 runs. However, he was more dangerous at the plate according to his slash line in 1986.

Jason Giambi (2002)

Jason Giambi had an immediate impact once the Yankees signed him for the 2002 season. In the long-run, the ‘The Giambino’ was not a good acquisition for the Yankees. However, in 2002 he slashed .314/.435/.598 while smacking 41 homers and driving in 122 runs.

Mark Teixeira (2009)

A lot of people don’t give Mark Teixeira enough credit for his efforts in 2009. He finished second in the AL MVP voting, won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award. He slashed .292/.383/.565 with a league-high 39 home runs and 122 RBI.

Tino Martinez (1997)

Tino Martinez was a vital player in the Yankees’ 90s dynasty. It’s fitting that he immediately made an impact following the retirement of Mattingly. While he was part of the 1996 World Championship team, his best season was his 1997 lone All-Star campaign with the Yanks.

I remember having his Showdown playing card for 1997. Man, that was a powerful card to play.  In 1997, Tino slashed .296/.371/.577 and hit a career-high 44 homers with 141 RBI.

Could Greg Bird be the next excellent Yankees’ first baseman?

There’s been a lot of hype centered around the Yankees’ young left-handed bat. He’s had moments of greatness, but we need to see a full season from him. Some analysts think this could be the year, but they also believed so at the beginning of last year.

Second baseman – Robinson Cano (2012)

Robinson Cano will go down as the most significant Yankees’ second baseman ever. It’s a damn shame he is playing for another organization, but he wanted the big payday. I don’t blame him for walking away for the money since it’s his trade, but imagine if Cano was in the 2018 lineup?

The Yankees wouldn’t be able to afford him unless GM Brian Cashman made some crafty moves.  His departure hurt the organization for several years, but it would lead to higher draft picks and trading away veterans to start the rebuild. I guess we can be thankful that he is gone.

His swing reminded me of Ken Griffey Jr.’s. It was interesting watching him come up, within the organization and develop into a star.

Cano had a bunch of terrific seasons for the Yankees, especially between 2009-2013. However, his best season was 2012. He slashed .313/.379/.550 and hit 33 home runs with 94 RBI.

Backup second baseman

Choosing Cano’s 2012 was the obvious choice. I didn’t have to think too long and hard about this one, but there is another player worth having on the roster.

Willie Randolph (1980)

Willie Randolph’s career season in 1980 helped him rank 15th in MVP votes, make the All-Star team and win the Silver Slugger. He slashed .292/.427/.407, stole 30 bases and walked a league-high 119 times. Out of all the players I named so far, he brought speed to the ball club. That may be enough to earn him a backup spot on my roster.

Honorable mentions

Tony Lazzeri (1929)

A vital member of the Yankees’ ‘Murderers Row’ in the late 1920s, Lazzeri cannot be overlooked because he is a Hall of Famer! In 1929, he had a better slash line than Cano did too. However, I preferred Cano’s power and slick fielding over Lazzeri.

Lazzeri, in his career-year, batted a career-high .354/.429/.561 with 18 homers and 106 runs batted in.

Joe Gordon (1942)

I will be honest; I didn’t know who Joe Gordon was until I read this article from Pinstripe Alley.  Shame on me, because he is a Hall of Famer too.

Gordon took over the position for Tony Lazzeri in 1938. He had an impressive slash line in his 1942 career year, batting .322/.409/.491 with 18 home runs and 106 RBI.

Third baseman – Alex Rodriguez (2007)

Well, duh, you knew this was coming. Alex Rodriguez was one of the most gifted talents baseball ever had. In his career-year as a Yankee, when he won his second MVP with New York, he slashed .314/.422/.645 with 54 home runs, 156 RBI and stole 24 bases.

Yes, he was over-dramatic and covered by the New York media every second, but did you expect anything different? He was the best player playing for the most popular team in professional sports.

‘A-Rod’ was the man when the Yankees traded for him from the Texas Rangers. I remember the day the Yankees acquired him. It was like Christmas Day for me, to be honest.

He was a Gold Glove fielder and was already in the 40-40 club. And the Yankees got him by trading away Nick Johnson and Alfonso Soriano. The trade paid off at the end of the day, despite all the controversy.

Alex will retain a beloved figure in Yankees’ history, and a hated figure at the same time. Yes, he admitted to taking PED’s, and he tried going to war with the Yankees between 2014 and 2015.

However, all seems to be forgiven for the most part because some fans wanted A-Rod to be the team’s new manager. It would be crazy to see A-Rod back in pinstripes, but he needs time away from the field in the analyst booth first.

Backup third baseman

Graig Nettles (1977)

Yes, my all-season 25-man roster will include the Gold Glove, power-hitting third baseman for the Yankees from the 1970s, Graig Nettles. Despite the low batting averages, Nettles was still a heck of a player. In 1976, he had a WAR of 8. However, I still prefer the following season as his best.

In 1977, Nettles finished fifth in MVP voting, won the Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove Award. That year, he also slashed .255/.333/.496 with 37 home runs and 107 RBI.

Shortstop – Derek Jeter (1999)

He was the face of baseball for a generation. He was the Yankees’ captain and a great all-around ballplayer. Derek Jeter will be a Hall of Famer very soon because of a long, consistent career. No year in his career was as good as the 1999 season.

After the Yankees won the World Series when Jeter was a 22-year-old rookie, and then again in 1998, Jeter was in his prime heading into 1999. During the season, Jeter slashed a remarkable .349/.438/.552 and hit a career-high 24 home runs with 102 runs batted in, including 19 stolen bags.

Jeter had plenty more seasons where he was impressive. He batted over .300 in 12 of his 20 years playing professional ball and remained efficient well into his 30’s.

When Jeter was 38, he still made the All-Star team, finished seventh in MVP voting and won the Silver Slugger.

He also won five Golden Glove Awards to go along with five total world championships. And to do all of this in pinstripes is truly rare and unique. It was only fitting he hit a walk-off single in his final at-bat.

For Jeter to do that after the career he had was like a Hollywood script. Someone needs to make a Derek Jeter movie ASAP.  I wonder what actor would play him.  Any ideas?

It’s crazy to think the Yankees had arguably their all-time best second baseman, third baseman and shortstop all on the field at the same time for many games.

Left field/Designated hitter – Babe Ruth (1920)

George Herman “Babe” Ruth changed the game of baseball, once the Yankees acquired him from the Boston Red Sox. There should not be a single all-time best baseball players list that doesn’t include him in the top-5. Babe was a fantastic pitcher, but a unique hitter with tremendous power.

Once the Red Sox shipped him to the Yanks for cash to fund a play, Ruth had arguably the best season of his career. While he did hit 60 home runs in 1927, I consider 1920 his best overall season because of his slash line. Ruth, at the age of 25 slashed .376/.532/.847 with a league-high 54 home runs and 135 RBI.

The Yankees decided to use Ruth primarily as a hitter for the rest of his career, despite being a fantastic pitcher. I believe in the designated hitter position, so for my lineup, I put Ruth in the DH hole each and every year.

MLB Limited TV series about Babe Ruth coming soon?

We’ve heard all the stories, but did you know we are going to see a limited TV series about Ruth soon? It’s going to play on the anti-hero that Ruth was reported to be.

According to The Detroit News, MLB will try to attract more of a young audience by focusing on the first megastar the sport ever had. While many high caliber athletes played the game of baseball for decades, none were as famous as “The Babe.”

MLB has hired Director/Producer Allen Coulter to oversee the project. His credits include “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Sopranos.” I cannot wait for this series to come out.  I’m sure it will be fantastic.

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.

Center field – Mickey Mantle (1957)

Some consider Mickey Mantle to be the most significant baseball player ever. Today, people compare Angels phenom Mike Trout to him. Here’s the thing, if Mickey Mantle didn’t get hurt towards the second half of his career, he would have been the greatest player of all-time.

Mantle did it all as a ballplayer. He hit for a high average consistently, had tremendous power, speed and he was an exceptional fielder. While he struck out a lot, he still raked at the plate.

Mantle had three seasons with a WAR above 10! Those seasons were 1956 (11.2), my personal favorite 1957 (11.3) and 1961 (10.5). If you caught it, you’d realize Mantle had a higher WAR than Maris did in 1961 when the two were chasing the home run record Maris eventually won with 61.

In 1957, a year after winning the Triple-Crown Award, Mantle had his most productive season. He slashed .365/.512/.665, belted 34 home runs, 94 runs batted in and 16 stolen bases.

Home runs are not the most substantial factor for me as you can see. In Mantle’s career, he hit more than 34 home runs six times, and in fact, hit over 50 twice (1956,1961).

Backup outfielder

Bernie Williams (1998)

I am not making my Yankees’ all-season 25-man roster without one of my favorite baseball players on it. Bernie Williams was clutch and a vital member of the Yankees’ dynasty in the 1990s.

In my opinion, his best season was 1998 when he led the league with a .339 batting average. He also had an OBP of .422 and SLG of .575 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs. Williams also took home a Gold Glove Award, made the All-Star team and finished seventh in MVP voting.

Right field – Aaron Judge (2017)

As a rookie, Judge had one of the best seasons in Yankees’ history. Aaron Judge is only getting started Yankee fans, so get ready.

I choose Judge because he is an all-around player with clearly enough power to hang with guys like Ruth, Mantle and Gehrig. While strikeouts are his kryptonite, he’s still a force at the plate. The best part about Judge is his character. What a humble human being he is?

But let us revisit his incredible 2017 another time as we head into Spring Training for the 2018 season. We’ve heard the analysts go over his numbers and lose their minds, as they should.  As a 25-year-old rookie, Judge changed his approach at the plate, and it worked.

In his historic rookie campaign, Judge slashed .282/.422/.627 and bashed 52 home runs with 114 RBI. He also took home the AL Rookie of the Year Award, Silver Slugger, made an All-Star appearance and finished behind Jose Altuve in the MVP race.

Honorable mention

Paul O’Neil (1994)

My favorite baseball player of all-time is Paul O’Neil, and I am not making my all-season roster without considering him. It’s not surprising to me that I was born the same year O’Neil became a Yankee in 1993. He was a warrior with a rocket arm, wasn’t afraid to express his frustration, and oh yeah, he could hit too.

His best season in pinstripes according to the math was 1994. He batted a league-high .359 with an OBP of .460, SLG of .603 and hit 21 home runs with 83 RBI. If not 1994, his 1998 season was his best season according to his career-high WAR of 5.8.

Best all-season Yankees’ starting lineup

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Batting order

As you read off the batting order below, I suggest you hear in your head, legendary Yankees’ public address announcer Bob Sheppard call out each player’s name. Here it is folks, the Yankees’ best all-season 25-man lineup:

1. SS – Derek Jeter (1999)


2. LF – Joe DiMaggio (1939)


3. DH – Babe Ruth (1920)


4. 1B – Lou Gehrig (1927)


5. CF – Mickey Mantle (1967)


6. 3B – Alex Rodriguez (2007)


7. RF – Aaron Judge (2017)


8. 2B – Robinson Cano (2012)


9. C – Thurman Munson

Bench

MIF – Willie Randolph (1980)

CIF – Graig Nettles (1977)

OF – Bernie Williams (1998)

C – Yogi Berra (1950)

Starting rotation

1. LHP – Ron Guidry (1978)


2. RHP – Allie Reynolds (1952)


3. LHP – Andy Pettitte (1997)


4. LHP – Whitey Ford (1961)


5. RHP – Roger Clemens (2001)

Next: Yankees on pace of play changes

Bullpen

Closer – RHP – Mariano Rivera (2008)

Setup – RHP – Rich “Goose” Gossage (1982)

Setup – RHP – Sparky Lyle (1972)

Middle – LHP – Andrew Miller (2016)

Middle – RHP – Chad Green (2017)

Long – LHP – C.C. Sabathia (2009)

Long – LHP – Lefty Gomez (1934)