New York Yankees: Top 10 First Basemen in Franchise History

Who are the top 10 first basemen in New York Yankees history?

The New York Yankees have had their fair share of superstars all around the diamond and first base is no different. Although the position may not have the same history as the catcher position, this list still contains several All-Stars, Gold Glove winners, and World Series Champions.

When making this list, I considered a few factors. I took into account what the player has done in the postseason as well as the regular season. Although quality of the statistics do take precedent, quantity is also a part of the evaluation.

Lastly, this list only considers what the player did while they were a part of the Yankees. So Lance Berkman, considered by some to be one of the all-time great first basemen, does not make this list for hitting one HR in 37 games in the Bronx.

This list, like any other, is subjective.

Yankees all-time first baseman: 10. Nick Etten (1943-1946) (11.2 WAR)

To kickoff this list, we have 1943 World Series champion and 1945 All-Star Nick Etten. Although his career with the Yankees is the shortest on this list, Etten provided the team with a formidable bat in the mid-1940s.

After being traded by the Phillies to the Yankees ahead of the 1943 season, Etten made a big impact right away, leading the team in RBI with 107 and finishing seventh in MVP voting en route to a World Series championship.

The following season, Etten led the league in HR with 22 and BB with 97. Then, in 1945, he led the league in RBI with 111. In four seasons with the Yankees, Etten had 358 RBI and a .370 OBP.

On the downside, Etten struggled mightily in his lone World Series, going 2-for-19 with two RBI.

Yankees all-time first baseman: 9. Jason Giambi (2002-2008) (22.0 WAR)

Placing Jason Giambi on this list was a hard decision. Knowing that he took steroids as a member of the Yankees made it tempting to omit him from the list entirely. However, taking steroids doesn’t give you the skill to be a good hitter either, which made me decide to ultimately place Giambi on this list, taking his production as well as his steroid use into account.

With three All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger award, Giambi proved to be a productive member of the post late 90s era. After coming over from Oakland prior to the 2002 season, he hit .314 with 41 HR and 122 RBI in his first season in pinstripes. He followed up with another 41 HR and 107 RBI as well as a league-leading 129 BB.

In his seven years with the Yankees, Giambi totaled 209 HR, 604 RBI, and an impressive .404 OBP. However, due to several injuries, he was only able to play in 897 games out of a possible 1,134.

In the postseason, Giambi hit .279 with 6 HR and 13 RBI in 32 games. He most notably hit three HR against the Red Sox in the 2003 ALCS.

Yankees all-time first baseman: 8. Joe Pepitone (1962-1969) (7.4 WAR)

One of the many first basemen on this list that was slick with the glove is Joe Pepitone. With three All-Star selections and three Gold Gloves to his name, it should be no surprise to see him on this list.

Signed by the Yankees out of high school in 1958, Pepitone spent four years in the minors before being called up at age 21 in 1962. Despite playing a lot of outfield in his first year, he became the primary first baseman in 1963, where he began to make a name for himself.

As a 22-year old, Pepitone hit 27 HR with 89 RBI, earning him his first of three straight All-Star selections. The following year, he continued to produce, hitting 28 HR with 100 RBI. He also earned his first of three Gold Glove awards.

In Pepitone’s eight years with the Yankees before getting traded to the Astros, he hit 166 HR and 541 RBI as a fixture on the Yankees during that decade following their back-to-back championships in 1961 and 1962.

Despite just missing being a part of those winning teams, Pepitone still got a taste of the World Series in 1963 and 1964, going 6-for-39 with a HR and five RBI in 11 games.

Yankees all-time first baseman: 7. Wally Pipp (1915-1925) (29.0 WAR)

Perhaps most remembered for being the guy that Lou Gehrig replaced, it was probably tough to be Wally Pipp. However, Pipp was no slouch either, serving as the Yankees starting first baseman for the better part of a decade.

Purchased by the Yankees in 1915, Pipp slotted in as the everyday first baseman early on as a 22-year old. Despite that, it didn’t take him long to find his footing, as he led the league in HR with 12 in 1916 and nine in 1917.

Pipp’s best years came later on, however. In 1921, he hit .296 with 103 RBI. He followed up well in 1922 hitting .329, before surpassing the 100 RBI mark again in 1923 and 1924. He also led the league in triples in 1924 with 19.

Before he was put on waivers by the Yankees and ultimately grabbed by the Reds, Pipp amassed 833 RBI and 1,577 hits in 11 seasons in the Bronx. He also finished in the top 14 of MVP voting twice (1922 & 1924).

In the playoffs, Pipp was just a .224 hitter in 19 games. Although his performance wasn’t spectacular in the biggest moments, he was a central part of the Yankees first World Series Championship in 1923.

Yankees all-time first baseman: 4. Bill Skowron (1954-1962) (23.7 WAR)

A largely forgotten but important part of the late 1950s and early 1960s Yankees championship squads is Bill Skowron. In his nine seasons as a Bronx Bomber, he was a member of four World Series championship teams and collected seven All-Star selections.

After signing with the Yankees in 1950, Skowron eventually got called up in 1954 and served as a platoon-type player. By 1956, he became the full-time first basemen, amassing 23 HR and 90 RBI in his first full season.

From that point on, Skowron provided a steady bat for the next seven seasons. In total, he hit 165 HR and 672 RBI to go along with an OPS of .842 in 1,087 games. In his peak, Skowron averaged 25 HR and 86 RBI from 1960-1962.

Skowron thrived in the postseason as well, hitting .283 with 7 HR and 26 RBI in 35 games with the Yankees. Among all-time ranks, he ranks seventh in HR and sixth in RBI in World Series history.

Fun fact: Skowron is one of six players ever to win back-to-back World Series titles with two different teams (1962 w/ NYY & 1963 w/ LAD).

Yankees all-time first baseman: 3. Tino Martinez (1996-2001, 2005) (16.7 WAR)

A member of the great late 90s Yankees, Tino Martinez was a crucial part of four World Series titles to go along with an All-Star appearance and a Silver Slugger award in his seven seasons with the Yankees.

After being traded from the Mariners to the Yankees following the 1995 season, Martinez immediately signed a five-year extension with the club as he succeeded the next first baseman on this list.

In his first season with the Yankees, Martinez mashed 25 HR and 117 RBI. The following year, Martinez finished second in the 1997 AL MVP voting, hitting 44 HR with 144 RBI. In three of the following four seasons, Martinez hit 28+ HR and 105+ RBI, providing consistent production for the dynasty. Overall, Martinez had 192 HR, 189 doubles, and 739 RBI in 1,054 career games as a Yankee.

In the playoffs, Martinez had his moments. In 81 playoff games with the Yankees, Martinez hit .242 with 8 HR and 42 RBI. However, his best stretch by far came in the dynasty’s 2000 run, when he went 24-for-64 with five doubles and seven RBI in 16 games en route to the franchise’s 26th World Series championship.

Yankees all-time first baseman: 2. Don Mattingly (1982-1995) (42.4 WAR)

One of two players on this list to have their number retired by the Yankees is Don Mattingly. Although he played in what many consider as the dark ages for this illustrious franchise, Mattingly made many contributions to this team that earned him the second spot on this list.

As a 19th round draft pick out of high school in 1979, Mattingly opted to forego college and start his minor league career. After a few seasons, he was briefly called up in 1982, but he wouldn’t find consistent playing time until 1984, when he burst onto the scene as a 23-year-old star.

In his first full season, Donnie Baseball led the league in hits (203), doubles (44), and AVG (.343). The following season, Mattingly led the league in doubles (48) and RBI (145). He also amassed 35 HR and a .939 OPS, earning him the 1985 AL MVP Award.

Mattingly went on to collect six All-Star selections, three Silver Slugger awards, and a whopping nine Gold Glove awards. His nine Gold Gloves rank second all-time among first basemen, behind only Keith Hernadez with 11.

Over 14 seasons, Mattingly hit 222 HR, 442 doubles, and 1,099 RBI. Unfortunately for Mattingly, his injuries caused the Yankees to sign Tino Martinez following the expiration of Mattingly’s contract after the 1995 season. After sitting out 1996 unsigned, Mattingly called it quits in January of 1997. Unlike many of the Yankees all-time greats, Mattingly never appeared in a World Series, despite the team making it to the promised land the year before he was called up (1981) and winning it the year after his final season (1996).

In his only playoff series, Mattingly didn’t disappoint, as he went 10-for-24 with four doubles and six RBI in the 1995 ALDS.

Yankees all-time first baseman: 1. Lou Gehrig (1923-1939) (114.1 WAR)

Far and away the best first baseman to play for the Yankees, and maybe the best first baseman ever, is Lou Gehrig. A Hall of Famer with two MVP awards, six World Series titles, seven All-Star selections and a Triple Crown; Gehrig was a no-brainer to be atop this list.

Called up at the young age of 19, Gehrig saw limited playing time in his first couple seasons on the Yankees, appearing in only 23 games between 1923 and 1924. It wasn’t until the aforementioned Wally Pipp missed a game in 1925 due to a headache for Gehrig to get his chance, and boy, did he run with it.

On June 2, 1925, when Pipp was benched for Gehrig, the latter would go on to play 2,130 consecutive games, earning his famous nickname, The Iron Horse.

In 1927, in just his third year as an everyday player, Gehrig won his first MVP award, slashing .373/.474/.765 with 47 HR, and a league-leading 52 doubles and 173 RBI. This marked the start of a truly dominant career, as Gehrig would go on to tally 493 HR, 534 doubles and 1,995 RBI. Across his 14 years as a starter, he led the league in HR three times, RBI five times and OBP five times.

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Among all-time first basemen ranks with at least 300 games played, Gehrig is first in OBP, SLG, and OPS+. His career slash line is a remarkable .340/.447/.632.

When it comes to the playoffs, Gehrig’s production was elevated. In 34 World Series games, Gehrig hit .361 with 10 HR and 35 RBI, which rank third and fifth all-time, respectively, helping the Yankees win six World Series championships during his career.