New York Yankees: Top 10 First Basemen in Franchise History

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.