New York Yankees: Top 10 First Basemen in Franchise History

Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees. (Photo by Jeff Carlick/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees. (Photo by Jeff Carlick/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)

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.

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.

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