Yankees: 3 NYY Legends Who Should Have Their Numbers Retired

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The Yankees need to retire these numbers in Monument Park, for reasons both good and bad.

The New York Yankees have featured rosters littered with way too many stars during their time-honored history.

This has resulted in a common quandary: Who do we honor with a jersey retirement ceremony? It can’t be everyone, right?

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Over the years, the Yanks have been a bit lucky. Some of these decisions were made for them when player after player attained icon status (after all, were you really going to deny Derek Jeter’s No. 2?). The single digits are all gone, and that’s alright. Surprised it didn’t happen earlier, actually.

But what are we supposed to do with the middle ground? Whose numbers are being actively avoided and informally retired as we speak? These players probably need an official day of honor sometime soon, simply so we can put the debate to rest.

But no more! This is it! We promise.

Former player Paul O’Neill of the New York Yankees (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /

3. Paul O’Neill

How can the Yankees keep issuing The Warrior’s number?

See, here’s one where the dirty work has been done for the Yankees.

Back in 2008, reliever LaTroy Hawkins was issued O’Neill’s No. 21, seven years after the Yankee legend had hung up his spikes after a tearful ovation in right field during the 2001 World Series. Fans jeered Hawkins so hard he had to give up the digits, and the number hasn’t been worn since.

So why not just retire 21 and make it official?

The Yanks threw O’Neill a party in 2015 and did everything but officially take his jersey out of commission, so what’s the plan here? Keep things informal, and then after O’Neill passes away, start passing the number around willy-nilly? You think the fans will take kindly to that?

There’s zero reason not to give O’Neill, a beloved broadcaster, one more big ticket-selling ceremony, and then send the number off into the rafters. No one! Is wearing! It anyway!

He was the engine that made the ’90s Yankees go, and a four-time All-Star in Pinstripes to boot. Just end this charade.

New York Yankees LHP CC Sabathia (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2. CC Sabathia

If we can’t retire the phrase, “F*** outta here, Reddick!” can the Yankees at least retire CC Sabathia’s No. 52?

Speaking of the ol’ informal ceremony, if you think any Yankees player is going to ever voluntarily wear No. 52 ever again, you’re out of your gourd. Either the number disappears for ever, or CC rehabs and returns. There’s no in-between.

Honestly, if there were fans in the stands in 2020, we don’t doubt that the Yankees would’ve gone through the two-step process of confirming 100% that Sabathia was done playing baseball, before just going for it and scheduling his ceremony this season (emceed by Ryan Ruocco, of course).

The old horse was everything the Yankees wanted and more after he signed his free agent contract in 2009, posting 19, 21, 19, and 15 wins in four dominant campaigns as the Bombers established a new era. He completely reinvented himself in the back half of his career, overcoming significant trauma to recapture Andy Pettitte’s cutter and become effective once more in 2016-2018.

Remarkable, beloved, indelible. He’ll get his moment in the sun; we don’t even really have to argue for this one.

Alex Rodriguez #13 (R) hugs teammate Gary Sheffield #11 of the New York Yankees during a locker room celebration after defeating the Minnesota Twins (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

1. Alex Rodriguez

The Yankees have to get the No. 13 out of their sight.

I ask you, who wants to wear No. 13 for the New York Yankees ever again? Same corollary as CC; if A-Rod unretires, he can have it back. Otherwise (Michael Kay, thanks for popping in here), “Seeeeeeee ya!”

Yes, Rodriguez was a dominant Yankee in his prime, posting MVP seasons in 2005 and 2007, and leading the Yanks to an incredible exorcising of demons on his ’09 World Series run. Don’t shoot the messenger, but he probably deserves this honor on merits alone.

Unfortunately, that’s not where Rodriguez’s career lies right now.

He’s reformed himself into a business guru of some kind, and snuck his way onto national television broadcasts, ignoring the scorched earth manner in which he ended his Yankees career. New York needs to get this number out of their lexicon before they can fully turn the stadium over to the Baby Bombers. Maybe retire the number and bury it in the same spot that dork construction worker buried a David Ortiz jersey at the new ballpark?

Who knows. Something’s got to give. Retire 13 and get it out of my sight. Who thought it was a good idea to give Rodriguez such a cursed number anyway?! Couldn’t have just doubled up “3” to “33”? Nah, too easy. Goodness, end this already.

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