6 former Yankees players who thrived in the New York limelight later in their careers

Paul O'Neill transformed himself from a talented-but-frustrating outfielder to the epitome of consistency in Yankees pinstripes

Younger Yankee fans might be more familiar with Paul O'Neill as the laid-back and self-deprecating sometime color commentator for Yankees games broadcast on the YES Network. However, before that, he was known as a fiery competitor on the field who could mash a Gatorade cooler with the best of them.

An Ohio native, O'Neill broke into the big leagues in his backyard with the Cincinnati Reds but, despite flashes, never lived up to his full potential and was the subject of non-stop criticism from his then-manager and former Yankee great, Lou Piniella.

In November of 1992, the small-town country boy would arrive in the concrete jungle, as he was traded from the Reds to the Yankees in exchange for outfielder Roberto Kelly. While the change of scenery could have been a culture shock, O'Neill's career took off once he donned Pinstripes.

O'Neill took home the AL batting crown in the strike-shortened 1994 season, posting a sparkling .359 batting average. He'd then go on to be a linchpin of the Yankees' last great dynasty, holding down the third spot in the batting order and earning four of his five career All-Star selections in the Bronx.

O'Neill had transformed himself from a player who folded under the weight of criticism in the slower-paced Cincinnati environment to proving that he could, in fact, thrive under the weight of intense scrutiny.

Yankee fans came to love O'Neill's passion for the game and intense nature, as the sweet-swinging lefty became famous for his self-directed tirades following a strikeout. Speaking of strikeouts, O'Neill struck out over 100 times just once in his nine-year Yankee tenure, as his line-drive approach allowed for him to reach incredible levels of production despite never topping 24 homers at any point during his years in the Bronx.

Despite playing much of what should have been his prime in Cincinnati, the numbers show just how much the New York pressure cooker took his performance to the next level. O'Neill was 30 when he arrived in the big city, and posted a .303/.377/.492 line (.869 OPS) as a Yankee, compared to a .259/.336/.431 (.767 OPS) during his Reds tenure.

Perhaps more than any other player on this list, O'Neill elevated under the bright lights while winning four championships, accomplishing a rare feat.