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

Roger Maris begrudgingly thrived in the Yankees' limelight

Roger Maris, much like Paul O'Neill, was a small-town midwestern product growing up in Minnesota and cutting his teeth in the majors in Cleveland and Kansas City. He was still finding his way when he arrived in New York in 1960, making an All-Star team with the Kansas City Athletics in 1959 but not yet blossoming into the fearsome slugger he'd become.

At the age of 25 in his first year with the Yankees, he battled fan-favorite teammate Mickey Mantle for the AL home run crown, falling one shy with a total of 39 dingers, but besting Mantle for MVP honors.

Then came the magical 1961 season. Both Maris and Mantle found themselves on a torrid home run pace, threatening to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. The fans and the media made it clear who they supported, preferring that the homegrown Mantle be the one to become immortalized in the record books over Maris, the outsider.

Maris ultimately emerged victorious, crushing 61 long balls to claim the single-season crown, but was derided around the baseball world for taking more than 154 games to get there, as the season now consisted of 162 games as opposed to the 154 in Ruth's era.

Maris never reached those same heights and, at times, regretted the attention the record brought him. Still, he'd go on to have a few more productive years with the Yankees.

In total, he won two MVP awards, made three All-Star teams, won two World Series rings, and had one magical, record-breaking year during his Yankee tenure. Not bad for a player who just wanted to be "one of the guys."