6 Worst New York Yankees All-Stars of all time

With so many star-studded rosters throughout the years, the New York Yankees have had their fair share of representation in the All-Star Game. With so many all-time legends donning pinstripes throughout the franchise's history, most were incredibly deserving.

With that said, looking back through history, there are a select few where one has to stop and scratch their head. Wait! That guy was an All-Star?

Those moments are few and far between, but they do exist. These six players are the worst Yankees to ever make an All-Star team. Some would have success elsewhere, whereas others never really deserved the honor. No matter what, these guys are unquestionably the bottom of the barrel when it comes to New York's representation in the Midsummer Classic.

These 6 players are the worst All-Stars in New York Yankees history

Starting pitcher Phil Hughes - 2010

Phil Hughes was supposed to be the next great Yankees ace, with the organization at one time comparing him to Roger Clemens and the baseball world at large ranking him among the top prospects in the game during the back half of the 2000s.

Instead, Hughes is a prime example of that era's Yankees failing to develop young pitching talent. Hughes, like fellow top pitching prospect Joba Chamberlain, broke into the bigs by bouncing back and forth between the rotation and bullpen, as a strict set of rules to limit innings and "protect" these precious young arms was put in place by the organization.

Despite the developmental havoc, Hughes transitioned full-time to the rotation as a 24-year-old in 2010, earning his first and only All-Star appearance. His win-loss total was impressive at 18-8, but nothing else about his game screamed All-Star with a pedestrian 4.19 ERA and a propensity to give up the long ball. Hughes finished his seven-year Yankee career with a 4.53 ERA and would go on to pitch for the Minnesota Twins for five years before finishing his career in 2018 as a struggling reliever for the San Diego Padres.

Catcher Jose Trevino - 2022

Here's a recent one for you. Jose Trevino always seemed like a fun-loving guy in the clubhouse, one of those players who can be the glue of a good team, even if they aren't stars. At least, he did until he was traded to Cincinnati this past offseason.

One thing he never really seemed like was an All-Star, though that's exactly what he was in 2022. While a valid argument can be made that Trevino was the best defensive catcher in baseball that season — his 21 defensive runs saved had him ranked third in the league regardless of position and his Statcast fielding run value of 19 ranked in the 100th percentile among big league backstops — was that really enough to give him an All-Star nod?

Four American League catchers produced a better fWAR than he did that season: Sean Murphy, Adley Rutschman, Alejandro Kirk, and Cal Raleigh, and all were positive contributors at the plate as well as behind it. Each member of the quartet posted a wRC+ of 115 or better. Trevino, on the other hand, had just an 85 wRC+, 15% below league average.

This isn't a knock on Trevino. Catcher defense is incredibly important, and the position is notoriously difficult to find positive offensive value at. With that said, was it really an All-Star-caliber performance? Absolutely not.

Starting pitcher Javier Vazquez - 2004

One of the most hated former Yankees, who inexplicably got a second chance in the Bronx, which further solidified him as a player who absolutely could not handle New York, Javier Vazquez made his lone All-Star appearance in 2004 as a member of the Yankees.

If anything, Vazquez's 2004 campaign is reason number one as to why this event should be like the NFL's Pro Bowl and held after the season. The final line for Vazquez in 2004 certainly doesn't look All-Star-worthy, a 14-10 record with a 4.91 ERA and 1.5 HR/9, but that is a bit misleading.

Vazquez's 3.56 first-half ERA was actually All-Star-caliber. Unfortunately, he crumbled down the stretch and turned in a nauseating 6.92 ERA after the break and went on to provide one of the most crushing moments in Yankees' playoff history.

Left fielder Brett Gardner - 2015

Let's be clear, Brett Gardner was a good and lifelong Yankee who deserves much respect for his achievements over his 14-year career.

Originally a speedy, glove-first outfielder, Gardner would develop some serious plate discipline and surprising pop by the end of his career, clubbing 28 homers in 2019 as the high point of his late-career power surge.

In 2015, he made his first and only All-Star appearance. By that point, Gardner had toned down his thievery on the basepaths, going from a league-leading 49 steals in 2011 to a more economical 20 stolen bases in 25 attempts in 2015.

Now primarily a left fielder, Gardner still had the goods defensively, but 2015 was just an okay offensive year for the gritty Yankee. He'd finish the year slashing .259/.343/.399 with 16 homers. His 2.5 fWAR ranked 20th among American League outfielders. It was a good year, but not an All-Star worthy one.

Catcher Aaron Robinson - 1947

Aaron Robinson had a brief, three-year Yankee tenure that didn't begin in earnest until he was already 30. Two years later, in 1947, Robinson would receive his first and only All-Star selection in what was arguably the worst season of his three in pinstripes.

Robinson hit .270/.370/.413 with five home runs while serving in a catching platoon and playing in just 82 games. The other prominent member of that platoon was a 22-year-old rookie by the name of Lawrence Peter Berra. It was Yogi who'd finish 15th in the MVP voting in 1947, but Robinson was the one given All-Star honors.

Berra would take over full-time in 1948 with Robinson moving on to play for the Chicago White Sox, and the legend would go on to make 18 consecutive All-Star appearances. It's fair to say that if either Yankee backstop was going to get the nod in 1947, it should have been Yogi, but what's one All-Star selection really mean when you already have 18 others, right?

Starting Pitcher Scott Sanderson - 1991

When the Yankees acquired 34-year-old Scott Sanderson from the then-Oakland Athletics, the idea was that he would be the ace they craved. With an All-Star selection in 1991, his first season in pinstripes, it would appear that was the case.

However, there's a bit more than meets the eye. Sanderson wasn't bad in 1991, but to call him an ace or an All-Star might be a bit of a reach. He'd had several years in his career where he had outperformed his 16-10, 3.81 ERA performance with the Yankees, but 1991 stands as the only All-Star selection the right-hander would receive.

Things would quickly unravel for Sanderson in 1992, as he struggled mightily and became eminently hittable, even earning the dubious distinction of becoming the 12th pitcher in big league history to surrender four homers in a single inning during a May 2 game against the Minnesota Twins.