The 25 greatest individual seasons in New York Yankees history

The New York Yankees are the most storied franchise in professional sports. Immortalized on the grounds of Monument Park are some of the greatest players, not only in club history but in the entirety of baseball's existence.

The club began as the New York Highlanders in 1903 and adopted the moniker "Yankees" in 1913. Over these past 123 years, many of baseball's biggest stars have graced the field and left us with indelible individual performances that will live on in the sport's lore for the rest of time. This is our attempt to rank the greatest 25 individual seasons in Yankees history, up to this point.

A few caveats before we begin. For one thing, we're going to do our best to consider the differences in eras, but this is an inexact science. You can point to all of the advantages that modern players have today, ranging from technology and advancements in performance training and nutrition to the benefit of not having to work offseason jobs as firefighters, farmhands, and construction workers like those in MLB's early days.

At the same time, you can complain that the legends at the root of the franchise didn't play against top-tier competition, as Jackie Robinson hadn't yet broken the color barrier and stars from Latin America and Asia were nowhere to be found.

Additionally, we're going to be looking at the best of the best regardless of position. There's no easy way to definitively quantify whether a pitcher was better than a hitter or vice versa, but we're going to do our best. For what it's worth, there have been far more MVPs in team history than there have been Cy Young winners, and the team isn't nicknamed the Bronx Bombers for nothing.

These are the 25 greatest individual seasons in the Yankees' storied history

25. Aaron Judge - 2017

While not quite on the same level as his three MVP seasons, Judge was good enough that he should have won the AL MVP in 2017. That didn't come to fruition, but he did take home AL Rookie of the Year honors.

While greatness has become expected from the six-foot-seven behemoth, nothing was guaranteed after he came off a .179/.263/.345 performance in a 95-plate appearance cameo in 2016. Coming up, many questioned whether he'd be able to make enough contact given his long levers and large frame, and when he struck out 44.2% of the time, it seemed those concerns were valid. But by hitting .284, he proved that yes, indeed, he could make contact, and with 52 homers, his power was no joke. This was one of the greatest "arrival on the scene" moments in team history.

24. Mariano Rivera - 1996

If including a closer on the list seemed difficult, try being a setup man. That's what Rivera was in 1996. However, his year was so bananas that it must be included. With John Wetteland locking down the ninth, Rivera was an unknown. During his rookie year in 1995, Rivera pitched out of the rotation and bullpen, posting a disappointing 5.51 ERA.

1996 was his first year as a full-time reliever, and it was a stunning display of dominance. Mo threw a whopping 107 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, which was not something that was commonplace anymore. He recorded a 2.09 ERA in the process, posted a career-best 30.6% strikeout rate, and allowed just one home run the entire season. His 4.3 fWAR was just a mind-bending number coming from a reliever.

Rivera was not yet the pitcher that we all remember. He didn't discover his cutter until the following year in 1997. However, he was just as dominant, and his ability to shorten games was a huge key to the Yankees' World Series win (and the start of the dynasty).

23. Spud Chandler - 1943

Only one Yankees pitcher has ever won an MVP award, and that was Spud Chandler in 1943. The right-hander threw 253 innings, notching 20 wins and posting a dental-floss-thin 1.64 ERA.

Chandler's career was greatly impacted by injuries, with shoulder and elbow troubles being among the issues he faced. He made just one start in 1944 and managed four starts in 1945. However, Chandler came back strong in 1946, with 257 1/3 innings pitched and a 2.10 ERA. His final year in the league was 1947, when he posted a 2.46 ERA but could only toss 128 frames. If Chandler had the benefit of modern medicine, one has to wonder if he'd rank higher in the pantheon of Yankees greats.

22. Don Mattingly - 1986

Even more than Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly is the greatest "what if" player in New York Yankees history. If his back hadn't become a chronic issue, he might have reached inner-circle Hall of Fame status, and his career may have crossed into the dynasty years.

Still, Donnie Baseball had plenty of accolades to his name, including the 1985 MVP award. One could argue that 1986 was even better. Mattingly slashed .352/.394/.573, posting a .967 OPS that was nearly 30 points higher than the .939 mark that won him his MVP trophy. He also led the league with 238 hits, hit 31 home runs, and took home Gold Glove and Silver Slugger honors. As pure a hitter as they come, 1986 was Mattingly at his best.

21. Alex Rodriguez - 2005

Rodriguez was brought to New York for two reasons: to reignite the vestiges of a dying dynasty and block the Boston Red Sox from acquiring his services. A-Rod's first season as a Yankee was good, but not the kind of performance befitting the best player in the league at that time. He rectified that with his first pinstriped MVP campaign.

Rodriguez's 2005 season was similar to his MVP follow-up in 2007. He hit .321/.421/.610 with 48 homers and 21 steals. 2007 featured a bit more power, while 2005 was slightly more contact-heavy.

20. Lefty Gomez - 1937

Yankees southpaw Lefty Gomez's second Triple Crown season in 1937 has earned the spotlight, and it's uncanny how similar his performance was to that of his 1934 campaign (which...you'll see). This time around, Gomez threw 278 1/3 innings, won 21 games, and struck out a career-high 194 batters. His ERA was 2.33, exactly the same as it was in 1934.

19. Lefty Gomez - 1934

No, this isn't a typo, and yes, Gomez was just listed at No. 20, but both of his Triple Crown seasons deserve consideration.

In 1934, the left-handed hurler put together one of the best seasons by a New York starter of all time. He made 38 appearances (33 starts), threw 281 2/3 innings, and won the pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in wins with 26, ERA at 2.33, and strikeouts at 158. He's the only Yankee hurler in history to win a Triple Crown, and it would not be his only time garnering that award. The cherry on top? He finished third in the AL MVP voting.

18. Alex Rodriguez - 2007

2007 was the second of Alex Rodriguez's two MVP seasons in pinstripes. It was a masterclass in offensive dominance, with A-Rod clobbering 54 homers and driving in a career-high 156 runs, while also sneakily stealing 24 bases. Rodriguez hit .314/.422/.645, missing only the batting average leg of the Triple Crown.

17. Mariano Rivera - 2008

It's tough to put a closer on a list like this, but when you're talking about a singular player, the only man to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a unanimous first-ballot selection, and the undisputed greatest player at his position, he belongs on such a list. The only question is which of his stellar back-end seasons should one choose?

In a career full of perfection, 2008 stands out the most. Rivera was as close to perfection as a human being could be, notching 39 saves in 40 opportunities and recording career-bests in ERA at 1.40 and WHIP at 0.67! He also happened to be 38 years old at the time.

16. Whitey Ford - 1961

While Maris and Mantle were slugging their way into the history books, Whitey Ford was twirling gems on the mound. The Chairman of the Board made 39 starts, threw 283 innings, and went 25-4. He posted a 3.21 ERA, which doesn't seem like an otherworldly number, but this was a season of great offensive firepower.

Ford took home Cy Young honors, was named World Series MVP, and came in fifth place in the AL MVP voting, giving the Yankees three of the top five vote-getters, with Maris coming home with the award and Mantle being the runner-up.

15. Lou Gehrig - 1931

1931 was quite the year, with quite a few of these impressive individual Yankees seasons occurring during the same campaign. Gehrig was spectacular yet again, slashing .341/.446/.662 and hitting 46 homers. What is most impressive about his season, though, is the franchise-record 184 RBI. Hitting behind that Ruth guy certainly helped, but Gehrig was one of the best run producers of all-time regardless of his protection.

14. Babe Ruth - 1931

In 1931, Ruth was 36 years old. In a day and age without the advantages of advanced training, nutrition, and technology that we have today, it's amazing that the Great Bambino was still kicking. It's not exactly like he was known for taking care of his body.

However, just because one might have thought he was getting long in the tooth didn't mean that Ruth didn't have a few more vintage years in him. 1931 stands out because he recorded a career-best strikeout rate of just 7.7%. He also hit 46 homers, slashed .373/.495/.700, and posted the final season of his career with a wRC+ north of 200, checking in at 205.

13. Mickey Mantle - 1961

Despite losing the home run race to Roger Maris, Mantle far outpaced him in every other metric. The switch-hitting center fielder hit .317 compared to Maris's .269. He got on base at a .448 clip compared to a .372 mark for Maris. Mickey even outslugged Maris, .687 to .620, despite only hitting 54 homers.

Maris won the MVP award, but it's hard to argue that Mantle wasn't more instrumental to the team's success in 1961. And yet...

12. Roger Maris - 1961

...we kind of have to, no?

There are some who still view Roger Maris's 61 home runs in 1961 as the rightful single-season record. While we'd argue that Judge's 62 in 2022 is a legitimate number, there are definitely tainted marks that came in and removed Maris from the record books.

In some ways, Maris had the look of a guy who couldn't handle the New York spotlight. He was a mild-mannered Midwestern boy from Fargo, North Dakota, and while the city's never-ending buzz was tough for him, the much more difficult part was that a large contigent of the fan base and the media was actively rooting against him.

The Yankees had acquired him from the Kansas City Athletics just two years prior, and he was very much viewed as an outsider. An outsider who was trying to take down a franchise legend in Ruth while also competing with the city's Golden Boy, Mantle, for the home run crown. By the end of the ordeal, he was losing his hair from the stress. Another astonishing thing about his season was that he posted a BABIP of just .209. If he was putting the ball in play, there was a good chance it was heading over the wall.

11. Joe DiMaggio - 1941

There have proven to be very few records in baseball that are untouchable, but Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is one of them. The next-closest to DiMaggio's record is Willie Keeler in 1896-1897. If anything, the way things are going, the game is moving further away from producing a player capable of matching or beating that total.

One of the most incredible pieces of DiMaggio trivia is that he actually had an even longer streak as a minor leaguer, hitting in 61 straight games in 1933 while playing in the Pacific Coast League. DiMaggio didn't just single his way into the record books, either. He hit 15 of the 30 homers he'd club for the season during the streak while batting .408. The Yankee Clipper would finish the year with a minuscule 2.1% strikeout rate while walking 12.2% of the time. Eat your heart out, Luis Arraez!

10. Aaron Judge - 2025

Judge's 2025 campaign is nearly as fine as the other two that garnered him his other MVP trophies. Ironically, his .331 average is the best mark of his career to date and stands out as his only batting title. He fell behind Cal Raleigh in both homers (60 versus 53) and RBI (125 versus 114), keeping him from a Triple Crown. Fortunately, he did best Raleigh in the MVP race, which was one of the more annoying debates in recent memory.

One thing that Judge did accomplish is a more modern version of the Triple Crown, leading the league in average, on-base percentage (.457) and slugging percentage (.688). It was an absolute beast of a performance.

9. Ron Guidry - 1978

A pitcher in the top 10! We know! The Yankees have had quite a few good ones throughout history, but it's hard not to point to Ron Guidry's 1978 campaign as the finest. Louisiana Lightning made 35 starts and tossed 278 2/3 innings, compiling a 25-3 record, 248 strikeouts, and a 1.74 ERA. The 248 strikeouts were a franchise record until Gerrit Cole recorded 257 punch outs in 2022.

8. Mickey Mantle - 1956

An injury while playing football during his freshman year of high school nearly ended Mickey Mantle's baseball career years before it even began. After going to the hospital as a result of his leg swelling and developing a 104-degree fever, Mantle was diagnosed with the bone disease osteomyelitis, which had been aggravated by the injury, and doctors believed they'd have to amputate his leg.

Fortunately, that did not happen, and Mantle recovered fully. While injuries and other issues derailed a career that could've surpassed Ruth or Judge, The Mick was no slouch, given what he was able to accomplish. His finest moment might have been 1956, when he hit 52 homers while slashing .353/.464/.705. That slugging percentage would be the highest mark of his career, and the season stands next to anything Ruth or Judge have put together.

7. Lou Gehrig - 1927

Lou Gehrig's 1927 season was his coming-out party. Gehrig's origin story is truly the stuff of legend: on June 2, 1925, a headache forced incumbent first baseman Wally Pipp to ask out of the lineup and gave way for the Iron Horse to start his then-record 2,130 consecutive games played streak. The streak actually began the day prior thanks to Gehrig being tabbed as a pinch hitter.

Gehrig finished 1925 with 20 homers. In his first full year as a starter in 1926, he'd hit just 16. However, in 1927, he emerged as maybe the second-best power hitter of the time, blasting 47 long balls. He also hit .373 and racked up 175 RBI, the first of five times he'd eclipse the 170 mark in his career. Numbers on the backs of baseball uniforms had been an on-again, off-again thing since 1916, but it was the Yankees in 1929 that made them a fixture, with the original idea being to denote each player's spot in the batting order. Ruth was No. 3; Gehrig was No. 4. No wonder he has the top-five RBI totals in club history.

6. Babe Ruth - 1923

Ruth hit only 41 home runs this season, which was one of the lower totals of his legendary career. What he did do in 1923, though, was hit .393, which was the best single-season batting average of his career and a Yankees record. His 225 wRC+ was second only to his 1920 performance.

5. Aaron Judge - 2022

One can't mention single-season home run records without mentioning the current franchise record holder. 2022 was the year that Judge truly arrived on the same plane as Ruth with his 62-dinger performance. It was also the first season that he eclipsed the .300 mark, batting .311.

And of course, after the travesty that was Jose Altuve's 2017 AL MVP robbery, it set up this current run of dominance. The crazy thing, though? Judge played six more games than Ruth did in 1927, but only finished with two more homers. Also, keep in mind that for Judge to hit more homers than entire teams the way Ruth did, he'd have to push 300 dingers a year. Insane.

4. Babe Ruth - 1927

Baseball is a game that loves round numbers. Hitting .300 matters something. Striking out 200 batters does, too. And for many years, the ultimate magic number was 60. That was the gold standard for power in the sport for 34 years as the single-season home run record until Maris broke it in 1961.

This wasn't the first time that Ruth hit more homers than nearly every other team in baseball, but it was the Sultan of Swat's most iconic performance. How crazy is it that it isn't the best season of his career?

3. Babe Ruth - 1921

It's almost a coin flip between Ruth's 1921 season and that effort he put up in 1920. His batting average in 1921 of .378 just barely edged his .376 mark the previous year. He crushed 59 homers, but played 10 more games than he did in 1920. The slugging percentages were also eerily similar, coming in at .846 versus .849 the prior season. Really, the choice comes down to a slightly more impressive homer total versus an overall performance that was just a hair better.

2. Aaron Judge - 2024

While he's hit more home runs in a single season, such as the 62 long balls that came in 2022, his total of 58 was nothing to sneeze at. 2024 also saw Judge set career highs in slugging (.701), on-base percentage (.458), and wRC+ (219). That last number is what has him up there with Ruth, who only exceeded that mark once in his entire career (1920). Finally, Judge has beenso far and away better than his contemporaries.

Similar to Ruth, there are a handful of Aaron Judge seasons that stand out and could easily be his best. However, 2024 slightly edges out the rest. That year is one of two — the other being 2022 — when Judge just missed out on the Triple Crown.

1. Babe Ruth - 1920

Trying to pick the best Babe Ruth season is like trying to pick your favorite child. There are no bad choices. As for why Ruth comes in at No. 1, well, there were only two choices: him or Aaron Judge. The difference comes down to the fact that no one was doing anything close to what Ruth did in his time.

The 1920 season wasn't Ruth's most gaudy home run total, but it was his finest campaign. He posted a career-best 1.382 OPS, while also hitting .376 with a .533 OBP and .849 SLG. He clubbed 54 homers and drove in 137 runs while scoring 158. By that point, Ruth was basically done as a pitcher, but it didn't matter. The offensive showing was so forceful that it still stands as one of the greatest performances of all-time.

We could go on, but here are a few non-exhaustive Yankees honorable mentions

• Cam Schlittler - 2026 - A legitimate MVP candidate, the only thing keeping him off the list is that the season is still ongoing at the time of this writing.
• Alfonso Soriano - 2002 - Only three players have recorded 30-30 seasons in club history. One more homer would have made Soriano the only member of the 40-40 club.
• Jack Chesbro - 1904 - Excluded because he played under the Highlanders' banner, Chesbro won 41 games and threw 454 2/3 innings with a 1.82 ERA.
• Yogi Berra - 1951, 1954, 1955 - The most quotable Yankee of all time, any of Yogi's three MVP seasons are worthy of consideration.
• Reggie Jackson - 1981 - The straw that stirs the drink hit 41 dingers with a .300 batting average.

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