The New York Yankees are the most successful franchise in the history of professional sports, with a record 27 championships.
New York dominated the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1990s and was the last MLB franchise to three-peat, winning the World Series from 1998-2000 and four out of five years total (1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000); the Yankees have sent countless players to the Hall of Fame.
Manager: Casey Stengel
After 14 seasons as a player, including six with the Brooklyn Dodgers and three with the New York Giants, Stengel became a manager, which included stints with the Dodgers and Boston Bees/Braves. But then he got into the Yankees dugout, and the rest is history. With Stengel as their manager (1949-1960), the Yankees won seven World Series, including five consecutive titles from 1949-53 and 10 American League pennants as a whole. The Yankees won 62.3% of the games that Stengel was their manager, with him being third in franchise history with 1,149 wins.
Starting pitcher: Whitey Ford
If the Yankees could turn to one pitcher to take the mound, it would be Ford. The southpaw was a workhorse for New York who induced a great deal of weak contact. A two-time ERA title winner and 10-time All-Star, Ford was part of six Yankees’ World Series teams (1950, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962) and won the 1961 World Series MVP, which is the year that he also won the AL Cy Young Award. Ford is first in Yankees history with 236 wins, 3,170.1 innings pitched and 45 shutouts and second with 1,956 strikeouts and second among pitchers with a 53.5 WAR.
Reliever/closer: Mariano Rivera
Rivera was called “The Sandman” and came out to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” for a reason: He put teams to sleep. Spending his entire career in the Bronx (1995-2013), Rivera went on to be the best closer in MLB history, recording a record 652 saves and posting an ERA above three just once after becoming a full-time reliever in 1996 (he posted a 3.15 ERA in 2007). Rivera was part of five Yankees championship teams (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009) and primarily found success with his cut fastball.
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Catcher: Yogi Berra
Berra is among the figures who epitomize Yankees baseball. One of the best all-around catchers in MLB history, Berra was a three-time AL MVP, an 18-time All-Star and part of a whopping 10 World Series teams with the Yankees: 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962. Berra is fifth in Yankees history with both 358 home runs and 1,430 RBIs, sixth with a 59.7 WAR and eighth with both 2,148 hits and 1,174 runs scored. He later managed the Yankees in 1964 and again from 1984-85.
1B: Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig raked: plain and simple. A two-time AL MVP, Gehrig drove in 150-plus runs in a single season an absurd seven times and was an indispensable part of seven Yankees’ championship teams (1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937 and 1938), highlighted by a .731 career postseason slugging percentage. Gehrig is first in Yankees history with 163 triples, second with a .340 batting average, 2,721 hits and a 113.7 WAR and third with both 493 home runs and 1,888 runs scored. One of the best left-handed hitters of all time, Gehrig formed the most formidable one-two offensive punch baseball has ever witnessed with another player on this list.
(Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
2B: Willie Randolph
Randolph, a six-time All-Star, spent the bulk of his MLB career with the Yankees (1976-88), with whom he was a featured part of their 1977 World Series triumph. A scrappy force to be reckoned with, Randolph was a contact hitter who swiped bags with consistency and was a steady force at second base. Randolph is second in Yankees history with a 17.0 defensive WAR, fourth with 251 stolen bases and ninth with both 1,027 runs scored and a combined 54.0 WAR. He would later serve as a base coach and bench coach for the Yankees from 1994-2004.
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
The Yankees acquired a superstar shortstop to play third base in 2004 because of the next player we’ll discuss, but Rodriguez transitioned just fine. Rodriguez was an overwhelming force from the right side of the plate. In 2007, he led MLB with 54 home runs and would be a featured part of the Yankees’ 2009 World Series championship, hitting six home runs and posting a combined .365/.500/.808 slash line in the postseason. Across his 12 seasons playing in the Bronx (2004-16, excluding 2014), Rodriguez stands sixth in Yankees history with 351 home runs, seventh with a .523 slugging percentage and 10th with both 1,012 runs scored and a 53.8 WAR.
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Jeter spent his entire career with the Yankees (1995-2014) and became the most popular athlete in the history of New York sports. A five-time Silver Slugger, five-time Gold Glover and 14-time All-Star, Jeter is one of the best pure contact hitters the sport has ever seen, founded the signature jump-throw from shortstop and was the heart and soul of five title teams (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009). Jeter posted 200-plus hits in eight seasons and is sixth in MLB history with 3,465 career hits. As for Yankees context, Jeter is first in franchise history with both 3,465 hits and 358 stolen bases, second with 1,923 runs scored, fifth with a 71.3 WAR and eighth with a .310 batting average. Furthermore, he was a career .308 postseason hitter.
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
OF: Babe Ruth
“The Babe” stands as arguably the best player to walk on a baseball field, and he spent the majority of his career in the Bronx (1920-34). Ruth led the AL in home runs in 10 of his 15 seasons with the Yankees, with whom he helped win four World Series (1923, 1927, 1928 and 1932). Ruth, who, of course, was primarily a starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox before landing in New York, is first in Yankees history with 659 home runs, a .349 batting average, a .711 slugging percentage and a 142.8 WAR, second with 1,978 RBIs and third with 2,518 hits. And if that wasn’t enough, Ruth blasted 15 home runs in 36 postseason games for the Yankees. When Ruth called his shot in the 1932 World Series, he knew exactly what he was doing.
(Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
OF: Joe DiMaggio
DiMaggio was an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons in the sport (1936-42, military service and then 1946-51), a career spent entirely with the Yankees. Enough said? Yes, but we’ll provide more background, anyway. A two-time batting champion and three-time AL MVP, DiMaggio was one of the most impactful right-handed bats the game has ever seen, extremely difficult to strikeout and part of nine World Series teams (1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1950 and 1951). DiMaggio is tied for third in Yankee history with a .325 batting average, is fourth with both 361 home runs and a 79.1 WAR, fifth with 1,390 runs scored and sixth with 2,214 hits.
OF: Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mouse opened Disneyland in July 1955, but Mickey Mantle was already up and running by then. When Mantle came to the plate, the opposing manager would yell “back up” to the outfield. A 20-time All-Star, Mantle imposed fear into pitchers from both sides of the plate, leading the AL in home runs in four seasons and totaling 536 home runs across his 18-year career, which ranks 18th in MLB history. Mantle, who won seven World Series with the Yankees (1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962), is second in franchise history with 536 home runs, third with a 110.2 WAR, fourth with both 2,415 hits and 1,509 RBIs and 10th with 153 stolen bases.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
The list of outfielders is so deep that we had to make a two-time MVP in his prime the designated hitter. Judge is special. The 6-foot-7 right fielder has an elite arm, covers a lot of ground and has been arguably the best hitter in the sport over the past decade. In 2022, Judge set a new American League single-season record with 62 home runs and then sent 58 balls over the wall in 2024. Now going by “The Captain,” Judge has overwhelming power from the right side and a sweet, level, compact swing. He’s the best position player in the sport and already seventh in Yankees history with both 349 home runs and a 59.2 WAR.
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Honorable mentions:
- Joe McCarthy (Manager)
- Joe Torre (Manager)
- Reggie Jackson (RF/DH)
- Tony Lazzeri (2B)
- Joe Gordon (2B)
- Robinson Cano (2B)
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
recommended
Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
