Top 10 Greatest Yankees

[Knicks411]

I think its a pretty clear cut top 5; Ruth has to be first. I'd probably then go Gehrig/Mantle/Dimaggio/Berra. After that it can be a tossup to some extent. Not a bad top 5; the greatest RF of all time, the best 1B of all time, maybe the best catcher of all time, plus 2 of the 4 or 5 best CF of all time.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don't think anyone has mentioned Red Ruffing He started out as a Red Sox. But appeared in seven World Series, six of which the Yankees won. During his 15 years with the Yankees, Ruffing compiled 231 wins, which ranks second on the Yankees' all-time list behind Whitey Ford's 236 victories. He had a 3.47 ERA and 1526 Ks.

or Lefty Gomez

A Yankee for 13 seasons, Gomez was a four-time 20-game winner and twice won pitching's Triple Crown, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts in 1934 and '37. He had a 3.34 career ERA and 189-102 record in New York. He pitched 28 shutouts and completed more than half of his starts. The Hall of Famer helped the Yankees to five World Series titles and went 6-0 with four complete games in seven Fall Classic starts.

How about the top pitchers all time:

1. Whitey Ford 236 Wins 2.75 ERA 1956 Ks 6 World Series titles
2. Red Ruffing 231 Wins 3.47 ERA 1526 Ks 6 World Series titles
3. Lefty Gomez 189-102 3.34 ERA 1468 Ks 5 World Series titles
4. Mariano Rivera 652 Saves 2.21 ERA 1173 Ks 5 World Series titles
5. Andy Pettitte 203-112 3.98 ERA 1823 Ks 19 post season wins 5 World Series titles
6. Ron Guidry 170 - 91 3.29 ERA 1778 Ks 2 World Series titles

I had Ruffing listed as one of my old-era "after-thoughts". Good call on Lefty Gomez. Greatly underrated pitcher.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Also agree on your 1-8; however, as much as I love Thurman Munson, going by the numbers Bill Dickey was a better player at catcher. Going by a 162 game average for both players Dickey had BA - .313; HR - 18; RBI - 109; OBP - 382; Slg - .486 TB - 277
while Thurman Munson's 162 game #'s BA - .292; HR - 13; RBI - 80; OBP - .346; Slg - .410 TB - 249

As good as a defensive catcher that Thurman was, Dickey was slightly better. Their 162 game averages behind the plate:
Dickey Fld% - .988 Caught Stealing % - 47%
Munson Fld% - .982 Caught Stealing % - 44%

Can't stand Aroid. I would take Mattingly over him. Although Aroid had more power; Donnie had better BA, RBI & fewer strike outs per 162 game season as Yankee players.

Great call on Bill Dickey.

 

[IthacaMatt]

... but there is no way you can do a top ten, comparing today's players with the greats of the past, especially pitching. (No specialists back in the day.)

Sure you can! That's what alcohol is for!

 

[UnknownOrange]

LOL @ A-Rod as a top 10 yankee. GTFOH. That is an absolute disgrace to anyone you left off the list. No. No. No.

 

[Chip]

Not once on anyone's list have I seen Ed Whitson, Dale Berra or Bobby Meacham.

Are you people watching the same sport that I am?!?

 

[pfister1]

Not once on anyone's list have I seen Ed Whitson, Dale Berra or Bobby Meacham.

Are you people watching the same sport that I am?!?

One of my favorite starters of all times......WhitCowMussen

Combine Ed Whitson, Joe Cowley and Dennis Rasmussen; individually they weren't much, but combine them and they almost amounted to something.

What a terrible time for Yankee fans.

 

[Chip]

One of my favorite starters of all times...WhitCowMussen

Combine Ed Whitson, Joe Cowley and Dennis Rasmussen; individually they weren't much, but combine them and they almost amounted to something.

What a terrible time for Yankee fans.

I used to be able to rattle off about every terrible starter from 1986 to 1992. After the Guidry/Niekro one two punch in 1985 it all went downhill. Whitson, Cowley, Rasumussen, who was then traded for Bill Gullikson for reasons beyond me. Greg Cadaret and Eric Plunk bouncing back and forth from the bullpen to the rotation. Chuck Cary and his screwball (who throws a screwball?) Scott Sanderson who had to be mercy picked to an All Star team where Sparky Anderson told him "don't plan on playing". Then the desperate youth movement with B list guys like Wade Taylor, Jeff Johnson, Clay Parker (who throws a palm ball?), Sam Millitello, Dave Eiland.

Poor Mattingly. I always felt so bad for him when I watched that rotation circus.

 

[Hoo's That]

Not once on anyone's list have I seen Ed Whitson, Dale Berra or Bobby Meacham.

Are you people watching the same sport that I am?!?

It's because they're all behind Horace Clark.

I wish everyone would please stop posting stuff like this on the thread. My eyes are starting to tear. I can't tell if it's caused by memories about the pain of being a fan at that time, the dust in this building, or howls of laughter.

 

[pfister1]

I used to be able to rattle off about every terrible starter from 1986 to 1992. After the Guidry/Niekro one two punch in 1985 it all went downhill. Whitson, Cowley, Rasumussen, who was then traded for Bill Gullikson for reasons beyond me. Greg Cadaret and Eric Plunk bouncing back and forth from the bullpen to the rotation. Chuck Cary and his screwball (who throws a screwball?) Scott Sanderson who had to be mercy picked to an All Star team where Sparky Anderson told him "don't plan on playing". Then the desperate youth movement with B list guys like Wade Taylor, Jeff Johnson, Clay Parker (who throws a palm ball?), Sam Millitello, Dave Eiland.

Poor Mattingly. I always felt so bad for him when I watched that rotation circus.

What no recognition for Bob Shirley, Steve Trout, Dave LaPoint, Shane Rawley......this has inspired me to announce, right here my all 80's team

c- Butch Wynegar
1b- Jim Spencer
2b- Larry Milbourne
ss - Alvaro Espinoza
3b- Mike Pagliarulo
lf- Bryan Dayett
cf- Stan Javier
rf- Steve Kemp
dh- Steve Balboni
sp- Ray Fontenot
rp- Erik Plunk

Manager - Clyde King

It really was a great decade for the boys in pinstripes.

 

[72Cuse]

I had Ruffing listed as one of my old-era "after-thoughts". Good call on Lefty Gomez. Greatly underrated pitcher.

Red Ruffing was from Syracuse.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Red Ruffing was from Syracuse.

Are you sure about that?

 

[Toga]

What no recognition for Bob Shirley, Steve Trout, Dave LaPoint, Shane Rawley...this has inspired me to announce, right here my all 80's team

c- Butch Wynegar
1b- Jim Spencer
2b- Larry Milbourne
ss - Alvaro Espinoza
3b- Mike Pagliarulo
lf- Bryan Dayett
cf- Stan Javier
rf- Steve Kemp
dh- Steve Balboni
sp- Ray Fontenot
rp- Erik Plunk

Manager - Clyde King

It really was a great decade for the boys in pinstripes.

Remember the year it was supposed to be a battle for the starting 1B between Balboni and Mattingly? Yikes!

 

[donniesyracuse]

The 80s were an underrated decade for the Yankees. The team was terrible by 1989, but was still winning pennants in 1981. In between, they finished over .500 in every year, but one. They won 90 games or more three times and would have been the wild card team at least twice if it existed. The era was full of manager changes and horrible front-office decisions, but for the most part, the team was successful on the field.

 

[pfister1]

The 80s were an underrated decade for the Yankees. The team was terrible by 1989, but was still winning pennants in 1981. In between, they finished over .500 in every year, but one. They won 90 games or more three times and would have been the wild card team at least twice if it existed. The era was full of manager changes and horrible front-office decisions, but for the most part, the team was successful on the field.

That sounds like a Baltimore or Philadelphia definition of successful. It's their only decade without a World Series Championship looking from the last decade (2000-2009) all the way back to the teens when they didn't win one either (1910-1919). After playing in the World Series 4 of 6 years between 1976-1981 and then not even getting back to the postseason until 1995 when they needed an extra round of playoffs and a wild card to get there it didn't seem like a period of great success.

 

[donniesyracuse]

That sounds like a Baltimore or Philadelphia definition of successful. It's their only decade without a World Series Championship looking from the last decade (2000-2009) all the way back to the teens when they didn't win one either (1910-1919). After playing in the World Series 4 of 6 years between 1976-1981 and then not even getting back to the postseason until 1995 when they needed an extra round of playoffs and a wild card to get there it didn't seem like a period of great success.

I definitely did not say it was a "period of great success." It was certainly not all that bad and probably "successful" by any other franchise's definition. We Yankee fans are spoiled. We consider a decade of winning, dark times,

 

[72Cuse]

Are you sure about that?

I was mistaken. Sorry.