New York Yankees All-Time Team

I used to love taking a personal day off from work or school to hang out in New York City, especially in the spring. While we're at it, let's take a walk through Monument Park to marvel at the mighty Yankees All-Time roster.

The Yankees haven't won a World Series since 2009. That might not sound like a long time to fans in Cleveland or Seattle, but that's an eternity to a New Yorker.

Casey Stengel has an easier job than most All-Time Team managers. Just write the names of these legends on the lineup card and rest easy:

This team is too overpowered. Since we can't implement a salary cap we'll have to find another way to level the playing field. 

A-Rod is Seattle's problem now. Graig Nettles might not be able to match Rodriguez's production, but he certainly won't try to cheat.

Stengel has a lot of options off the bench.

Thurman Munson joined Joe Gordon and Jason Giambi on the Barnstormers - our "best of the rest" roster made up of players who couldn't catch on with an All-Time Team. That roster will be re-evaluated too; Earle Combs is among the new names 'Stormers skipper Joe Torre has to choose from.

As for the Bronx Bombers bench, Charlie Keller was chosen as the only natural left fielder. Can he keep his spot with increased competition?

	Yankees stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Charlie Keller	42.5	0.286	0.410	0.518	0.928	153
	Brett Gardner	44.3	0.256	0.342	0.398	0.740	100
	Roy White	46.9	0.271	0.360	0.404	0.764	121

Yeah, there's no minimum career hits requirement in this series. Keller stays.

Starting pitching isn't the Yankees' strength; Mariano Rivera is their career leader in pitcher WAR. Casey Stengel's rotation is a bit too left-handed as well. Could there be some competition?

	Yankees stats	WAR	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP
	*Andy Pettitte	51.3	3.94	115	2.27	1.373
	*CC Sabathia	29.4	3.81	112	2.95	1.272
	Red Ruffing	46.5	3.47	119	1.43	1.282
	Mel Stottlemyre	40.7	2.97	112	1.55	1.219

Sabathia looks like the odd man out here despite boasting the best strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's got Cleveland eligibility, and Ruffing is a Hall of Famer. Stottlemyre might actually be the best righty overall. Casey goes with his gut and keeps CC on board. Sorry, Cleveland.

Opponents better get some runs off those guys because the Yankee bullpen is untouchable.

There was one spot up for grabs in spring training...

	Yankees stats	SV	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP
	*Steve Hamilton	36	2.78	122	2.59	1.109
	Dellin Betances	36	2.36	177	3.65	1.043
	Mike Stanton	15	3.77	121	2.47	1.327

...and Dellin Betances won it handily. Aroldis Chapman has more Yankee years in his career than seasons in Cincinnati, but he'll stick with the Reds.

You probably won't see an All-Time roster that's harder to break through than the Yankees. That said, Aaron Judge is coming for Keller. If Gerrit Cole stays in the Bronx for a few more years, he's got an excellent chance at a rotation spot. And if Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez are as good as Yankees fans say they are, they'll end up in Cooperstown, Monument Park, and an All-Time Team of the future.


TL; DR: Two changes from the original roster. Rodriguez and Hamilton out, Nettles and Betances in. This is starting to become a habit.


Come back tomorrow for an equally powerful All-Time Team, the Tampa Bay Rays.


Thanks for reading!


 
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All-Time Teams: Yankees

Welp here it is, folks. The All-Time team of all All-Time teams. The best of the Bronx Bombers. Murderer's Row. The Empire.

Here's the All-Time roster for the New York Yankees:

Manager: Casey Stengel
Home: Yankee Stadium

Leading off for the Yankees.. the Shortstop.. Derek Jeter

The headliner of this year's Hall of Fame class, Derek Jeter is sixth on the all-time hits list with 3,465. The 14-time All-Star is the Yankees' all-time leader in games played, hits, doubles, and stolen bases. Jeter won five Gold Gloves, five Silver Slugger awards, and five World Series over his 20-year career. He was named AL Rookie of the Year in 1996 and World Series MVP in 2000. The Captain played an entire seasons' worth of playoff games and slashed .308/.374/.465 in October(and November), consistent with his regular season slash line of .310/.377/.440.





Batting second for New York.. the Center Fielder.. Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio was an All-Star in every one of his 13 seasons with the Yankees. The three-time AL MVP set a record with hits in 56 consecutive games in 1941. "Joltin' Joe" played in ten World Series, winning nine, and posted a career slash line of .325/.398/.579. DiMaggio led the league in home runs twice, RBI twice, batting average twice, and total bases three times. Like many players of his day, DiMaggio missed three seasons in his prime while serving in the military during World War II.






Batting third.. the Right Fielder.. Babe Ruth

George Herman "Babe" Ruth transformed the game of baseball in the 1920s. Few - if any - athletes in sports history have set the bar so much higher than their predecessors. Ruth hit more home runs than most teams during his incomparable prime years. The all-time leader in slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, and offensive WAR is the all-time leader in total WAR (inclusive of his pitching stats). Ruth led the league in home runs twelve times, led the league in slugging and OPS thirteen times, and could have won AL MVP that many times had there not been a rule in place prohibiting repeat winners.




Batting fourth.. the First Baseman.. Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig wasn't the showman Babe Ruth was, but he was an equally dangerous hitter. Batting behind the Babe, Gehrig collected 1,995 career RBI - seventh all-time and first in Yankees history. The "Iron Horse" set a seemingly unbreakable record of 2,130 consecutive games played, and set the standard for first basemen with 112.4 career WAR. Gehrig won two AL MVP awards, led the league in RBI and on-base % five times, and posted five seasons of 400+ total bases. He played in seven World Series, winning six, and belted 10 home runs in 34 Fall Classic contests.





Batting fifth.. the Left Fielder.. Mickey Mantle

An icon of the sport and the sports card hobby, Mickey Mantle took the torch from Joe DiMaggio and roamed the spacious center field at Yankee Stadium for 15 seasons. DiMaggio's defense was a bit better and "The Mick" played left field more frequently (mostly in 1965) so he'll move over in this lineup. Mantle's switch-hitting power produced 536 home runs, which was third all-time when he retired in 1969. His home run total remains second to Ruth in Yankees history. The 20-time All-Star won seven World Series, three AL MVP awards, a batting title, a Gold Glove, and a Triple Crown in his legendary career.




Batting sixth.. the Third Baseman.. Alex Rodriguez

The first overall pick in the 1993 draft, Alex Rodriguez began his long and eventful career in Seattle, winning a batting title at age 20 and joining the 40/40 club at age 22. The Mariners desperately needed "A-Rod" as their All-Time Team's shortstop but he played the majority of his career in pinstripes. Rodriguez won three AL MVP awards, ten Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves, and helped the Yankees win their most recent World Series title in 2009. The 14-time All-Star is fourth in history with 696 career home runs and led the league in long balls five times.





Batting seventh.. the Catcher.. Yogi Berra

One of the more colorful personalities in baseball history, Yogi Berra won three MVP awards and ten World Series rings in his Hall of Fame career. The 18-time All-Star hit 20+ home runs in ten consecutive seasons from 1949-1958. Berra slugged 358 home runs - fourth-most all-time among catchers and fifth-most in Yankees history. His 1,430 RBI are also fifth in Yankees history and the most ever for a catcher. Yogi played a little bit of left field late in his career, including the 1960 World Series. He is one of two Hall of Fame baseball players buried in New Jersey.





Batting eighth.. the Designated Hitter.. Bill Dickey

Bill Dickey was an all-time great catcher in his own right. The Yankees retired number 8 for both he and Yogi Berra. An eleven-time All-Star and seven-time World Series champion, Dickey's career slash line of .313/.382/.486 is slightly better than Berra's. He didn't have Yogi's home run power, but Bill walked far more than he struck out. Starting in 1936, Dickey posted four consecutive seasons with 20+ home runs, 100+ RBI, and a .300 or better batting average. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1954.





Batting ninth.. the Second Baseman.. Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano is the only active player on the Yankees' All-Time roster. In nine seasons with the team, Cano won five Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves, a World Series, and finished top-5 in MVP voting three times. The eight-time All-Star is eighth in Yankees history with 375 career doubles (more than Mickey Mantle) and his .309 career batting average as a Yankee is ninth-best. Who has the sixth-most RBI, the fourth-most doubles, and the second-most home runs of all second basemen in history? Cano, don't you know.





The Starting Pitcher for the Yankees.. Whitey Ford

Whitey Ford won more games than any pitcher in Yankees history, and his 53.5 career WAR is highest among Yankee starters. The "Chairman of the Board" was named to ten All-Star teams, pitched in eleven World Series, and won six championships over his 16-year Hall of Fame career. Ford led the league in ERA, ERA+, WHIP, and shutouts in 1958 - but teammate Bob Turley won 21 games and the Cy Young award. Whitey won his Cy Young in 1961, after leading the league in wins, innings pitched, games started, and fielding-independent ERA. He finished third in AL MVP voting in 1963 - after another season in which he led the AL in wins, starts, and innings pitched.

 Now let's take a look at the Yankees' bench and bullpen:

Catcher - Jorge Posada
1st Base - Don Mattingly
Infield - Tony Lazzeri
Outfield - Charlie Keller 
Outfield - Bernie Williams 

The "core four" is present and accounted for, as Posada warranted carrying a third catcher. Mattingly won nine Gold Gloves, a batting title, and AL MVP in 1985 - but not a World Series. Hall of Famer Lazzeri is 12th in Yankees history in hits, doubles, and total bases. Bernie is third in team annals with 449 doubles. Hall of Famer Earle Combs and Tommy Henrich were strongly considered, but Keller's numbers were comparable and this roster needed a natural left fielder.


#2 Starter - Ron Guidry
#3 Starter - Jack Chesbro
#4 Starter - Andy Pettitte
#5 Starter - CC Sabathia

This is an extremely left-handed rotation. Guidry won the Cy Young award and finished second in AL MVP voting in 1978. Chesbro (the only righty in the rotation) posted a 2.58 ERA and a 2.39 FIP over seven seasons for the New York Highlanders. Pettitte pitched in 44 playoff games and struck out more batters than any pitcher in franchise history. CC's Yankees stats rival Hall of Famers Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing; his career accomplishments give him the edge.  



LH Reliever - Steve Hamilton
LH Reliever - Sparky Lyle
LH Reliever - Dave Righetti 
RH Reliever - David Robertson
RH Reliever - Rich Gossage
RH Reliever - Mariano Rivera

Mike Stanton made the fifth-most appearances in Yankees history, but Hamilton pitched more innings and had better control. Lyle won a Cy Young in 1977 and made three All-Star teams. Righetti is second to Rivera in career appearances and saves for the franchise. Robertson posted a 154 ERA+ over nine seasons in the Bronx. "Goose" made nine All-Star teams in his Hall of Fame career. Rivera is the greatest closer of all-time and a unanimous Hall of Famer. Good luck trying to mount a comeback against this bullpen.



Stay tuned for our next All-Time Team, the Oakland Athletics. 


Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!



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Sports Card Tour 2018 - New York City

Live from New York it's ...The Collector's Sports Card Tour! This will be a long post but there are several short stops upcoming.

Seven pro sports teams have "New York" in their name, but only five actually play in the city: the Knicks and Rangers in Manhattan, the Yankees in the Bronx, and the Mets in Queens. The Islanders (and Nets) play in Brooklyn.

New York City's title total is heavily weighted toward one team. The Knicks won two championships in 1970 and 1973. The Amazin' Mets shocked the baseball world in 1969 and won a second World Series in (sigh) 1986. The Rangers' four Stanley Cups are the fewest of any Original Six team; their last title was won in (sigh) 1994. 

Interestingly, the New York team with the second-most championships no longer plays in New York. The baseball Giants won seven championships-and five World Series-before moving west to San Francisco.

All of those teams combined can't match the total won by the (deep sigh) 27-time World Champion Yankees.

Derek Jeter was the Yankees' shortstop for five of those titles, and the only player in franchise history with over 3,000 hits.The "flip" play against Oakland is as gut-wrenching to me as anything he did to the Red Sox, but you have to tip your hat to him..which is something he did to Boston Manager Terry Francona during every Sox-Yanks game.

I don't know what Don Mattingly did to anger the baseball gods, but it seems impossible that an everyday player of Donnie Baseball's stature could wear the pinstripes for more than a dozen years and not play in a World Series. Adding insult to injury, Jeter is Mattingly's boss in Miami - a team with a total payroll roughly one-third of the Yankees'.

I rewatched Billy Crystal's film 61* a few months ago. The actors were terrific (Barry Pepper really looks like Maris) and the story of these two very different men was well-told. But there were some scenes that looked like Yankee Stadium was green-screened or painted on a background wall. 

One day I'd love to own an authentic Turkey Red Cabinet card. Doubt I'll ever be able to afford one, so the Babe Ruth Topps insert will have to do. The Stadium Club Ruth cost me about seven cents at the card show. I've never seen Pride of the Yankees but I have seen John Goodman in The Babe. What's your favorite baseball movie?

1956 was the year Mickey Mantle returned to the Topps set after Bowman ceased production. That's one reason why I wanted to collect the '56 set - every great player active at the time save Stan Musial is in it. Another reason is that my mother gifted me the Rizzuto card.

She also gave me this Mickey Mantle autograph. I put the hologram sticker there, to cover up some of the scratches and smudges on the photo. There's no COA with it but I wouldn't sell it anyhow (though I'd consider trading it for a Ted Williams auto.)

The rest of my Yankees hits. Bauer and Beltran were COMC purchases. I pulled the Maris from a box of Sweet Spot Classic purchased at the East Coast National ten years ago. The Sanchez photo variation came from my 5-box break of Heritage; the cheapest copy on COMC is listed at $28. (Anyone want to trade me a Kris Bryant photo variation for it?)

Word 'round the blogosphere is that Whitey Ford and Graig Nettles are unpleasant to autograph seekers. The '54 Ford was a one-card purchase from 4 Sharp Corners; I bought the Andy Carey ungraded on eBay. Can't remember where I got the Nettles 9 - it was probably 4SC.

 If you're looking for Aaron Judge or Wayne Gretzky, you'll find them in my 99th post.

This All-Star Game program will be part of my Sports Card Tour Giveaway. Not sure if it will be included in a box of books, or a bundle of NYC-centric memorabilia.

There are seven Yankees in my 1956 Topps set build - and twice as many New York Giants. Here are four of the fourteen I have so far:

I don't have a '56 Willie Mays yet, but I have a '55 Mays...

...and a '55 Bob Lennon.

A.J. (The Lost Collector) recently asked bloggers what card(s) we would donate to an exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. I doubt that I have anything more historically significant to contribute than my 1951 Bowman cards of Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson.

My cards of New York's current National League franchise aren't quite as impressive:

This Ron Darling auto was sent to me by Gavin (Baseball Card Breakdown) along with two other autos, hundreds of cards, and dozens of CDs. I'm passively collecting MLB Network personalities including Darling, Dan Plesac..and of course Heidi Watney.

Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry won world championships with both the Mets and the Yankees. Drug and alcohol problems curtailed what could been Hall of Fame careers for both. Still, they were two of the most exciting players of the 1980s and early 1990s.

I was disappointed when Pedro Martinez left Boston for New York - but it was a good business decision by Theo Epstein not to give him a four year contract. New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani once said he wanted Pedro thrown in jail over the Don Zimmer incident. (There's an abuse of power remark in there somewhere, but I'm trying to keep this blog apolitical.)

The rest of my Mets hits. Jeff Kent would get my HOF vote. I'm a big fan of 2015 Bowman's Best refractors -especially the blue ones. The David Wright Beam Team came from the one pack of Stadium Club I purchased..and the Granderson pink refractor was pulled from a repack.

I don't usually pull out base cards unless I'm really low on cards to discuss-but I thought these two were particularly interesting. McPhee build the Vegas Golden Knights from the ground up; he gets my vote for GM of the century. Acuna never made it above double-A but his son Ronald Jr. is starting for the Braves at age 20. This card lists Acuna Sr.'s birthday as 2/1/81 - which would make him younger than me. However baseball-reference lists his birthday as 6/30/79.

Mike Richter won 300 games and a Stanley Cup for the Rangers. He was also a key contributor to team USA in their World Cup win over Canada in 1996. The Goalie Masks card is a gold parallel #d/99.

Henrik Lundqvist has won over 400 games and a Vezina trophy as the NHL's top goalie. He has not won a Stanley Cup and with the Rangers in rebuilding mode the 36 year-old netminder might not get another chance.

The rest of my best blueshirts hits are all blueliners. The Staal was part of a JBF giveaway draft that served as the inspiration for the one I'll be hosting.

This isn't technically a Rangers item. It's a sports page article from December 9, 1925 reporting on a game between the New York Americans and the Montreal Canadiens. I found it inside the walls of a house that was being demolished. If it sounds like the writer is explaining hockey to people who have never seen it that might just be true. This was only the third game in franchise history and the Americans hadn't yet played a home game.


My basketball card collection still lags behind all the other sports. I have twelve Knicks cards in my star player box - and eleven are Patrick Ewing.

The twelfth star is this Bernard King Prizm I got from Jon. I don't have any Kristaps Porzingis cards of any kind (I wonder if it bothers Spike Lee that the best player on his favorite team is a white guy...again) and only one Carmelo Anthony - this 2015-16 Donruss insert.

The Jackson Prizm also came from Jon. The Childs and Oakley parallels were part of a huge chunk of Fleer cards in the eBay box. I might make that a giveaway item, too.



Favorite Yankees player: Ugh..do I have to? It's really hard to hate Aaron Judge, he seems like a gentle giant. I hate myself for selling his rookie card though.

Favorite Mets player: Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard

Favorite Knicks player: The Unicorn

Favorite Rangers player: The King

Next tour stop: Oakland


Thanks for reading this very long post. Have a great weekend!


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