Yankees’ Quarter-Century Team
The New York Yankees’ roster is nearly complete for the 2025 season, so there is not much to discuss with today’s team that has not been covered already.
We are at the quarter-century mark, and it is interesting to review each position and determine who will start at each spot.
Several of these positions are no-brainers, while there are a few where cases could be made for a few players.
With that being said, let’s get to it.
C // Jorge Posada
PHOTO: John Rieger/Imagn Images
This is an obvious decision, as no one since 2000 has come close to Jorge Posada’s production at the catcher position since 2000 Yankees. Posada ended up with 36.2 fWAR from 2000 until he retired after the 2011 season, according to FanGraphs.
Gary Sanchez put up some very good individual seasons, with 2017 being his peak, but there is no question that Posada is the Yankees’ best catcher of the quarter-century.
1B // Jason Giambi
This is truly a tough call between Jason Giambi and Mark Teixeira. Although Giambi has 21.8 fWAR compared to Teixeira’s 18.3 as a Yankee, that is not the main factor for giving Giambi the nod.
Teixeira is arguably more well-rounded when considering defense, but there are a few reasons to go with Giambi. Both players had their best seasons with the organization in their first seasons in the Bronx, and Giambi’s fWAR mark of 6.6 with 41 home runs in 2002 edges out Teixeira’s mark of 5.2 fWAR with 39 home runs in 2009.
Although Teixeira has a 2009 championship ring, Giambi’s two home runs in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox are a huge positive in the postseason department for him.
You truly could argue either way on this one, but Giambi was the more productive player when comparing the best seasons of both sluggers. he also produced more fWAR in fewer games as a Yankee as well.
2B // Robinson Cano
Another no-brainer, Robinson Cano, is far ahead of the rest with 35.7 fWAR. Cano was a member of one of the best infields in recent memory. It was not a pretty exit from the Bronx, as he signed with the Seattle Mariners after the 2013 season, but there is no question about Cano’s impact during his time with the Yankees.
Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu are notable players at the position over the last decade or so, but Cano stands firmly above them.
3B // Alex Rodriguez
Arguably the best player on this list when considering longevity, Alex Rodriguez is the only answer for third base.
Despite all of his controversies with performance-enhancing drugs, Rodriguez was one of the best players to wear a Yankee uniform.
He produced 51.5 fWAR in his time in the Bronx, and despite struggling in the playoffs much of his time with the Yankees, there is arguably no player more important to the 2009 World Series championship team.
LeMahieu once again shows up as a player who has put up notable production here, but he played a lot at second base and obviously does not hold a candle to Rodriguez’s production. Not that that would be a reasonable ask for anyone.
SS // Derek Jeter
To the surprise of no one, Derek Jeter is the Yankees’ best shortstop of the last quarter-century. He has the highest fWAR on this list, with 53.6. Rodriguez joined in 2004 and would have had more fWAR than Jeter if he had spent his whole career in New York, but Jeter’s production has still been great over the last quarter-century.
Three of the infield spots are no-brainers, and even those who do not follow baseball would likely to pencil Jeter into this spot.
LF // Brett Gardner
Brett Gardner is the one player who could be in contention for two positions, but left field fits best for him. Gardner had a very productive big-league career, putting up 37.2 fWAR with the Yankees. Debuting with the team in 2008 and staying with them all the way through 2021, Gardner’s longevity is very respectable.
At his best, Gardner was a very good defender in centerfield and a great defender in left, posting seasons with 25 and 23 defensive runs saved at the position in 2010 and 2011. Later on, Gardner developed a bit of a power stroke, peaking with a career-high of 28 home runs in 2019.
CF // Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson missed out on a World Series ring by one year, but he had a very good four-year run with the Yankees that started in 2010.
He revamped his swing and hit for a ton of power in the Bronx, hitting 115 home runs in his tenure.
Although he fell off defensively after 2010, Granderson did post a season of 10 DRS in center field in his first season in the Bronx. He made up for the drop-off in defense with his bat, finishing fourth in MVP voting in 2011,
RF // Aaron Judge
The one true no-brainer pick for the outfield is Aaron Judge in right. Ironically, Judge’s peak from 2022 through 2024 was when he predominantly played in centerfield, but he is still the obvious pick in the right, the place he will return to in 2025.
There is no one else on this list who has put together seasons like Judge has in 2022 and 2024, but even then, Judge has been great since 2017. At 51.4 fWAR and 315 career home runs, there is reason to hope Judge ends up in Cooperstown when he is done playing.
DH // Hideki Matsui
The designated hitter is arguably the closest call on this list between Hideki Matsui and Giancarlo Stanton. Matsui put up 12.6 fWAR compared to Stanton’s 8.9, but Matsui played in 253 more games, so the production is similar on a rate basis.
Stanton has performed well in the postseason during his time with the Yankees, but Matsui’s 2009 World Series MVP award gives him the nod here.
Starting Rotation // CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka
CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Mike Mussina are no-brainers for the rotation. The three stand above the rest when it comes to production and longevity, each having over 31 fWAR. It gets a bit tougher after these three.
There are two spots in the rotation left, and three worthy candidates are Roger Clemens, Masahiro Tanaka, and Gerrit Cole.
It is tough to deny Cole, given his consistency since signing with the Yankees in 2019 and his Cy Young in 2023. Clemens won the Cy Young in 2001 as well, but he is victimized by making his debut for the Yankees in 1999 here. Cole has a better K/9, BB/9, ERA, and FIP than Clemens in 20 fewer starts. The fWAR difference is negligible, so Cole gets the nod over Clemens. He also gets the nod of Tanaka, having better numbers nearly across the board and a similar amount of fWAR in 49 fewer games.
Now, it is down to Tanaka and Clemens. Tanaka pitched in 29 more games, but the two have K/9 marks. Tanaka has a slightly better ERA at 3.74 than Clemens’ 3.88. Clemens has a 3.69 FIP to Tanaka’s 3.91, but Tanaka’s xFIP being 3.52 to Clemens’ 3.62 indicates so me bad luck here. There are good arguments for either one here, but Tanaka gets the nod.
PHOTO: John Rieger/Imagn Images
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Categorized:Unique Column Yankees