The best individual seasons for New York Yankee players

The Yankees have had many great players who have had record-setting individual seasons. While there are intangible factors to consider when looking at a player's individual success, for this article available statistics, post-season honors, and the team's overall achievement during the season were considered. Since most players have had more than a few outstanding years, only one season has been included for each player. 

10) Roger Maris, RF, 1961: Named Most Valuable Player, Maris led the American League with 61 home runs, 141 RBI's, 132 runs scored, and 366 total bases. He batted .269 with a .372 on base percentage and a .620 slugging percentage. 

9) Don Mattingly, 1B, 1986: Donnie Baseball batted .352 with 31 home runs, 113 RBI's, 117 runs scored, and a .394 on base percentage. He led the major leagues with 238 hits, 53 doubles, 388 total bases, and a .573 slugging percentage. Mattingly also won a Gold Glove. 

8) Whitey Ford, SP, 1961: Winner of the Cy Young Award, Ford's record was 25-4, for a .862 winning percentage. He struck out 209 batters while leading the league with 283 innings pitched. His ERA was 3.21. Ford was named MVP of the World Series, as he went 2-0 and held the Reds scoreless in 14 innings. 

7) Ron Guidry, SP, 1978: Louisiana Lightning won the Cy Young Award with a 25-3 record, a .893 winning percentage. Guidry struck out 248 batters in 273 innings. He led all pitchers in ERA with 1.74, an amazingly low number for a starter, and also led the majors in tossing 9 shutouts. 

6) Alex Rodriguez, 3B, 2007: Winner of the MVP award, Rodriguez hit .314 with 54 home runs, 156 RBI's, and a .422 on base percentage. He led the American League with 143 runs scored, 376 total bases, and a .645 slugging percentage. 

5) Joe DiMaggio, CF, 1937: It's difficult to select any one season for DiMaggio, since he had a number of outstanding years. But in 1937 he batted .346 with 215 hits, 167 RBI's, and a .412 on base percentage. He led the American League in runs scored with 151, home runs with 46, total bases with 418, and slugging percentage at .673.       

4) Aaron Judge, RF, 2024: The MVP of the American League batted .322 and scored 122 runs while leading the major leagues with 58 home runs, 144 RBI, and 133 walks. His .458 on base percentage and .701 slugging also led MLB, and 392 total bases led the AL. 

3) Mickey Mantle, CF, 1956: The AL MVP, Mantle won the Triple Crown with a .353 batting average, 56 home runs, and 130 RBI's. he also led the league with 132 runs scored, 376 total bases, and a .705 slugging percentage. Mantle also walked 112 times and had an on-base percentage of .464. 

2) Lou Gehrig, 1B, 1927: Gehrig had many incredible years so it's tough to pick just one as his best. In 1927 he batted .373 with 46 home runs, 218 hits, 149 runs scored, 109 walks, 18 triples, and 10 stolen bases, with an on base percentage of .474 and slugging percentage of .765. He led the American League with 52 doubles, 175 RBI's, and 447 total bases, and was named Most Valuable Player. 

1) Babe Ruth, RF, 1921: Ruth's numbers were astounding in just about every season that he played. So we'll pick 1921 as the best. He batted.378, and led the American League with 59 home runs, 171 RBI's, 177 runs scored, 145 walks, 457 total bases, on base percentage at .512, and slugging percentage at .846. He had 204 hits, 44 doubles, 16 triples, and 17 stolen bases. Ruth's statistics sometimes do not even seem real.

Yankees GM Cashman is over-rated

It's a wonder how New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman keeps his job. His most recent quote of “I don’t have anybody who is untouchable, but some guys are more touchable than others. At the end of the day, I am legitimately open to any idea. I’ve had a lot of bad ones, either thrown by me or on the receiving end from somebody else to me. That’s what we’re here for; to throw a lot of crap out there and see what sticks” makes me believe that myself, or anyone really, could work as a general manager of a major league baseball team and have the same results at the end of the season as so-called professionals such as Cashman have.

Trading catcher John Ryan Murphy for Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks wasn't a bad deal, but Cashman and the Yankees would be foolish to deal any of their top prospects, such as shortstop Juan Mateo, outfielder Aaron Judge, and first baseman Doug Bird, among others. Let's keep these guys and see what they can do on the field, starting during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Players signed to big contracts, such as Carlos Beltran, really haven't done much, so why not take a chance on a prospect?

The best Third Basemen in New York Yankee history

The third base position in baseball is called the 'hot corner' because when a right handed batter pulls the ball he's got a lot of power behind it, and the ball gets to the third baseman very fast. A player who is great defensively will stand out at third base, and the Yankees have had several at the position. Here are the top five:

5) Scott Brosius: Appearing in 540 games during four years with the team, his .956 fielding percentage was better than the league average of .950 during his playing career. He was a decent hitter, with a .267 average and driving in about 70 runs a year. Brosius held down third base during the Yankees three consecutive World Series championships from 1998-2000.

4) Clete Boyer: An excellent fielder who led the American League's third basemen in range factor each season from 1961-66, Boyer appeared in 1,068 games during eight years with the Yankees. He was a steady player on championship teams in the early 1960's.

3) Red Rolfe: Playing his entire ten years, 1,175 games, in the majors with the Yankees, Rolfe was a fixture at third during the team's championship seasons in the 1930's. He batted a respectable .289 with an on-base percentage of .360 during his career. Rolfe's fielding average of .956 was higher than the league average of .943.

2) Alex Rodriguez:  Rodriguez has put up big numbers even during what were considered down years for him. Winner of three MVP awards during ten seasons and 1,293 games with the Yankees, he has a .291 batting average, 309 home runs, and 979 RBI’s.  His .965 fielding average is above the .956 league average for the same time period.

1) Graig Nettles: Playing in 1,535 games during his eleven years with the Yankees, Nettles won two Gold Gloves for his defensive excellence, and his fielding average of .961 is higher than the league average of .953. Practically single handedly saving the 1978 World Series for the Yanks with his outstanding play at third base, Nettles also hit for power, belting 37 home runs in 1977 and driving in more than 90 runs for four consecutive seasons. Somewhat of a comedian, known for his funny one-liners, Nettles is the best third baseman in Yankees' history.



 

Who was the New York Yankees Most Valuable Player in 2014?

The New York  Yankees struggled through a long 2014 season, finishing with a middling 84-78 won-loss record and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

 

Still, every team has players that contribute to its success during the course of the year. Here is a look at who were the Most Valuable Players of the 2014 Yankees.

 

5) Brian McCann, catcher: McCann started slowly at the plate but still finished with 23 home runs and 75 RBI’s, both of which led the team. He also handled the pitching staff well, and threw out 37% of runners attempting to steal, above the league average of 27%.

 

4) Hiroki Kuroda, starting pitcher: Kuroda was steady, providing 32 starts and 199 innings for a starting staff that was decimated by injuries. He finished with an 11-9 record and 3.71 ERA.

 

3) Masahiro Tanaka, starting pitcher:  Tanaka was the closest thing to a sure win in games during the first half, before a partially torn ligament in his elbow shelved him for the second half of the season.  The Yankees would have finished under .500 without him. He posted a 13-5 record and 2.77 ERA in 20 games and 136 innings.

 

2) Jacoby Ellsbury, centerfielder:  Leading all position players with 149 games played, 156 hits, 27 doubles, and 39 stolen bases, Ellsbury batted .271 with 16 home runs and 70 RBI’s. He also was steady defensively.

 

1) Dellin Betances, relief pitcher:  His first year in the bullpen proved to be a huge success. Betances shut down opposing hitters when the Yankees had a close lead in late innings of games.  He finished with a 5-0 record, 22 holds, an unbelievable 1.40 ERA, and set a team record for strikeouts by a relief pitcher, with 135 in 90 innings. He gave up only 46 hits, and batters managed a measly .149 average against him. Dellin Betances is the Yankees’ Most Valuable Player for the 2014 season.

So how many plaques are the Yankees going to hang in Monument Park?

It's nice to retire the numbers of great athletes, and to place plaques and monuments in or around stadiums. But the Yankees are taking it too far.

The Steinbrenners were probably hoping to sell more tickets with the announcement of honoring Rich Gossage, Tino Martinez, and Paul O'Neill with plaques in Monument Park. But do they really deserve it? Well if they do, so do many other former Yankees.

Yes, Martinez and O'Neill were important parts of 4 world championship teams, but so were many other role players. Sparky Lyle was just as valuable, if not more so, a relief pitcher than Gossage was. Willie Randolph and Roy White were vital contributors to the 1976-78 championship teams, so why not give them plaques?

I can understand giving Joe Torre a plaque (although I'm surprised they are doing it, given the bad press the Steinbrenners and others in Yankee front office received from Torre's book The Yankee Years). But retiring his number? That's a bit much. I can see not giving out his number for a long time, like 20 years. But retiring it? Come on.

Retired numbers as of today? OK: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. That would be Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, Thurman Munson, Whitey Ford, Don Mattingly, Mariano Rivera. Even if number 42 hadn't been retired by everyone because it was Jackie Robinson's, Rivera's 42 still would have deserved it. Numbers to be retired now and next year? That would be 2 and 51. Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. Not coincidentally, these would be the best 12 players in Yankee history.

Numbers to not give out for at least 20-25 years? Torre's 6, Roger Maris' and Graig Nettles' 9, Jorge Posada's 20, Elston Howard's 32, Casey Stengel's 37, Ron Guidry's 49, and Andy Petitte's 46.

I'd give all of guys with the retired numbers plaques in Monument Park, along with the eight men above.

Nothing against Roger Maris, but I could argue that Nettles was more important to his teams than Maris was to his.

I'm not sure why Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto, and Reggie Jackson had their numbers retired. Probably because Steinbrenner wanted to sell some extra tickets. I could see maybe giving Rizzuto a plaque in Monument Park since he also had a long career as a Yankee broadcaster.

Should any Yankee who has made the Hall of Fame have a plaque? Maybe, but then you'd have to include Rickey Henderson and Dave Winfield along with Jackson and Gossage.

Retired numbers and plaques ought to be awarded to the very special, not just the special.

Hank Steinbrenner the only person who deserves blame for A-Rod mess

George Steinbrenner made a lot of dumb trades and completed more than a few stupid free agent signings during his reign, but his son Hank made quite a doozy as well.

There have been very few baseball players in major league history who have maintained a high level of play into their late thirties. Certainly not many once they reach the age of forty.

While Alex Rodriguez was coming off an outstanding year in 2007 (although one perhaps fueled by steroids) he would be turning 32 the following season. To give any 32 year old a ten year guaranteed contract, even someone with solid stats like Rodriguez had, is foolish. How can any player be expected to have a monster season at age 38 or 39? It's rare. The most Hank Steinbrenner should have offered is six years. If Rodriguez was still going strong at that point they could have easily offered him another contract.

Now the Yankees are saddled with a huge contract that they will have to pay off, unless Rodriguez mercifully retires. And they still have no one to play third base. 

Hank Steinbrenner, who spent one month in the late 1980's working for his father in the Yankees' front office before developing a nervous tick in one of his eyes, wasn't exactly the right person to decide on what contract to offer Rodriguez. So the team has no one to blame for this mess besides themselves. I guess that one month working with Dad didn't result in any new learning. The Yanks would have been better off if Hank had kept working at the family horse farm. Unfortunately for Yankee fans Hank and his brother Hal got involved in the Yankees' baseball business after their father developed dementia, and was unable to manage things as he had before - and unable to give anyone nervous ticks again.

These Yankees are boring on and off the field

Ichiro Suzuki's walk-off home run that won Tuesday night's game for the Yankees in the Bronx was a rare moment of excitement for fans. During April and May journeymen like Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, and Jayson Nix provided clutch hits that kept the team in first place or close to the top. Above average starting pitching and solid effort from the relief corps helped a great deal as well.

However the month of June has seen the Yanks swoon. Timely hitting has dwindled, and the team has struggled to score runs. Mediocre pitching from one time Golden-Boys Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain hasn't helped. Andy Pettitte hasn't been as sharp in the last few starts, so age may finally be catching up to him. And, of course, the continued absence of injured players such as Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson has hurt the offense.

Brett Gardner has played well, but at this point in the season one of the fastest runners in the major leagues ought to have more than 11 stolen bases (and not been nailed 6 times already). Gardner has to get into scoring position; it's still easier to single someone in than it is to hit a home run.

The 2013 Yankees aren't a very exciting team to watch. Yankee Stadium will have even more empty seats by August if things don't turn around.

With the exception of outfielder Zoilo Almonte there isn't going to be much help coming up from the minor leagues, the result of scouting ineptness by general manager Brian Cashman and his baseball cronies in the front office.

Off the field, the headlines featuring Alex Rodriguez are simply uninteresting. At least with the late 1970's Yankees there was some passion involved, and much humor to be found in all the shenanigans. Rodriguez is a dullard. A seemingly compulsive liar, he's a boring person, and was always an over-rated player, even when he played with Seattle back in the 1990's.

The current team will probably stay in the wildcard race until the end of the season since the other American League East teams aren't that good, either. And if Curtis Granderson and Derek Jeter can come back sometime during the summer and play at their high levels of the past, maybe some excitement will return to Yankee Stadium.

Yankees' Swisher Never Would Have Lasted with George Steinbrenner

Yanks' Nick Swisher Can't Take the Heat of New York City

Funny how current Yankee players who never met George Steinbrenner have praised him; guys like Swisher would have been the object of the owner's ire.

How can a baseball player who makes $10.25 million a year and has a career batting average of .167 in 45 postseason games be upset about being booed?

Last week the New York Yankees Nick Swisher expressed his disappointment at being booed by fans at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees fell behind two games to none in the American League Championship series against the Detroit Tigers.

Swisher was quoted as saying, "The last thing I ever thought in this ballpark was that people would get on me that bad. It hurts. Sometimes I'm a sensitive guy and some of the things people say get under your skin."

Yikes. Get under your skin? How would he have handled George Steinbrenner's wrath at his 4 hits in 30 at-bats performance in the 2012 playoffs so far?

Swisher has been a consistently good hitter for the Yankees in four regular seasons with the team, but his bat has been silent in each postseason series with the team. Even while he was with Chicago and Oakland, he was 5 for 24, a .208 average, in playoff games.

I'm not sure what Swisher expects fans to do. Why would anyone cheer if you're not getting it done? Especially when tickets to a game cost $300-$400 each.

Get over it, Nick.  You're just lucky old man Steinbrenner isn't alive. He's the one who would have run you out of town, not the fans.

How can Yankee relievers be "fatigued" when there's 12 of them in the bullpen??

After the Yankees' loss to Minnesota the other day catcher Russell Martin agreed that "fatigue" may have been a factor in relief pitcher Boone Logan's uncorking a wild pitch that led to a run and then getting hammered by several Twins batters that resulted in the Twins taking the lead in the seventh inning. Granted, Logan has pitched in a lot of games this season (76). But there's a total of 12 guys in the bullpen due to the expanded September rosters, so are we to believe there wasn't someone else who could have gotten the job done? Another pitcher who wasn't as "fatigued?"

Manager Joe Girardi has done a good job this year and in past seasons managing the workloads of his relievers. So to blame "fatigue" on not making pitches is a bit of a stretch. Logan's hasn't pitched badly but he's never been overly tough on lefty batters, either. Sometimes managers rely too much of matchups; out of all the pitchers in the bullpen there's got to be at least one who isn't "fatigued." Come on.

The Yankees need to start hitting some singles

The Yankees lead the major leagues in home runs and have remained in first place in the American League's East division for most of the 2012 season, but their inability to deliver singles with runners in scoring position may come back to haunt them for the rest of the season, and in the post season - if they make it..

Derek Jeter is the only Yankee who has been consistent this year. He can hit singles, get on base and drive in runners. The problem is though, there isn't always someone in scoring position when he gets up to bat. Unfortunately the Yankees have a number of regular players with low on base percentages (see Curtis Granderson .322, Ichiro Suzuki .314, Russell Martin .313, Andruw Jones .297, and Raul Ibanez .294) which doesn't help if a team is trying to manufacture some runs.

Robinson Cano is player that can and has hit singles, but he's been somewhat inconsistent this season. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have delivered clutch singles in their careers, but both have missed time this year because of injuries.

George Steinbrenner never really understood that giving a player a big contract meant that they would always deliver at the plate when it counts, and right about now it appears that Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't get it either, unless he was expecting something different when he put this team together.

The Yankees have a few weeks left to turn things around, so let's see if they can earn that big money they're all getting. The price of a a beer at Yankee Stadium is twelve bucks, but the Yanks have to still be playing in October if the franchise wants to collect some of that dough from their fans.

Hey Yankee-Haters, why don't you buy some of those empty seats at Yankee Stadium?

Hey Yankee-Haters, why don't you buy some of those empty seats at Yankee Stadium?  There's plenty of space to boo the team you hate.

Contrary to what Michael Kay and the YES Network say, there are some empty seats at New York's Yankee Stadium during games. Why don't Yankee-Haters buy some of those empty seats, jeer the Yankee players, and cheer for the opposing team?

"A sold out Yankee Stadium..." Well, maybe the tickets have been bought by brokers, but the seats are still empty. Fans who are Yankee-Haters ought to buy all those tickets, then go to the game and boo the Yankees. They could applaud when a Yankee strikes out or makes an error, and cheer when an opposing player gets a hit or makes a great defensive play.

Now, I know most reasonable fans don't want to spend their hard-earned money on going to a lot of baseball games to watch a team they don't even like, but think of the consternation that it would cause the Yankee management. They wouldn't be happy to hear people cheering the Yanks' opponent. And on the other hand, for the seats that aren't being bought by brokers - would they want to not bring in more money, by not selling those tickets? That would be quite a dilemma for the Steinbrenner clan.

So Yankee-Haters, put your money where your mouth is. Literally. Here's your chance to get some satisfaction and put your energy to good use.

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