This Day In New York Yankees History 9/17: The All-Time Hits Leader In Yankee Stadium is Derek Jeter

The final season of the old Yankee Stadium, or better known as the House that Ruth Built, was 2008 before it was demolished and turned into a parking lot for the new Yankee Stadium that we see today. Yankee Stadium had one more milestone in it's blood before being demolished as on this day in 2008 Derek Jeter became the All-Time hits leader in Yankee Stadium. Jeter passes Lou Gehrig with a first inning single in a 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Jeter would accomplish the feat with his 1,270th hit in the 85 year old ballpark in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 1977 Yankees DH Dave Kingman became the first player to hit a home run for four different teams in one season. The veteran would have a total of 26 home runs that season including nine for the Mets, eleven for the Padres, two for the Angels, and four for the Yankees.

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/17: The All-Time Hits Leader In Yankee Stadium is Derek Jeter

The final season of the old Yankee Stadium, or better known as the House that Ruth Built, was 2008 before it was demolished and turned into a parking lot for the new Yankee Stadium that we see today. Yankee Stadium had one more milestone in it's blood before being demolished as on this day in 2008 Derek Jeter became the All-Time hits leader in Yankee Stadium. Jeter passes Lou Gehrig with a first inning single in a 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Jeter would accomplish the feat with his 1,270th hit in the 85 year old ballpark in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 1977 Yankees DH Dave Kingman became the first player to hit a home run for four different teams in one season. The veteran would have a total of 26 home runs that season including nine for the Mets, eleven for the Padres, two for the Angels, and four for the Yankees.

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/17: The All-Time Hits Leader In Yankee Stadium

The final season of the old Yankee Stadium, or better known as the House that Ruth Built, was 2008 before it was demolished and turned into a parking lot for the new Yankee Stadium that we see today. Yankee Stadium had one more milestone in it's blood before being demolished as on this day in 2008 Derek Jeter became the All-Time hits leader in Yankee Stadium. Jeter passes Lou Gehrig with a first inning single in a 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Jeter would accomplish the feat with his 1,270th hit in the 85 year old ballpark in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 1977 Yankees DH Dave Kingman became the first player to hit a home run for four different teams in one season. The veteran would have a total of 26 home runs that season including nine for the Mets, eleven for the Padres, two for the Angels, and four for the Yankees.

Can We Finally Let Minnie Minoso Into The Hall of Fame?

First and foremost I want to start by saying that our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the late Minnie Minoso, he died at age 92 last week and will be truly missed. From Minoso’s first at bat, which was a two run home run, to becoming the first black player in Chicago to his death Minoso played the game and his life his way, the best way, and it’s a shame that the man is not in the Hall of Fame. It’s also a shame that many borderline cases like his don’t get picked up by the veteran’s committee until after their death but that may be, and should be, the case with Minoso.

Minoso played 12 of his 17 major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox hitting .304 with 135 home runs and 808 RBI. Minoso did enough to win over Chicago and had his #9 jersey retired in 1983 while also receiving the honor of having a statue modeled after him outside of Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field. The problem with Minoso’s Hall of Fame push was that he did everything well but not especially great. He could hit for average, he could hit for power, he could field, he could bunt, he could steal bases, he got on base, he created runs, etc. etc. etc.

Minoso was a nine time All Star, won three Gold Gloves in left field, is currently 9^th on the All Time hit by pitch list with 192 HBP and finished in the Top 4 of the MVP voting four separate times although never winning the award. Minoso fell victim to dominant Yankees teams in the AL and never got a chance to showcase his talents in the postseason and never realized his lifelong dream of making the Hall of Fame, a wrong that needs to be righted as soon as humanly possible. We’ll now finish this post with a word from our President, Barack Obama:

For South Siders and Sox fans all across the country, including me, Minnie Minoso is and will always be "Mr. White Sox."

The first black Major Leaguer in Chicago, Minnie came to the United States from Cuba even though he could have made more money elsewhere. He came up through the Negro Leagues, and didn't speak much English at first. And as he helped to integrate baseball in the 1950s, he was a target of racial slurs from fans and opponents, sometimes forced to stay in different motels from his teammates. But his speed, his power – and his resilient optimism – earned him multiple All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves in left field, and he became one of the most dominant and dynamic players of the 1950s.

Minnie may have been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame during his lifetime, but for me and for generations of black and Latino young people, Minnie's quintessentially American story embodies far more than a plaque ever could.

Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to his family and fans in Chicago, Cleveland, and around the world.

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/17: Jeter All Time Hits Leader In Yankee Stadium

The final season of the old Yankee Stadium, or better known as the House that Ruth Built, was 2008 before it was demolished and turned into a parking lot for the new Yankee Stadium that we see today. Yankee Stadium had one more milestone in it's blood before being demolished as on this day in 2008 Derek Jeter became the All-Time hits leader in Yankee Stadium. Jeter passes Lou Gehrig with a first inning single in a 6-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Jeter would accomplish the feat with his 1,270th hit in the 85 year old ballpark in the Bronx.

Also on this day in 1977 Yankees DH Dave Kingman became the first player to hit a home run for four different teams in one season. The veteran would have a total of 26 home runs that season including nine for the Mets, eleven for the Padres, two for the Angels, and four for the Yankees.

Explaining The Honus Wagner Hit Discrepancy

From Sports Reference:

As Derek Jeter continues his climb up baseball's all-time hits list, we have received several inquiries aboutHonus Wagner's career hit total. We list 3,420, while MLB lists him with 3,430 career hits. While the similarity of the numbers may imply a simple typo, it turns out that the reasons for the one-digit difference are not simple at all.

For an explanation of the history of this deviation, we spoke with Pete Palmer (the source for many of the statistics appearing on this site). Palmer explained that the 1969 Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia was the genesis of the difference. At the time, official NL statistics only went back to 1903. The encyclopedia created new statistics for years prior to that and the changes were approved by an MLB committee set up to rule on various statistics for inclusion in the encyclopedia. However, the Elias Sports Bureau, which is the official statistician for Major League Baseball, never accepted the committee ruling, which leads to some differing numbers between what you see on Baseball-Reference and what you see in official MLB records. Elias, instead, has always used data from the old Spalding Guides.

Pete Palmer (and by extension Baseball-Reference) has preferred to use the Macmillan data*, because daily figures exist to back the numbers up, which allows for the statistics to be proofed for greater accuracy. Here is a year-by-year look at the difference between our totals and the Spalding totals. These are all from Wagner's pre-1903 seasons (Baseball-Reference total listed first):

• 1897: 81, 83
• 1898: 176, 180
• 1899: 196, 197
• 1900: 201, 201
• 1901: 194, 196
• 1902: 176, 177

Another discrepancy that some of you may notice soon is that Baseball-Reference has Cap Anson with 3,435 career hits, while MLB has him with 3,011. While many discrepancies exist with that data, the bulk of the difference is the fact that we count Anson's 423 hits in the National Association, which we believe was clearly a major league.

TL;DR version: Our hit total for Honus Wagner is not a typo. We recognize it does not align with the official total, but we believe it is the most accurate number.

For further reading on some of the issues with official totals in baseball statistics, please read this excellent 2011 post by Retrosheet's Dave Smith.

*The Macmillan data excluded a few games that were protested and replayed in the 1890s. These statistics were included in the NL stats of the day (save for the wins and losses) and Palmer has added these statistics back into the Macmillan data to reflect this.

Congratulations To Derek Jeter On Passing Honus Wagner On The All Time Hits List

Congratulations to Derek Jeter on passing Honus Wagner on the All Time hits list in Major League Baseball. Jeter had a single in the first inning of the game Friday night with the Cleveland Indians with a little help from the home town score keeper to tie the great Honus Wagner. Jeter got the milestone hit to walk into 6th place on the All Time hits list by himself in the 6th inning of today's game with a single. Congrats Jete!

Derek Jeter Ties Carl Yastrzemski On All Time Hit List

Derek Jeter has tied Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski for seventh all time on the all time hits list with his 3,419th hit of his career. Jeter led off the game two hits behind Yaz and promptly stroked a single through the shortstop and third base hole. Jeter came up again in the third inning and knocked a ground rule double to deep right center field to tie Yastrzemski.

Congratulations to Jeter and stay tuned for when he passes the Red Sox legend.

Yankees All Home Grown Team From The Last 20 Years

All this week we have been looking at the New York Yankees all home grown players team from the last 20 seasons or so and we now are able to field a full team. Like this or hate this list, agree or disagree, this is my list and I encourage any changes, feedback, or suggestions being left in the comment box. I apologize to all the players who may or may not feel snubbed by not being included in this list, it's not personal I assure you, and hope that in the next 10 years we can make a new list like this with a whole new batch of players on it.

Here is the final 25 man roster:

SP: Andy Pettitte

SP: Phil Hughes

SP: Ivan Nova

SP: Chien Ming Wang

SP: Ian Kennedy

1B: Don Mattingly

2B: Robinson Cano

SS: Derek Jeter

3B: Eduardo Nunez

LF: Austin Jackson

CF: Bernie Williams

RF: Alfonso Soriano

C: Jorge Posada

DH: Nick Johnson

CL: Mariano Rivera

RP: David Robertson

RP: Phil Coke

RP: Randy Choate

RP: Tyler Clippard

RP: Mark Melancon

LR: Ramiro Mendoza

BN: Dioner Navarro
BN: David Adams
BN: Jimmy Paredes
BN: Jesus Montero

All Home Grown Yankees Team - The Bench

Continuing with our look at the Yankees all home grown team over the last 20 years or so we look at the prospects who did not quite make the cut for the starting nine and have been sent to the bench. On this team this is not necessarily something that should make you feel slighted as the Yankees have been pretty successful in bringing guys through their system and turning them into stars over the last couple of decades. 

Let's take a look at the Yankees bench they would send out with an all prospect team:

BN: Dioner Navarro

BN: David Adams

BN: Jimmy Paredes

BN: Jesus Montero

Dioner Navarro was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees back in 2000 and made it all the way to the major leagues in 2004. Navarro was sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005 with Javier Vazquez and Brad Halsey for Randy Johnson. The same day Navarro was sent packing to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Shawn Greene. Navarro has spent the rest of his career playing behind the dish for the Dodgers twice, the Tampa Bay Rays, Reds, and the Cubs. 

David Adams was brought up and spent a huge chunk of the 2013 season playing with the big league New York Yankees. Adams spent most of his time at second base, and injured, in the minor league system before being primarily a third basemen this season. Adams also spent time at second base and first base this season making him my utility player for lack of a better word on this team.

The New York Yankees signed Jimmy Paredes as a amateur free agent as a short stop before the 2007 season. Jimmy spent the next three seasons in the Yankees system, including a minor league All Star appearance for the Staten Island Yankees before he was sent to the Houston Astros along with Mark Melancon for Lance Berkman. Paredes is now a jack of all trades making his major league debut for the Astros as a third basemen and now spending most of his time in right field. 

Jesus Montero is one guy that I felt compelled to add as that last option on the bench. If this was a real team he would not be on the team obviously because he would give us two DH only types, unless you still think that he can catch for some reason, but this is pure nostalgia here. I can remember drooling over the thought of Baby Jesus in pinstripes ever since he was signed as an international free agent in 2006. Montero was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Michael Pineda before the 2012 season and has since lost his starting catching job, sent to the minors, and is now working out as a first basemen. I still love Montero so he gets the last spot and always had the last spot as soon as I came up with this idea. 

All Home Grown Yankees Team - The Positional Players

Continuing with our look at the Yankees all home grown team from the last 20 years or so we look at the positional players the Yankees have brought through their system. I wanna start off by apologizing to the likes of Shelley Duncan, Corban Joseph, Ramiro Pena, Francisco Cervelli, JR Murphy, and Austin Romine for not making this list. Let's take a look at the guys that did make the list for the best home grown positional players that the Yankees have developed in recent memory. 

1B: Don Mattingly

2B: Robinson Cano

SS: Derek Jeter

3B: Eduardo Nunez

LF: Austin Jackson

CF: Bernie Williams

RF: Alfonso Soriano

C: Jorge Posada

DH: Nick Johnson

Obviously I stretched the "20 years" mandate a little bit for Donnie Baseball here as he made his major league debut in 1982. I felt compelled to use him because, I mean besides the fact that he is Don Mattingly, he was right on the cusp of the cour four era. Granted I guess you could say him retiring ended the George Steinbrenner going bat sh*t crazy era and started the dynasty era but that's what makes owning your own site a great thing, you do what you want. All along I said the last "20 years or so" and this man was why.

Robinson Cano is likely to finish as one of the best second basemen in all of baseball after coming up in 2005 from the Yankees system. Cano is already making a case for beating out Joe Gordon, Bill Dickey, and Tony Lazzeri as the best Yankees second basemen in their very storied history whether he leaves town or not this off season as a free agent.

Derek Jeter is the greatest Yankees short stop in their history, no disrespect to Phil Rizzuto, and the greatest captain in their history. A short list of captains includes Don Mattingly, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Thurman Munson, and Babe Ruth to name a few so that is really saying something. The piece of five World Series championships and the first Yankees to ever reach the 3000 hit mark makes Jeter a mainstay on all these lists.

I included Eduardo Nunez as the third basemen after spending a good chunk of time towards the end of the 2013 season at the hot corner. I also think that he will be our Opening Day third basemen in 2014 if Alex Rodriguez gets suspended like we all think he will. I also feel obligated to mention that the Yankees have not had much in the way of home grown third basemen in their history, especially in the last 20 years or so.

Austin Jackson is a center fielder but is way too good to be included on the bench so I am slotting him in left field for this list. Jackson has excelled as a center fielder both with the bat and in the field for the Tigers after being traded in the deal that brought the Yankees Curtis Granderson. Jackson is also one of the best lead off hitters in the game and brings a speed on the base paths that kills other teams catchers and pitchers.

Brett Gardner has been disrespected ever since he came into the game having to split time with Melky Cabrera, riding the bench as a part time player, and people like myself even clamored for the likes of Manny Ramirez on the team over him in 2009. I can admit when I am wrong, and I like being wrong because it was the whole Manny Ramirez as a free agent thing that gave us the name The Greed Pinstripes, as Gardner has been a mainstay at the top of the Yankees lineup and in center field since being given the full time job.

Bernie Williams was not included in the Cour Four for obvious reasons, although I think that he ultimately should have been, including having coming up in the early 90's and not the 95-96 calendar year and not having a World Series ring in 2009. Bernie was still the beef in the middle of the lineup, the best defender we had in center field, and a great clubhouse leader that was part of four of the five Yankees championships. Jeter, Mo, Posada, and Andy or not we do not win a couple of those World Series without Bernie, bottom line.

Alfonso Soriano came through the Yankees system after being signed out of Japan in the 2002 season and quickly burst onto the scene making a run at being a 40/40 player. Soriano hit lead off home run after lead off home run in 2003 before being traded to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez. Soriano has bounced around a bit and has even moved position to the outfield but is back with the Yankees for the 2014 season and had to be a part of this list.

Jorge Posada came up with the Yankees during the 1995 season and was on the bench for the 1996 World Series championship run. Although he really did not catch on with the Yankees as a back up until 1997 and did not start full time until the 1998 season. Even with all that said Posada is part of the cour four and has five World Series championships after spending time as a second basemen for much of his minor league time.

Finally we finish the list with Nick Johnson as the Yankees DH after being drafted by New York in the 1996 draft. Nick was brought up to play first base but injuries forced Johnson to be more of the DH only type with the Yankees, Indians, and Orioles. Nick was traded to the Expos for Javier Vazquez the first time and came back to New York in 2010 before missing most of the season with another injury. Nick was always coveted for his patience at the plate, high walk numbers, home run swing, and open and unique stance at the plate.

All Home Grown Yankees Team - The Bullpen

Continuing our look at the Yankees all home grown team using players from our system over the last 20 years or so we will look at the bullpen pitchers today. The Yankees have had a plethora of home grown arms that have hit the system in recent memory so this was one of the toughest categories to fill out. Spoiler alert but I want to give honorable mentions right now to a few that I felt could have made the list but didn't in Adam Warren, Mike Dunn, and even John Axford who spent a few years in the Yankees system before finding success elsewhere. Enjoy!

CL: Mariano Rivera

RP: David Robertson

RP: Phil Coke

RP: Randy Choate

RP: Tyler Clippard

RP: Mark Melancon

LR: Ramiro Mendoza

Mariano Rivera and David Robertson have been staples in the Yankees bullpen since what feels like forever ago. Mariano has been around forever after a failed starting pitcher attempt in 1995 Mo has been shutting down guys in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings since 1996. The MLB all time leading saves leader and the greatest of all time, what else needs to be said. D Rob seems to be the new heir apparent to Mo after his retirement this season. D Rob has been a staple since the Yankees won the 2009 World Series and looks to be a staple for a long long time in the Yankees pen.

Randy Choate and Phil Coke have both enjoyed success in the major leagues throwing from the left side after leaving the Yankees. Choate was traded to the Montreal Expos for Javier Vazquez (the first time) and has spent time with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami and Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Phil Coke has killed the Yankees, and a lot of teams, since being in the deal that brought the Yankees Curtis Granderson and sent Coke packing to Detroit. Coke especially killed us during the 2012 ALCS where the Tigers swept us after Coke was un-hittable in the closers role.

Tyler Clippard has enjoyed a few good seasons in Washington after being traded to the Nationals for Johnathan Albaladejo, remember him? Clippard has closed and been a set up man in Washington and while he has had more success in the latter role has enjoyed success in both roles. Former Yankees #1 prospect before a man named Phil Hughes came around.

Mark Melancon was once touted the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera before Joe Girardi ruined his arm, trade value, and reputation. Melancon would come up once a month, sit on the bench for two weeks, and struggle due to rust when he was used out of desperation. He was later traded to the Houston Astros and is now a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was elected to the 2013 MLB All Star Game.

Ramiro Mendoza could do anything and everything for the Yankees after coming out of their farm system. Mendoza could start, set up, be a long man, or close and did all four well. If it weren't for Orlando Hernandez in 1999 I think Mendoza would have been the 99 ALCS MVP after shutting down the Red Sox in the middle of a rally in games two and game five. Mendoza also closed out the series in Fenway Park rather than Mariano Rivera, a tribute for Joe Torre to Mendoza in my opinion.

All Home Grown Yankees Team - The Starting Rotation

We thought it would be fun to take a look at a hypothetical all Yankees home grown team using prospects that have come through the Yankees system. Just as a reminder we are only going to use players from the last 20 years or so for the sole purpose of including the dynasty years and cour four. We tried to stay away from guys that spent most of their minor league careers elsewhere only to come to New York later, for example Jose Quintana and Jose Veras who come to mind automatically, so keep that in mind as well before jumping up and down saying we snubbed somebody. 

Today we will look at the starting pitchers:

SP: Andy Pettitte

SP: Phil Hughes

SP: Ivan Nova

SP: Chien Ming Wang

SP: Ian Kennedy

Andy Pettitte is Andy Pettitte, that is really all that needs to be said. Over 250 wins in his career and retired sitting at the top of most of the Yankees all time pitching records. Andy came out of the Yankees system in 1995 and made an immediate impact on the team as part of three World Series Championships in the 90's. Andy would also get a ring in the year 2000 and 2009 before retiring as a Yankee for the second time in 2014.

Phil Hughes probably shows the weakness of Yankees home grown pitching in the last 20 seasons because he has struggled mightily. Hughes did have a 18 win season in 2010 though and had a few memorable moments including a perfect game run that fell short in Texas. Hughes Yankees career is all but over after a struggle of a 2013 season.

Ivan Nova has been a roller coaster of a pitcher for the Yankees since coming through the system including being lost to the Rule 5 draft only to be returned by the San Diego Padres. Nova threw his first two complete game shut outs this season and was absolutely lights out for most of the season after an injury sent him down to AAA to work on things.

Chien Ming Wang burst onto the scene as a part of the Yankees youth movement during the 2005 season and responded extremely well. Wang won 19 games in consecutive seasons and was well on his way a third time before a base running blunder basically ended his career in Houston.

Ian Kennedy was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks as a part of the Curtis Granderson deal after flying through the Yankees system after being drafted in the 2006 draft. Kennedy was on the 2009 Yankees World Series team although he was not on the playoff roster. Kennedy would have a 21 win season in 2011 for the Arizona Diamondbacks before being traded to the San Diego Padres this season.

All Yankees Home Grown Team From The Last 20 Years

The New York Yankees have not been known for their farm system since around the 1995 season where we saw the emergence of the "Cour Four" of Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Jorge Posada. The Yankees went through a time where there prospects were seasoned for the sole reason of trading for veterans or over priced talent or mercenaries for the big league club by the likes of Brian Cashman and George Steinbrenner. Now with the Yankees trying to get back under the luxury tax thresh hold of $189 million the Yankees are having to go back to developing and relying on their own guys from their farm system again. We are going to take a look at the best of the best that the Yankees have developed over the last 20 years or so, whether they are still members of the Yankees anymore or not.

Last week we featured the greatest Yankees team of all time now let's look at what the Yankees have produced over the last 20 or so years out of the farm system this week. Enjoy!!!

All Time New York Yankees Team - The Bench

 Jorge Posada

 Willie Randolph

 Don Mattingly

 Phil Rizzuto

 Bill Dickey

Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto was easily the best Yankees short stop of all time before Derek Jeter came along so I decided that he had to be on the list.

Don Mattingly won the 1985 MVP Award and was the Yankees captain. While Don never won a World Series and only had one post season appearance in this career in 1995, a wild card series loss to the Seattle Mariners, Don made watching Yankees baseball bearable in the 80's and is one of the greatest Yankees of all time, mustache and all.

Willie Randolph? Really? Over Robinson Cano, Joe Gordon, and other Yankees second basemen? Yes, absolutely. Randolph did not have the best numbers but he did spend 13 of his 18 years with the Yankees including three co-captain years with Ron Guidry from 1986-1988. Randolph also owns the Yankees record for games played as a second basemen with 1,688 games and finished his career with 271 stolen bases, 1,239 runs scored, 2,210 hits, and was a six time All Star. Randolph drew over 80 walks a whopping seven times in his career, something Robinson Cano will probably never do, and never committed in an error in 46 post season games for his career. Randolph also won four World Series titles with the Yankees as a coach that many people do not remember. He may not have the stats as some of the others but he certainly deserved to be on this list.

The catching position was obviously a toss up so between the starting catcher and the bench I decided to include three catchers and I still feel like I am omitting someone. Yogi Berra starts for me, his 10 World Series rings says so. Jorge Posada I felt compelled to include because I watched him growing up and saw him win four World Series rings, although was a major contributor in three of them. Even with Bill Dickey being added as a bench option I still could have included Elston Howard and Thurmon Munson making this possibly the hardest position to choose from.

All Time New York Yankees Team - The Bullpen

 Mariano Rivera

 Goose Gossage

 Dave Righetti

 Johnny Murphy

 Sparky Lyle

 Allie Reynolds

To nobody's surprise Mariano Rivera is at the top of this list as Mo is the greatest closing pitcher of all time on any team, especially the New York Yankees. Before Mo made a failed attempt at being a starter in 1995 and was moved to the set up man spot in 1996 to only start his march towards being the greatest closer of all time the Yankees greatest closer was widely regarded as Goose Gossage. Dave Righetti was a great Yankees closer in the 80's for those terrible Yankees teams that everybody wants to forget.

Johnny Murphy is a name that many of you may not remember or know but I will leave it to you to check the stats. He was the greatest Yankees closer before the closer position was really established. He was more of a Yankees finisher then a closer but either way I want him in my bullpen. Sparky Lyle is my guy that will get left handed batters outs, a LOOGY before the LOOGY had a name. Yankees bullpen standout and has to have a spot in my bullpen as well. Allie Reynolds could have been put in the rotation or in the bullpen which is why I sort of took advantage of his versatility to put him in the last spot in this bullpen.

All Time New York Yankees Team - The Rotation

 Andy Pettitte

Whitey Ford

 Ron Guidry

 Red Ruffing

 Lefty Gomez

The New York Yankees have surprisingly not had as many huge starters in their history as you would think. After 27 World Series championships you would think that this would be a tough list to make but it really wasn't. Andy Pettitte leads the Yankees in strike outs, wins, and a ton of other stats and definitely has a place on this team. Andy passed Whitey Ford in many of those stats as Whitey has long been thought of as the greatest Yankees starter of all time so he was also an easy pick. Ron Guidry was a co captain along with Willie Randolph for the 1986-1988 seasons and was our one bright spot in the rotation for those long and terrible years in the 80's. After that the list got tough.

I originally had Jack Chesbro on the list as he enjoyed a 41 win season once but it was early in the 1900's and was for the Highlanders, not the Yankees, so I chose to leave him off. I also had Allie Reynolds on the list but he was versatile with him jumping back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. I settled, for lack of a better word, for Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez to finish out the rotation. Interesting fact is Red Ruffing currently has the highest ERA of any player in the Hall of Fame with a 3.80 ERA but he is in the hall nonetheless.

Here is my list, what's yours?

The All Time New York Yankees Team

The New York Yankees have one of the most storied histories in all of baseball including 27 World Series Championships, 17 more than any other team in Major League history, and some of the best players to ever play the game of baseball. The Yankees have the most history and the most tradition of any team in all of sports, not just baseball, and have the most retired jersey numbers than any other team. It is difficult in some positions to even pick a "best of all time" at that position but I will attempt to do my best here in a series of posts. Check back every day to see who I think makes the cut as a member of the all time New York Yankees team.

Alex Rodriguez Passes Lou Gehrig On Grand Slams List

Alex Rodriguez has passed Lou Gehrig on the all time grand slams hit list with his 24th career grand slam tonight against the San Francisco Giants. I realize that this record may be watered down a bit or it may really not mean much to some people but this is quite the feat nonetheless. This kind of record takes a career long effort sprinkled in with a little bit of luck. Controversy or no controversy congratulations to A Rod on his 24th career grand slam of his career and passing Gehrig tonight.