To write up the proper New York Yankees Starting Lineup, some guys are a no-brainer, some guys are controversial, and some require moving around. This all-time Yankees lineup is based on guys who not only flourished as Yankees but also have played at least seven seasons or 1,000 games as a Yankee. This lineup includes the DH.

162 Game Average during Yankee Years

SS Jeter (R) .310 BA 204 HITS 15 HR 77 RBI .377 OBP 113 RUNS

LF Mantle (S) .298 BA 163 HITS 36 HR 102 RBI .421 OBP 113 RUNS

RF Ruth (L) .349 BA 196 HITS 51 HR 154 RBI .484 OBP 131 RUNS

1B Gehrig (L) .340 BA 204 HITS 37 HR 149 RBI .447 OBP 141 RUNS

CF DiMaggio (R) .325 BA 207 HITS 34 HR 143 RBI .398 OBP 130 RUNS

 C Berra (L) .285 BA 165 HITS 28 HR 110 RBI .348 OBP 90 RUNS

3B Rodriguez (R).283 BA 169 HITS 38 HR 117 RBI .378 OBP 108 RUNS

DH Mattingly (L) .307 BA 195 HITS 20 HR 100 RBI .358 OBP 91 RUNS

2B Lazerri (R) .293 BA 175 HITS 17 HR 113 RBI .379 OBP 93 RUNS

SP Ford (L) 17-8 W-L 2.75 ERA 1.215 WHIP 142 K 230 IP

CL Rivera (R) 5-4 W-L 2.21 ERA 1.000 WHIP 71 K 78 IP (39 SV)

There is no debate about Jeter being the leadoff hitter, hitting .310 lifetime along with 200 plus hits a year on average, along with great baserunning. Mantle bats second playing Left Field to accommodate DiMaggio. Mantle for the most part had speed for most of his career when healthy, as well as having a .421 OBP and power, belongs in the top of the lineup. Ruth bats third and Gehrig bats fourth, I’m not splitting those two guys up. They are by far the best duo in baseball history, no one got those guys out. Also, for fun, Gehrig will get the “C”. Now, from 5-9, it’s Right/Lefty/Righty. DiMaggio bats 5th in CF, Berra edges out Bill Dickey at Catcher batting 6th, and Arod, despite his controversy, bats 7th, playing Third Base. Most people have Reggie as an all-time Yankee in the DH spot, which I don’t because he didn’t have enough years. So Mattingly bats 8th in the DH spot, and batting 9th at Second Base is Tony Lazerri, just edging out Robinson Cano. Whitey Ford takes the mound as the Starter, and Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all time is the Closer.

WHAT A LINEUP! With that lineup, you have proper balance 4 Right Handed Hitters, 4 Left Handed Hitters, and 1 Switch Hitter. Along with Ford and Rivera, you have nine Hall of Famers, the other two are Arod who should be in the Hall of Fame, and Mattingly who is a borderline Hall of Famer. The Yankees also have six guys: Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, and Ford who were named on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Ballplayers in Baseball History, in 1999. Don’t get me wrong the Yankees aren’t the franchise with rich history. The Red Sox, Cardinals, Giants, and the Dodgers can put out a tremendous all-time team, but I doubt any team can make up an all-time lineup like the Yankees.

References:

  1. Player Stats via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/