All-Time Yankees Team

[DoubleX]

The offseason is a good time to reflect on the franchise's history. Who would be on your all time Yankees squad?

Here's mine:

C: Yogi Berra - This is an extremely strong position historically for the Yankees. Berra is the cream of the crop, but Dickey, Munson, Howard and Posada are all good.

1B: Lou Gehrig - Best all time for any franchise (though there's a guy on St. Louis who may give Gehrig a run when all is said and done). Mattingly gets runnerup, probably followed by Martinez, Skowron, and perhaps even the infamous Hal Chase.

2B: Tony Lazzeri - This is probably the toughest one for me to pick. I think good arguments could be made for Lazzeri, Gordon, and Randolph. I think Gordon was the best player of the bunch, but he spent the shortest amount of time with the team of the three, even if you give him two years war credit.

SS: Derek Jeter - Some might pick Rizzuto here, but I don't think it's much of a contest. It's a pretty steep drop for the Yankees after Rizzuto.

3B: Alex Rodriguez - This may be a bit premature given that he's spent just 5 years with the team, but it's look like he'll spend 14 in total with the team. Regardless of how you feel about him, he's an all time great. Next up is Graig Nettles, and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for sticking with Nettles still based on longevity with the team.

OF: Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio - I couldn't go with the typical LF/CF/RF combination because that would leave out either Mantle or DiMaggio, and if you have both of them, you're going to find a place for each of them (as the team did in 1951). This is a stunning OF trio. There's some good choices after this too - Williams, Jackson, Winfield, Keeler, Maris, Murcer, White, Keller, O'Neill, Combs.

SP1: Whitey Ford - The best in the team's history.
SP2: Red Ruffing - A mostly overlooked stalwart. May have passed 300 wins if not for WWII.
SP3: Lefty Gomez - Great peak but fairly short career.
SP4: Ron Guidry - Same as Gomez, just not quite as good.
SP5: Andy Pettitte - Very solid and consistent for over a decade with the team. Some might go with Allie Reynolds, Mel Stottlemyre, Jack Chesbro, Bob Shawkey, Ed Lopat, Herb Pennock, Wait Hoyt, or even Roger Clemens (due to name power) here, and I wouldn't quibble.

Closer: Mariano Rivera - Obvious choice here, and I'll take Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle as his setup men. Joe Page deserves a mention as well.

[Domenic]

C: Yogi Berra

I also consider Berra to be the greatest catcher in the history of the game... at least, the best of those to reach the MLB (I'm not sure where to rank Gibson, Mackey, et al).
1B: Lou Gehrig

Prior to the emergence of Albert Pujols, Gehrig was the best first baseman in the history of the game by a fairly comfortable margin - probably the biggest margin at any position this side of shortstop and Honus Wagner. If Pujols can continue to rake, Gehrig may fall behind him in terms of production... but the legend of Gehrig will never be surpassed.
2B: Joe Gordon

Gordon's fielding pushed him ahead of Lazzeri, for me. I also believe that, were in not for WWII and some nagging injuries, Gordon would have put up the numbers to rank among the upper-tier at the position.
3B: Graig Nettles

Nettles is probably only keeping this spot warm for Rodriguez, who is undoubtedly the superior player... Nettles' glove may have been better, but Rodriguez is leagues better with the bat. That being said, Rodriguez will need to stay in the Bronx for a few more years before I place him here... I still think of him as a Mariner, to a degree.
SS: Derek Jeter

I wanted to pick Phil Rizzuto, but Jeter is clearly the better player.
LF: Babe Ruth

Playing in LF is sure to reduce the wear and tear on Ruth's body and, even though he was decent in RF, he would have probably been a strong LF'er.
CF: Joe DiMaggio

Often described as the most graceful CF'er ever, DiMaggio is the greatest defensive CF'er to ever wear the pinstripes, and probably the second best CF'er with the stick... in the interest of defense, he'll man center.
RF: Mickey Mantle

A superior hitter to Joe DiMaggio... but probably a step-down in the outfield. Surely, he can move to RF to accommodate the Clipper.

SP1: Whitey Ford

One of the best big game pitchers ever, and clearly the best pitcher to pitch for the Yankees for an extended period of time (Clemens was better, though not better for the Yankees).
SP2: Ron Guidry
SP3: Lefty Gomez
SP4: Red Ruffing
SP5: Mel Stottlemyre

Cl: Mariano River

Gossage can be the set-up man for my team any day of the week.

[johnnypapa]

C - Berra
1B - Gehrig
2B - Lazzeri...would have liked to go with Randolph but Tony's power puts him over.
3B - Arod
SS - Jeter
OF - Ruth, Mantle & Dimaggio

SP - Ford, Ruffing, Lopat, Guidry & Petitte (too many lefties so Stottlemeyer as spot starter:)

Bullpen - Reynolds, Gossage, Lyle and Mo as closer.


Bench - Mattingly, Jackson (DH), Randolph, Dickey, Rizzuto, Williams and Maris.

[DoubleX]

C: Yogi Berra

I also consider Berra to be the greatest catcher in the history of the game... at least, the best of those to reach the MLB (I'm not sure where to rank Gibson, Mackey, et al).
1B: Lou Gehrig

I tend to rank Berra behind Bench, but that's it. Gibson may have been the best of all, but sadly, we'll never know for sure.



Prior to the emergence of Albert Pujols, Gehrig was the best first baseman in the history of the game by a fairly comfortable margin - probably the biggest margin at any position this side of shortstop and Honus Wagner. If Pujols can continue to rake, Gehrig may fall behind him in terms of production... but the legend of Gehrig will never be surpassed.

I don't think Foxx is all that far behind Gehrig, though I don't think there is any debate as to Gehrig being above Foxx (unlike say catcher, where I think Bench vs. Berra is a better argument), and there are some people on here that might put Frank Thomas close (and pretend that he hasn't DHed for the majority of his career). If one were to consider Stan Musial a 1Bman, as he did play over 1000 games at the position, I think he could give Gehrig a decent run, but most tend to rank Musial in LF (including me). Pujols though, might be the one to finally dethrone Gehrig at 1B.


2B: Joe Gordon

Gordon's fielding pushed him ahead of Lazzeri, for me. I also believe that, were in not for WWII and some nagging injuries, Gordon would have put up the numbers to rank among the upper-tier at the position.

I agree. I'm glad he's been recognized by the Hall, it's deserved, particularly with his lesser contemporary Bobby Doerr in the Hall. I went with Yankees longevity here, but in the past I've favored Gordon.


3B: Graig Nettles

Nettles is probably only keeping this spot warm for Rodriguez, who is undoubtedly the superior player... Nettles' glove may have been better, but Rodriguez is leagues better with the bat. That being said, Rodriguez will need to stay in the Bronx for a few more years before I place him here... I still think of him as a Mariner, to a degree.

Nettles is arguably a borderline Hall of Famer, and his glove perhaps actually underrated. He may have lost out on multiple Gold Gloves early in his career as Brooks Robinson was still picking them up on reputation. As for A-Rod, I still think of him as a Mariner as well, but I'm realizing it's time to get past that. When all is said and done, the majority of his career will be with the Yankees.



SS: Derek Jeter

I wanted to pick Phil Rizzuto, but Jeter is clearly the better player.

Maybe it's just me, but I never really got Phil Rizzuto. To me, he's one of the worst Hall of Fame picks. Good player, great defender, but not Jeter.


LF: Babe Ruth

Playing in LF is sure to reduce the wear and tear on Ruth's body and, even though he was decent in RF, he would have probably been a strong LF'er.

He did play almost as many games in LF as he did in RF.


CF: Joe DiMaggio

Often described as the most graceful CF'er ever, DiMaggio is the greatest defensive CF'er to ever wear the pinstripes, and probably the second best CF'er with the stick... in the interest of defense, he'll man center.

RF: Mickey Mantle

A superior hitter to Joe DiMaggio... but probably a step-down in the outfield. Surely, he can move to RF to accommodate the Clipper.

I agree - if I had to choose who plays CF, DiMaggio gets the call due to his defense.


Cl: Mariano River

Gossage can be the set-up man for my team any day of the week.

Can you imagine having those two? If the Yankees are winning after 5 or 6, the game would essentially be over.

[Domenic]

I tend to rank Berra behind Bench, but that's it. Gibson may have been the best of all, but sadly, we'll never know for sure.

My putting Berra ahead may be a product of my Yankee bias, but I don't think it's a stretch to say Berra was better... though, Bench put up most of his numbers behind home plate, whereas Berra saw a great deal of time in LF.


I don't think Foxx is all that far behind Gehrig, though I don't think there is any debate as to Gehrig being above Foxx (unlike say catcher, where I think Bench vs. Berra is a better argument), and there are some people on here that might put Frank Thomas close (and pretend that he hasn't DHed for the majority of his career). If one were to consider Stan Musial a 1Bman, as he did play over 1000 games at the position, I think he could give Gehrig a decent run, but most tend to rank Musial in LF (including me). Pujols though, might be the one to finally dethrone Gehrig at 1B.

There is no debate, in my mind, that Gehrig is the greatest first baseman. The only other positions where such a statement can be made are SS and RF - for Wagner and Ruth. I believe the distance between Gehrig and Foxx is greater than the distance between Ruth and Aaron.


Nettles is arguably a borderline Hall of Famer, and his glove perhaps actually underrated. He may have lost out on multiple Gold Gloves early in his career as Brooks Robinson was still picking them up on reputation. As for A-Rod, I still think of him as a Mariner as well, but I'm realizing it's time to get past that. When all is said and done, the majority of his career will be with the Yankees.

If this topic was made next offseason, I may have put Rodriguez at 3B... it is really only a matter of time before I put him there - Nettles, though, is an admirable place-holder.


Maybe it's just me, but I never really got Phil Rizzuto. To me, he's one of the worst Hall of Fame picks. Good player, great defender, but not Jeter.

Rizzuto's just one of the good ol' Yanks, and that gives him a boost in my book... as did his wonderful broadcasting. Jeter is a far superior player, though, and Rizzuto is in the lower-tier of Hall of Famers in overall value.


Can you imagine having those two? If the Yankees are winning after 5 or 6, the game would essentially be over.

That was the dynamic in 1996 with Wetteland and Rivera... with Rivera at closer and Gossage setting up, it would be even better.

[mikesty]

No love for Aaron Boone?

[Paulypal]

You can put Arod as the best 3rd basemen, and the best shortstop the Yanks ever had.

[Yankees73]

The offseason is a good time to reflect on the franchise's history. Who would be on your all time Yankees squad?

Here's mine:

C: Yogi Berra - This is an extremely strong position historically for the Yankees. Berra is the cream of the crop, but Dickey, Munson, Howard and Posada are all good.

1B: Lou Gehrig - Best all time for any franchise (though there's a guy on St. Louis who may give Gehrig a run when all is said and done). Mattingly gets runnerup, probably followed by Martinez, Skowron, and perhaps even the infamous Hal Chase.

2B: Tony Lazzeri - This is probably the toughest one for me to pick. I think good arguments could be made for Lazzeri, Gordon, and Randolph. I think Gordon was the best player of the bunch, but he spent the shortest amount of time with the team of the three, even if you give him two years war credit.

SS: Derek Jeter - Some might pick Rizzuto here, but I don't think it's much of a contest. It's a pretty steep drop for the Yankees after Rizzuto.

3B: Alex Rodriguez - This may be a bit premature given that he's spent just 5 years with the team, but it's look like he'll spend 14 in total with the team. Regardless of how you feel about him, he's an all time great. Next up is Graig Nettles, and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for sticking with Nettles still based on longevity with the team.

OF: Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio - I couldn't go with the typical LF/CF/RF combination because that would leave out either Mantle or DiMaggio, and if you have both of them, you're going to find a place for each of them (as the team did in 1951). This is a stunning OF trio. There's some good choices after this too - Williams, Jackson, Winfield, Keeler, Maris, Murcer, White, Keller, O'Neill, Combs.

SP1: Whitey Ford - The best in the team's history.
SP2: Red Ruffing - A mostly overlooked stalwart. May have passed 300 wins if not for WWII.
SP3: Lefty Gomez - Great peak but fairly short career.
SP4: Ron Guidry - Same as Gomez, just not quite as good.
SP5: Andy Pettitte - Very solid and consistent for over a decade with the team. Some might go with Allie Reynolds, Mel Stottlemyre, Jack Chesbro, Bob Shawkey, Ed Lopat, Herb Pennock, Wait Hoyt, or even Roger Clemens (due to name power) here, and I wouldn't quibble.

Closer: Mariano Rivera - Obvious choice here, and I'll take Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle as his setup men. Joe Page deserves a mention as well.How bout Murcer/Henrich off the bench??

[johnnypapa]

How bout Murcer/Henrich off the bench??


Ya know....Henrich gets left off most of these lists. Glad you mentioned him. It tough to put him on these lists because of all the HOF the Yankees have had. But he was a damn good player who also lost three years of his prime to WW2. And as clutch as he supposedly was he really would be great coming off the bench:)


Whew....looking at his stats he had 13 and 14 triples at the age of 34 and 35.

Looks like Tommy was a gap hitter:)

Old Reliable is still with us at 95 years of age. The last surviving Yankee from the 1938 WS champion team and the 8th oldest living ballplayer.

[Mariano_Rivera]

How 'bout some love for Mike Mussina? He had his best years in Baltimore but he deserves a mention.

[philipthegreat]

1B: Gehrig, the greatest first basemen ever.
2B: I choose Lazzeri over Randoplph because of Lazzeri's bat.
3B: I have to go with Nettles over Rodriguez for the time being because was so good at both aspects of the game and was around longer. A couple more years and Rodriguez replaces him.
OF: The holy trinity of Dimaggio, Mantle, and Ruth.
C: Yogi Berra by a wide margin, despite the fact that the Yankees have 1
HOF cacther behind him, and three borderline cases.

Pitching staff:

Whitey Ford
Red Ruffing
Ron Guidry
Lefty Gomez

Chesbro and Herb Pennock take turns.

Closer/Bullpen:
Rivera, Lyle, and Gossage.

[DoubleX]

How 'bout some love for Mike Mussina? He had his best years in Baltimore but he deserves a mention.

He's probably done enough to at least deserve a mention, but I view the entirety of his time with the Yankees as a disappointment.

[White Knight]

1B: Lou Gehrig - Best all time for any franchise (though there's a guy on St. Louis who may give Gehrig a run when all is said and done).

No he won't. :D

[White Knight]

I don't think Foxx is all that far behind Gehrig, though I don't think there is any debate as to Gehrig being above Foxx (unlike say catcher, where I think Bench vs. Berra is a better argument), and there are some people on here that might put Frank Thomas close (and pretend that he hasn't DHed for the majority of his career). If one were to consider Stan Musial a 1Bman, as he did play over 1000 games at the position, I think he could give Gehrig a decent run, but most tend to rank Musial in LF (including me). Pujols though, might be the one to finally dethrone Gehrig at 1B.



Thomas isn't remotely in the same league as Gehrig. Look at all the bad years Frank had after 30. Gehrig didn't decline in his very early 30's. And even before 30 his stats don't compare to Gehrig before 30. Had he not been forced to retire, he'd likely be on everyone's top 5. Heck, he still makes mine.

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

C: Yogi Berra

I also consider Berra to be the greatest catcher in the history of the game... at least, the best of those to reach the MLB (I'm not sure where to rank Gibson, Mackey, et al).
1B: Lou Gehrig

Prior to the emergence of Albert Pujols, Gehrig was the best first baseman in the history of the game by a fairly comfortable margin - probably the biggest margin at any position this side of shortstop and Honus Wagner. If Pujols can continue to rake, Gehrig may fall behind him in terms of production... but the legend of Gehrig will never be surpassed.
2B: Joe Gordon

Gordon's fielding pushed him ahead of Lazzeri, for me. I also believe that, were in not for WWII and some nagging injuries, Gordon would have put up the numbers to rank among the upper-tier at the position.
3B: Graig Nettles

Nettles is probably only keeping this spot warm for Rodriguez, who is undoubtedly the superior player... Nettles' glove may have been better, but Rodriguez is leagues better with the bat. That being said, Rodriguez will need to stay in the Bronx for a few more years before I place him here... I still think of him as a Mariner, to a degree.
SS: Derek Jeter

I wanted to pick Phil Rizzuto, but Jeter is clearly the better player.
LF: Babe Ruth

Playing in LF is sure to reduce the wear and tear on Ruth's body and, even though he was decent in RF, he would have probably been a strong LF'er.
CF: Joe DiMaggio

Often described as the most graceful CF'er ever, DiMaggio is the greatest defensive CF'er to ever wear the pinstripes, and probably the second best CF'er with the stick... in the interest of defense, he'll man center.
RF: Mickey Mantle

A superior hitter to Joe DiMaggio... but probably a step-down in the outfield. Surely, he can move to RF to accommodate the Clipper.

SP1: Whitey Ford

One of the best big game pitchers ever, and clearly the best pitcher to pitch for the Yankees for an extended period of time (Clemens was better, though not better for the Yankees).
SP2: Ron Guidry
SP3: Lefty Gomez
SP4: Red Ruffing
SP5: Mel Stottlemyre

Cl: Mariano River

Gossage can be the set-up man for my team any day of the week.
Great job.

Red Rolfe is A-Rod's main competition at 3rd. and you have Guidry rated more than a tad high. Herb Peneck, Vic Rachi and Allie Reynolds were better... me thinketh.

[The Monument]

I've often thought about this. Sometimes I break it down to 1900-1950 & a second team from 1951-2000. I don't include anybody on the current roster. Here is my 25 man roster for an All-Time team.

Manager-Stengel
Coaches-Huggins,McCarthy,Dickey,J. Turner,Houk
1B-Gehrig
2B-Lazzeri
SS-Rizzuto
3B-Rolfe
Infielders-Martin and McDougal,both could play multiple positions
C-Berra,Howard
RF-Ruth
CF-DiMaggio
LF-Mantle
Outfielders-Henrich,Winfield
DH-Mize,Munson
Starting Pitchers-Ford,Ruffing,Gomez,Reynolds,Guidry
Relief Pitchers-Rivera,Gossage,Lyle,Page,Murphy

Mel Allen,Frank Messer,Bob Sheperd and Pete Sheehy would all be there too.
Maybe Ruppert,Topping and Webb could co-own. Not A Steingrabber in sight.
George Weiss could keep the salaries down, and Field Boxes would be $4.00
And the Stadium would look as it did in 1973.

[The Monument]

Oops. Broke my own rule by including Mo Rivera. I try not to include active players because I don't want to have a Rizzuto/Jeter debate until Jeters career is over. Remember when Mattingly looked like a sure-fire HOF'er with 300+ hr's? Now I wish his # wasn't retired and Texiera could wear it. Getting back to Mo, his inclusion is a no-brainer and his career is very near the end anyway.

[White Knight]

Remember when Mattingly looked like a sure-fire HOF'er with 300+ hr's? Now I wish his # wasn't retired and Texiera could wear it.
Blasphemy, take that back! :)


Getting back to Mo, his inclusion is a no-brainer and his career is very near the end anyway.

I dunno about that. He may well pitch until 44, 45.

[The Football Ref]

1B - Kevin Mass

2B - Steve Sax

3B - Mike Pagliarulo

SS - Dale Berra (I was at the game where he was the second player tagged out at home)

LF - Ruben Rivera

CF - Deion Sanders

RF - Daryl Strawberry

P - Ed Whitson

C - Butch Wynegar

[Ralph Zig Tyko]

Oops. Broke my own rule by including Mo Rivera. I try not to include active players because I don't want to have a Rizzuto/Jeter debate until Jeters career is over. Remember when Mattingly looked like a sure-fire HOF'er with 300+ hr's? Now I wish his # wasn't retired and Texiera could wear it. Getting back to Mo, his inclusion is a no-brainer and his career is very near the end anyway.
Just as Jeter is the heart of the Yankees, Donny Baseball was the heart of the Yankees. Only his aching back keeps him from Cooperstown... and, as an aside, no # will ever be un-retired by any team, ever.

[White Knight]

1B - Kevin Mass

2B - Steve Sax

3B - Mike Pagliarulo

SS - Dale Berra (I was at the game where he was the second player tagged out at home)

LF - Ruben Rivera

CF - Deion Sanders

RF - Daryl Strawberry

P - Ed Whitson

C - Butch Wynegar


What, no Steve Balboni or Mell Hall?

[TonyStarks]

I've often thought about this. Sometimes I break it down to 1900-1950 & a second team from 1951-2000. I don't include anybody on the current roster. Here is my 25 man roster for an All-Time team.

Manager-Stengel
Coaches-Huggins,McCarthy,Dickey,J. Turner,Houk
1B-Gehrig
2B-Lazzeri
SS-Rizzuto
3B-Rolfe
Infielders-Martin and McDougal,both could play multiple positions
C-Berra,Howard
RF-Ruth
CF-DiMaggio
LF-Mantle
Outfielders-Henrich,Winfield
DH-Mize,Munson
Starting Pitchers-Ford,Ruffing,Gomez,Reynolds,Guidry
Relief Pitchers-Rivera,Gossage,Lyle,Page,Murphy

Mel Allen,Frank Messer,Bob Sheperd and Pete Sheehy would all be there too.
Maybe Ruppert,Topping and Webb could co-own. Not A Steingrabber in sight.
George Weiss could keep the salaries down, and Field Boxes would be $4.00
And the Stadium would look as it did in 1973.

Over Bill Dickey?

[The Monument]

Yep.A tough call, Dickey was a HOF'er who "learned" Yogi everything about catching, but Yogi beats him offensively,especially with the power numbers. Ellie Howard because he batted righty and could also play OF. Notice I have Dickey listed as a coach. Maybe my list is not really an All-Time team, or a Greatest at each position. It's the roster that I would go with if I could, hence Martin and McDougal.

[Paulypal]

Assuming all players are in their prime:


C - Dickey
Over Berra....yes. Better defensivley, and higher OBP, and SLG.

1B - Gehrig
No Brainer - Mattingly makes a good caddie here

2b - Lazzeri
Very close between Lazzeri and Gordon.

3b - Rodriguez
Pretty easy choice here for me. Nettles glove doesnt make up for the bat.

SS - Rodriguez......oh wait picked him already....Jeter
All kidding aside...its really Jeter and Rizzuto here...and thats about it.

OF - Ruth, Dimaggio, Mantle
Geez, can it get any better than that?

SP - Ford, Guidry, Ruffing, Gomez, Stot
Pen - Lyle, Gossage, Mariano.
I know its way early, but I want to put Joba in my pen..thats where he will dominate and where he belongs.

Bench - Yogi, Mattingly, Gordon, Nettles, Meusel, Combs, Rizzuto, Williams

[DoubleX]

C - Dickey
Over Berra....yes. Better defensivley, and higher OBP, and SLG.

A few points here:

1) Dickey played most of his career in the best offensive ever (well at least until the steroids era).

2) Berra had 1300 more plate appearances. Usually rate stats decline over time. So even though slightly edges Berra in OPS+, 127-125, I'd actually give Berra the slight advantage due to what effectively amounts to over two full seasons of plate appearances. Looking at OPS+, you can also see the disparity in offense of their eras. Berra's .830 OPS is worth 125 in his era, while Dickey's .868 is worth 127 in his era. So even though Dickey's raw numbers are hire, in terms of value in the context of their era, it's about the same as Berra (but Berra moves ahead on more plate appearances, IMO).

3) Dickey's home/road splits indicate a huge boost at Yankee Stadium due to the short RF porch for lefties. Granted, Berra is a lefty hitter also, but his splits are not as uneven as Dickey. I believe Dickey holds the record for highest percentage of home homeruns for anyone with at least 200. So I like that Berra was a more even hitter at home and away.


2b - Lazzeri
Very close between Lazzeri and Gordon.

I went with Lazzeri too, though I think Gordon was the better player. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Willie Randolph. I definitely think he's in the conversation.


3b - Rodriguez
Pretty easy choice here for me. Nettles glove doesnt make up for the bat.

It's almost impossible to compare to A-Rod, but Nettles deserves some due. He was a great fielder, likely deserving of more Gold Gloves (Brooks Robinson won a number on reputation early in Nettles' career), and his bat wasn't that bad. His BA and OBP are less than desirable, but he did have good power for 3B, and his 110 OPS+ combined with his defense, I think is enough to get him into the top 15 all time at 3B. That's not too bad.

[Paulypal]

A few points here:

1) Dickey played most of his career in the best offensive ever (well at least until the steroids era).

2) Berra had 1300 more plate appearances. Usually rate stats decline over time. So even though slightly edges Berra in OPS+, 127-125, I'd actually give Berra the slight advantage due to what effectively amounts to over two full seasons of plate appearances. Looking at OPS+, you can also see the disparity in offense of their eras. Berra's .830 OPS is worth 125 in his era, while Dickey's .868 is worth 127 in his era. So even though Dickey's raw numbers are hire, in terms of value in the context of their era, it's about the same as Berra (but Berra moves ahead on more plate appearances, IMO).

3) Dickey's home/road splits indicate a huge boost at Yankee Stadium due to the short RF porch for lefties. Granted, Berra is a lefty hitter also, but his splits are not as uneven as Dickey. I believe Dickey holds the record for highest percentage of home homeruns for anyone with at least 200. So I like that Berra was a more even hitter at home and away.



I went with Lazzeri too, though I think Gordon was the better player. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Willie Randolph. I definitely think he's in the conversation.



It's almost impossible to compare to A-Rod, but Nettles deserves some due. He was a great fielder, likely deserving of more Gold Gloves (Brooks Robinson won a number on reputation early in Nettles' career), and his bat wasn't that bad. His BA and OBP are less than desirable, but he did have good power for 3B, and his 110 OPS+ combined with his defense, I think is enough to get him into the top 15 all time at 3B. That's not too bad.

Actually I am surprised Dickey didnt get more mentions...even for a backup. I see an argument for Berra no doubt, but to me Dickey would be clearly second.