Best Yankees of all time, by uniform number
When Derek Jeter's No. 2 joined the Yankees' collection of retired numbers in May 2017, removing the last of the single digits from circulation, the franchise claimed the honor of having honored more players than any North American professional sports franchise.
Twenty-one numbers are currently in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park, acknowledging 22 illustrious players and managers.
Here are the most notable names to wear each uniform number in franchise history, with player value and championship titles used as determining factors:
0: Adam Ottavino
The first Yankee to wear zero, Ottavino pitched to a 2.76 ERA over 97 appearances for the club from 2019-20.
1: Billy Martin
A fierce competitor, Martin played an integral part in four World Series-winning clubs as a player during the 1950s, then added another ring while managing the club in 1977. Martin had five separate stints managing the Yankees, and his .333 World Series batting average is sixth all time among players with at least 75 at-bats.
2: Derek Jeter
A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Jeter led the franchise to five World Series titles and seven pennants from 1995-2014. He was the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, a 14-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, five-time Gold Glover and the MVP of the 2000 World Series.
3: Babe Ruth
Simply put, Ruth was the most outstanding player in baseball history. The "Great Bambino" ushered in a new era, twice outhomering every other AL team. Ruth hit 659 of his 714 career home runs as a Yankee from 1920-34, retiring with a lifetime .342 batting average.
4: Lou Gehrig
A uniquely durable, power-hitting first baseman who played in 2,130 consecutive games from 1925-39, the "Iron Horse" was a two-time MVP Award winner who compiled a .340 batting average and won the 1934 Triple Crown. Gehrig drove in at least 100 runs in 13 straight seasons and holds the AL record with 184 RBIs in 1931.
5: Joe DiMaggio
The graceful "Yankee Clipper" was a sensational hitter for both average and power, patrolling the outfield with a powerful and accurate arm. A two-time batting champion and three-time MVP Award winner, DiMaggio hit .325 with 361 homers from 1936-51, losing three years (1943-45) to military service.
6: Joe Torre
Torre guided the Yankees to six World Series appearances and four championships during his managerial tenure from 1996-2007. A 2014 inductee to the Hall of Fame, Torre’s teams reached the postseason in all 12 of his years at the helm. His 1,173 regular-season wins are second in franchise history to Joe McCarthy, who won 1,460 games over 16 seasons.
7: Mickey Mantle
The most feared hitter on some of the most successful teams in history, "The Mick" was a three-time AL MVP Award winner who led the franchise to seven World Series titles and 12 pennants from 1951-68. The 1956 Triple Crown winner, Mantle hit 536 home runs, including a titanic blast in Washington responsible for the phrase "tape-measure home run."
8: Yogi Berra
A three-time MVP Award winner selected to 18 All-Star teams over a stellar 19-year career, Berra wore the pinstripes from 1946-63, batting .285 with 358 home runs. The beloved Berra delighted in having been a member of 10 World Series championship clubs. No. 8 is also retired for catcher Bill Dickey.
9: Roger Maris
Best known for his 1961 chase of Ruth's single-season home run record, when he slugged 61 homers to establish a mark that stood until 1998, Maris won back-to-back AL MVP Awards in 1960-61. An excellent defensive right fielder, Maris was selected to six All-Star teams over seven seasons in New York from 1960-66.
10: Phil Rizzuto
Rizzuto was a skilled baserunner and bunter who compiled a .273 batting average from 1941-56. The Hall of Fame shortstop went to nine World Series, winning seven. He was the 1950 AL MVP Award winner, and became a fan favorite in the broadcast booth.
11: Lefty Gomez
A five-time World Series champion who twice won the pitching Triple Crown by pacing the AL in wins, ERA and strikeouts (1934 and ’37), Gomez received seven consecutive All-Star selections during a stellar career with the Yankees that ran from 1930-42. (He then made one start for the Senators in 1943.) Gomez finished his Yanks career with a 189-101 record and 3.34 ERA in 367 games (319 starts). He was a 1972 inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
12: Wade Boggs
A Hall of Fame third baseman who collected 3,010 hits with the Red Sox, Yankees and Devil Rays, Boggs played five years in New York from 1993-97, earning four All-Star selections, two Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. His only World Series title came in pinstripes (1996).
13: Alex Rodriguez
A-Rod's 696 home runs rank fourth in baseball history, with 351 of those long balls coming during his Yankees tenure from 2004-16. Rodriguez won two of his three AL MVP Awards in New York, where he was a seven-time All-Star and a three-time Silver Slugger.
14: Lou Piniella
“Sweet Lou” played 11 seasons in The Bronx from 1974-84, a period during which the Yankees won four AL pennants and two World Series championships. Piniella was a mainstay in the lineup from 1977-80, tallying a .295/.338/413 slash line (111 OPS+) with 971 hits for the Yankees before continuing on to a stellar managerial career.
15: Thurman Munson
An undisputed leader on teams that won three straight AL pennants and two World Series championships, Munson was the 1970 AL Rookie of the Year, the 1976 AL MVP Award winner and a three-time Gold Glover. He proudly wore the pinstripes from 1969 until his untimely death in a 1979 plane crash.
16: Whitey Ford
A Hall of Fame ace on the great teams of the 1950s and '60s, the "Chairman of the Board" owned a lifetime record of 236-106, with the best winning percentage (.690) of any pitcher since 1900 with 200 or more decisions. The 1961 Cy Young Award winner, Ford was a 10-time All-Star and the MVP of the '61 World Series.
17: Mickey Rivers
"Mick the Quick" was a fleet-footed center fielder who helped secure two World Series titles, batting .299/.324/.422 in 490 games from 1976-79. Rivers was an All-Star in '76, when he finished third in the AL MVP race.
18: Scott Brosius
Brosius played in the World Series each of his four years as a Yankee from 1998-2001, winning three titles. An All-Star and Gold Glove winner during his Yanks tenure, Brosius was the MVP of the 1998 Fall Classic against the Padres.
19: Dave Righetti
The 1981 AL Rookie of the Year, Righetti began his career as a starting pitcher, throwing a memorable no-hitter against the Red Sox on July 4, 1983. As a closer, Righetti compiled 223 saves and finished 376 games while pitching to a 2.96 ERA from 1984-90. A two-time All-Star, he won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award twice.
20: Jorge Posada
One of his era's best-hitting catchers, Posada played each of his 17 seasons in pinstripes, batting .273 with 275 homers, 1,065 RBIs and an .848 OPS in 1,829 games from 1995-2011. Posada received five World Series rings, earning five All-Star selections and five Silver Slugger Awards.
21: Paul O'Neill
"The Warrior" was a fiery fan favorite on the dynasty clubs of the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning four World Series titles with New York. O'Neill won the 1994 AL batting title with a .359 average and earned five All-Star selections as a Yankee from 1993-2001, batting .303 with 185 homers and 858 RBIs over that span.
22: Roger Clemens
"The Rocket" spent six of his 24 big league seasons with the Yankees, winning his sixth career Cy Young Award in 2001. Overall, Clemens pitched to an 83-42 record with a 4.01 ERA with the Yanks from 1999-2003, plus a half-season cameo in '07. He wore No. 12 during his first season in The Bronx before switching to No. 22.
23: Don Mattingly
Respected for his talent, professionalism and humility, "Donnie Baseball" was the premier first baseman of the mid-1980s before back injuries robbed him of his power. One of the most beloved players of his era, Mattingly won the 1984 AL batting title (.343) and the 1985 AL MVP Award, winning nine Gold Gloves and earning six All-Star selections.
24: Robinson Canó
The sweet-swinging second baseman earned five All-Star selections, five Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves during his time with the Yankees from 2005-13. Canó batted .309/.355/.504 over that span, with 204 homers and 822 RBIs.
25: Mark Teixeira
This was a close call between Teixeira and his predecessor at first base, Jason Giambi. Teixeira's important role in securing the 2009 World Series title served as the tipping factor. Teixeira won three Gold Gloves and was a two-time All-Star with the Yanks from 2009-16, belting 206 homers.
26: Orlando Hernandez
Known for his high leg kick, "El Duque" helped win three World Series titles from 1998-2004, pitching to a 3.96 ERA in 139 regular-season games (136 starts). Hernandez was the MVP of the 1999 ALCS vs. the Red Sox.
27: Giancarlo Stanton
Stanton has batted .269 with 80 home runs and 221 RBIs in 338 regular-season games over his first four seasons with the Yankees since being acquired from the Marlins before the 2018 season. He carried the offense in the 2020 postseason, belting six homers with 13 RBIs in seven games.
28: Sparky Lyle
The 1977 AL Cy Young Award winner, Lyle pitched to a 2.41 ERA over 420 appearances from 1972-78, recording 141 saves. Lyle's three career All-Star selections came during his time in New York.
29: Catfish Hunter
The Hall of Fame right-hander pitched to a 3.58 ERA over 137 games from 1975-79, including a remarkable '75 season in which Hunter led the Majors with 30 complete games and 328 innings, facing 1,294 batters. Hunter was a member of two World Series-winning rosters with New York.
30: Willie Randolph
Randolph was a dependable mainstay at second base from 1976-88, earning five All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger with New York while batting .275/.374/.357 in 1,694 games. Randolph was named co-captain in 1986.
31: Dave Winfield
The Hall of Fame outfielder was an All-Star in each of his eight full seasons with the Yankees from 1981-90, winning five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers. Winfield batted .290/.356/.495 (134 OPS+) with 205 homers and 818 RBIs in 1,172 games with the club.
32: Elston Howard
The first Black player in Yankees history, Howard was the 1963 AL MVP Award winner and an All-Star in nine seasons, winning two Gold Gloves. The versatile catcher contributed to nine pennant-winning teams in his first 10 seasons from 1955-67. Howard was a clubhouse leader as a player and later as a coach.
33: David Wells
Wells pitched to a 68-28 record with a 3.90 ERA (114 ERA+) in 124 games with the Yankees from 1997-98 and 2002-03, including a stellar '98 season in which he went 18-4 with a 3.49 ERA. Wells will forever be remembered for his perfect game against the Twins on May 17, 1998.
34: A.J. Burnett
The right-hander pitched to a 4.79 ERA over his three seasons in pinstripes from 2009-11, etching his name in franchise lore with a stellar performance in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series against the Phillies.
35: Mike Mussina
The Hall of Fame right-hander pitched to a 123-72 record with a 3.88 ERA over 249 games (248 starts) from 2001-08. A three-time Gold Glover, Mussina's accomplishments are made more notable by spending his career in the AL East during a period of offensive explosion.
36: David Cone
Cone was an essential part of the late-1990s dynasty, pitching to a 64-40 record with a 3.91 ERA over 145 games (144 starts) from 1995-2000. Cone's career highlight came on July 18, 1999, when the right-hander pitched a perfect game against the Expos at Yankee Stadium. He was a two-time All-Star in pinstripes and tied for the MLB lead with 20 wins in 1998.
37: Casey Stengel
Known as “the Old Perfessor,” Stengel managed the Yankees to 10 pennants and seven World Series titles over a 12-year span from 1949-60. An authentic baseball ambassador who made the game fun for millions, Stengel was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1966.
38: Matt Nokes
A left-handed-hitting catcher with power, Nokes batted .249/.304/.437 with 71 home runs and 222 RBIs for the Yanks from 1990-94.
39: Darryl Strawberry
Though his greatest years came across town with the Mets, the slugger's beautiful left-handed swing helped the Yankees to three World Series titles during his time in pinstripes from 1995-99. He mashed five postseason homers with the Yanks -- three of which came in the '96 ALCS against the Orioles.
40: Lindy McDaniel
A reliable right-handed reliever, McDaniel pitched to a 2.89 ERA in 265 games from 1968-73. McDaniel compiled 58 saves and finished 186 games with the Yanks, part of a 21-year career in the Majors.
41: Joe Collins
Collins was a first baseman and right fielder on five World Series-winning teams from 1948-57. He batted .256/.350/.421 with 86 homers and 329 RBIs, spending his entire career with New York.
42: Mariano Rivera
The first unanimous Hall of Famer, Rivera is the all-time saves leader with 652, plus a Major League-record 42 more in the postseason. A five-time World Series champion, Rivera posted a dominant 0.70 ERA in the postseason.
43: Jeff Nelson
Nelson's lethal slider was a reliable bullpen weapon during the most recent dynasty. The right-hander pitched to a 3.47 ERA (136 ERA+) with 334 strikeouts in 331 appearances with New York, pitching for the team from 1996-2000 and again in '03.
44: Reggie Jackson
"Mr. October" crushed 144 of his 563 career home runs with the Yankees from 1977-81, a span that included one of the greatest World Series performances ever. Jackson hit three homers, all on the first pitch, in the deciding Game 6 of the 1977 Fall Classic. He was an All-Star in each of his five seasons as a Yankee.
45: Rudy May
May was a solid left-handed starting pitcher who won the AL ERA title in 1980, when he went 15-5 with a 2.46 ERA. May was 54-46 with a 3.12 ERA in 184 games (102 starts) from 1974-76 and 1980-83.
46: Andy Pettitte
The franchise leader in strikeouts with 2,020, Pettitte was a reliable and consistent left-hander who pitched 15 seasons in pinstripes from 1995-03, 2007-10 and 2012-13. A five-time World Series champion and three-time All-Star, Pettitte was 219-127 with a 3.94 ERA with the Yanks. He also went 18-10 with a 3.76 ERA in 40 career postseason starts with New York.
47: Iván Nova
A right-handed starting pitcher, Nova was 53-39 with a 4.41 ERA in 131 games (118 starts) from 2010-16. He finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2011, when he was 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA.
48: Andrew Miller
A left-handed reliever, Miller was excellent from 2015-16, pitching to a 1.77 ERA with 177 strikeouts in 104 appearances. Despite pitching only 107 innings, Miller tallied 4.7 bWAR over that span.
49: Ron Guidry
Known as "Louisiana Lightning," Guidry was a four-time All-Star and three-time 20-game winner whose 1978 season was one of the most dominant in history. That year, Guidry went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA, unanimously winning the AL Cy Young Award.
50: Jay Howell
Howell spent three years with the Yankees, including a 1984 season in which he was 9-4 with a 2.69 ERA in 61 appearances. Traded to the A's in the Rickey Henderson deal, Howell went on to three All-Star selections.
51: Bernie Williams
A four-time World Series champion, five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover, Williams played his entire career in pinstripes from 1991-2006 and is the all-time postseason leader in RBIs (80). The 1998 batting champ (.339), Williams hit .297 with 287 homers and 1,257 RBIs in 2,076 games over his career and was the MVP of the 1996 ALCS.
52: CC Sabathia
Sabathia was 134-88 with a 3.81 ERA in 307 games (306 starts) over 11 seasons from 2009-19, a span in which he helped inaugurate the current Yankee Stadium with a World Series title as the team's ace. Sabathia was a three-time All-Star as a Yankee.
53: Bobby Abreu
A right fielder with a nice left-handed stroke, Abreu hit .295/.378/.465 (120 OPS+) with 43 home runs and 243 RBIs in 372 games.
54: Goose Gossage
The Hall of Famer was a four-time All-Star as a Yankee, coming out of the bullpen from 1978-83 and again in '89. Gossage posted a 2.14 ERA in 319 appearances for New York, finishing 272 games and logging 151 saves with 512 strikeouts. He celebrated his only career World Series title in 1978.
55: Hideki Matsui
"Godzilla" was a standout outfielder and designated hitter during his seven years in pinstripes from 2003-09, capped by World Series MVP honors as the Yankees won the 27th championship in franchise history.
56: Jim Bouton
Best known for his literary efforts in the classic "Ball Four," Bouton pitched to a 55-51 record with a 3.36 ERA in 197 games (131 starts) from 1962-68. Bouton was an All-Star in '63, when he was 21-7 with a 2.53 ERA.
57: Steve Howe
Howe posted a 3.57 ERA (124 ERA+) and 31 saves over 229 appearances for the Yankees from 1991-96, part of a 12-year career that saw the left-hander win the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year Award with the Dodgers.
58: Dooley Womack
A right-handed reliever, Womack pitched to a 2.70 ERA in 152 appearances from 1966-68. His best year was '67, when he recorded 18 saves while pitching to a 2.41 ERA (129 ERA+).
59: Luke Voit
Voit switched to No. 59 prior to the 2020 season, partially as an homage to his younger brother John, who wore the number for the Army football team. A boisterous, slugging first baseman, Voit led the Majors with 22 homers during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
60: Mike Lowell
Lowell went on to compile 24.85 bWAR in his big league career, the most of any Yankee to wear No. 60. Unfortunately for the Yanks, Lowell only played eight games in pinstripes, all during the 1998 season. Most of his production took place with the Marlins and Red Sox.
61: Ted Lilly
Lilly wore No. 61 during the 2001 season, when he was 5-6 with a 5.37 ERA in 26 games (21 starts). His overall Yankee tenure from 2000-02 saw him produce an 8-12 record and 4.65 ERA in 49 games (32 starts).
62: Joba Chamberlain
Chamberlain was the toast of the town in 2007, when he was promoted as a 21-year-old and pitched to an 0.38 ERA in 19 electric appearances. Bounced between the rotation and the bullpen, Chamberlain went 23-14 with a 3.85 ERA in 260 games (43 starts) from 2007-13, winning a World Series title in '09.
63: Mike Morgan
A right-hander who enjoyed a 22-year career in the Majors, Morgan was 7-11 with a 4.37 ERA in 30 games (23 starts) for the 1982 Yankees.
64: Garrett Cooper
A right-handed-hitting first baseman, Cooper wore No. 64 during his lone season with the Yanks in 2017, when he batted .326/.333/.488 with five doubles and six RBIs in 13 games.
65: Phil Hughes
The right-hander wore No. 65 for most of his career in The Bronx from 2007-13, when he was 56-50 with a 4.53 ERA in 182 games (132 starts). Hughes was an electric figure out of the bullpen in '09, then returned to the rotation in '10, when he earned his only career All-Star selection.
66: John Ryan Murphy
Murphy just edges Kyle Higashioka in a battle of backup catchers within the past decade. Murphy batted .267/.311/.374 with four homers and 24 RBIs for New York from 2013-15.
67: Dale Mohorcic
The right-handed Mohorcic posted a 4-3 record with a 4.37 ERA in 45 appearances for New York from 1988-89, finishing 14 games.
68: Dellin Betances
The 6-foot-8 Betances (thus, the uniform No. 68) was selected to four consecutive AL All-Star teams from 2014-17, compiling a 2.11 ERA with 492 strikeouts in 283 appearances over that span. Overall, Betances pitched to a 2.36 ERA in 358 games for the Yanks from 2011-19.
69: Alan Mills
Mills is the only Yankee to wear No. 69, having done so in 1990. A 12-year big league veteran, Mills pitched to a 4.19 ERA with New York from 1990-91, going on to enjoy success with the Orioles and Dodgers.
70: Luis Avilán
A left-handed reliever with a good changeup, Avilán posted a 4.32 ERA in 10 appearances during the 2020 season.
71: Stephen Tarpley
Tarpley pitched to a 5.88 ERA in 31 appearances (one start) from 2018-19, recording 47 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings.
72: Juan Miranda
Miranda wore No. 72 in 2008-09, when the left-handed-hitting first baseman hit .368 with one homer and four RBIs in 13 games.
73: Michael King
The right-hander made his big league debut at the end of the 2019 season, then was used as a spot starter and long reliever over the next two years. He posted a 3.55 ERA over 22 appearances in 2021.
74: Ronald Torreyes
A fan favorite, the versatile infielder/outfielder wore No. 74 in 2017-18, when he batted .289/.309/.373 with three homers and 43 RBIs in 149 games.
75: David Hale
Hale wore No. 75 for the Yanks in 2019-20. The righty pitched to a 3-0 record with a 2.98 ERA in 28 appearances for New York beginning in 2018.
77: Clint Frazier
Frazier posted a .239/.327/.434 (104 OPS+) slash line across five seasons with the Yankees from 2017-21. He was a Gold Glove finalist in 2020.
79: Nick Nelson
Nelson made his Major League debut in 2020, going 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA in 11 games.
82: Brooks Kriske
Kriske made 12 appearances for the Yanks from 2020-21, posting a 15.09 ERA.
83: Deivi García
One of the Yankees' top-rated pitching prospects, García was 3-2 with a 4.98 ERA in six regular-season starts during the 2020 season. He drew a starting assignment in Game 2 of the AL Division Series vs. the Rays.
84: Albert Abreu
Abreu made his big league debut in 2020, making two appearances. He was 0-1 with a 20.25 ERA.
85: Luis Cessa
Cessa made 131 appearances (19 starts) for New York from 2016-21, compiling a 10-13 record with a 4.19 ERA (104 ERA+) while finishing 46 games.
86: Clarke Schmidt
The touted right-hander made three appearances (one start) during the 2020 season, going 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA.
88: Josh Outman
Outman was unscored upon in nine appearances for New York during the 2014 season, spanning 3 2/3 innings.
89: Miguel Yajure
Yajure made three appearances during the 2020 season, logging a 1.29 ERA over seven innings.
90: Thairo Estrada
Estrada wore No. 90 during the 2019 season, when he batted .250/.294/.438 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 35 games.
91: Alfredo Aceves
Aceves made 69 appearances (five starts) for the Yankees. Aceves was 15-3 with a 3.65 ERA throughout his career in pinstripes, which included a World Series ring in '09. He returned for a cameo in 2014.
99: Aaron Judge
The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year Award winner and that year's AL MVP Award runner-up, Judge earned two All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger through his first two full big league seasons. From 2016-21, Judge has compiled a .287/.386/.554 slash line (150 OPS+) with 158 homers and 366 RBIs in 572 games.