The Yankees’ historic deal with Aaron Judge for nine years and $360 million could keep him in New York until 2031. It lets him be a Yankee for the rest of his life. If Judge plays out the rest of his contract, he will have spent 16 seasons with the Bronx Bombers. At the end of it, he’ll be 39 years old and have been a Yankee since 2013, when he was drafted as a 21-year-old. That would make Judge one of the Yankees with the most years with the team. Here are the other legends he would join on the list for the storied franchise.
Here are the Yankees legends who have played for the most years.
Derek Jeter – 20 seasons
It makes sense that the Captain is the Yankee with the most years of service. Derek Jeter was picked up by the Yankees in the first round of the draft in 1992. He wore pinstripes for the first time as a 20-year-old in 1995, and he didn’t take them off until he retired at age 40 at the end of the 2014 season. The shortstop in the Hall of Fame had 3,465 hits, which is the sixth most of all time. He was an All-Star 14 times and was the leader of the Yankees’ Core Four, which won five World Series titles.
Mariano Rivera – 19 seasons
The best closer in baseball history was just as important to the Yankees’ winning streak as Derek Jeter. Mariano Rivera made his debut the same year as another member of the Core Four, in 1995. He was also on all five teams that won the World Series before he retired a year before Jeter, in 2013. He is the MLB’s all-time leader in saves with 652, a playoff legend with a 0.70 ERA and 42 saves in the postseason, and his cutter is the most famous pitch in baseball history. Rivera is the only person who was voted into the Hall of Fame by everyone.
Mickey Mantle – 18 seasons
Mickey Mantle is one of the best center fielders of all time and the best switch-hitter of all time. Mantle made his debut with the Yankees when he was 19 years old in 1951. Over the course of his career, he hit 536 home runs and won three MVP Awards, the Triple Crown in 1956, and seven World Series titles.
Yogi Berra – 18 seasons
Yogi Berra won 10 World Series titles with the Yankees, more than any other player. He was one of the best catchers of all time, hitting 358 home runs, winning three MVP Awards, and making 18 All-Star teams in his 18-year career with the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1963. (he played four games with the Mets in 1965 after being hired as a coach). Berra is also one of baseball’s most famous people. It is not over until it is over.
Lou Gehrig – 17 seasons
Between June 1, 1925, and April 30, 1939, the Iron Horse played in 2,130 straight games for the Yankees. This was a record that stood for 56 years until Cal Ripken Jr. beat it. Lou Gehrig, along with Babe Ruth, was part of the first group of legendary Yankees players. In his Hall of Fame career with New York, he hit 340, hit 493 home runs, and won two MVP Awards and seven World Series titles. Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” farewell speech at Yankee Stadium is one of baseball’s most memorable moments. He had to retire because of ALS.
Jorge Posada – 17 seasons
The Core Four catcher played on four teams that won the World Series, including the Yankees’ three-peat from 1998 to 2000 and their 27th title in 2009. Posada was an All-Star five times and won the Silver Slugger award. In his career, he hit 275 home runs, which is the ninth most for a catcher.
Bill Dickey – 17 seasons
Dickey caught more games for the Yankees (1,708) than both Berra (1,697), who he coached, and Posada (whom he also coached) (1,574). The Hall of Famer won the World Series eight times with New York and was an All-Star eleven times. Dickey played for the Yankees from 1928 to 1946. He could have played for them for 19 seasons, but he had to serve in the Navy during World War II and missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons.
Bernie Williams – 16 seasons
Williams came to New York four years before Jeter, Rivera, Posada, and Andy Pettitte. He joined the major leagues in 1991, which was four years before the Core Four. But he was just as important to the team’s four championships in five years (from 1996 to 2000) as anyone else. Williams was an All-Star five times and won four Gold Gloves as a center fielder. In 1998, he won the AL batting title.
Whitey Ford – 16 seasons
Ford was one of the best pitchers in New York Yankees’ history. He won six World Series titles with the team and won the AL Cy Young Award in 1961. The Hall of Fame southpaw pitched for the Yankees from 1950 to 1967, missing two years for military service right after his big league debut at age 21. The Chairman of the Board was a 10-time All-Star, the two-time MLB ERA leader, and the 1961 World Series Most Valuable Player.
Babe Ruth – 15 seasons
Babe Ruth is the most famous Yankee, even though he didn’t play for them his whole life. He is also the most famous baseball player of all time. The Bambino was the first great home run king, and he hit 659 of his 714 home runs while playing for the Yankees. The Red Sox sold him to the Yankees in 1919, which was a very bad move. Ruth and the Yankees became inseparable, and Yankee Stadium became known as “The House That Ruth
Andy Pettitte – 15 seasons
Pettitte, the last member of the Core Four, played his first nine seasons and last six seasons as a Yankee. He played for the Astros for three years in the middle of his career. The left-handed pitcher was on all five Yankees teams that won the World Series during his time. He has 19 postseason wins, which is the most of anyone in MLB history. Pettitte was also an All-Star three times. He won 219 of his 256 career games and struck out 2,020 of his 2,448 batters while playing for the Yankees.
Red Ruffing – 15 seasons
The Hall of Fame pitcher started out with the Red Sox, but from 1930 to 1946, when he played for the Yankees, he was at his best. Ruffing’s six All-Star seasons and six World Series titles all happened in New York. Between 1937 and 1942, he won six straight World Series starts.
Roy White – 15 seasons
White started his career when the Yankees hadn’t won the World Series since the mid-1960s through the early-1970s. He stayed with the team long enough to be a part of the back-to-back championship teams of 1977 and 1978, starting in left field for the 1978 Fall Classic.
Other notable Yankees with more than 10-season career in New York
14 seasons — Don Mattingly, Ron Guidry
13 seasons — Joe DiMaggio
12 seasons — Alex Rodriguez
11 seasons — CC Sabathia
(Source: MLB)
