List of New York Yankees captains

Last updated

Current Yankees captain Aaron Judge Aaron Judge 2018.jpg
Current Yankees captain Aaron Judge

There have been 16 captains of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, an American professional baseball franchise also known previously as the New York Highlanders. The role is held by Aaron Judge, who was named the captain on December 21, 2022. [1]

Contents

In baseball, the captain formerly served as the on-field leader of the team, while the manager operated the team from the dugout. In the early 20th century, MLB teams were required to name an on-field captain, who was responsible for making pitching changes, positioning fielders, and talking with umpires. Managers were restricted to working with the players in the dugout. By the mid-1910s, managers took on the roles previously assigned to the captain, and the captain role became ceremonial. [1]

Clark Griffith was captained the team from their inaugural season in 1903 through 1905. Kid Elberfeld was captain from 1906 to 1907, and was followed by Willie Keeler from 1908 to 1909. Hal Chase served in the role from 1910 through 1912. Frank Chance began the 1913 season as captain. When the team traded for Rollie Zeider, he succeeded Chance in the role. Roger Peckinpaugh served as captain from 1914 through 1922, until he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. [2] He was succeeded by Babe Ruth, [2] who was quickly deposed as captain for climbing into the stands to confront a heckler. [3] Lou Gehrig was named captain in 1935, serving for the remainder of his career. After the death of Gehrig, then manager Joe McCarthy declared that the Yankees would never have another captain. [4]

The role remained vacant until team owner George Steinbrenner named Thurman Munson as captain in 1976. [5] Following Munson's death, Graig Nettles served as captain. Willie Randolph and Ron Guidry were named co-captains in 1986. Don Mattingly followed them as captain in 1991, serving until his retirement in 1995. Derek Jeter was named captain of the Yankees in 2003, [6] and he held the post until he retired in 2014. Gehrig, Munson, Guidry, Mattingly and Jeter are the only team captains who spent their entire career with the Yankees (Aaron Judge has spent his entire career with the Yankees, but is still active). Jeter is the longest-tenured captain in franchise history, the 2014 season being his 12th as team captain.

When the Yankees named Jeter captain in 2003, the team recognized him as their 11th captain, rather than their 15th. Howard W. Rosenberg, a baseball historian, found that the official count of Yankees captains failed to include Griffith, Elberfeld, an Chance. [7] [8] In addition, right after The New York Times reported Rosenberg's research in 2007, Society for American Baseball Research member Clifford Blau found that Keeler was a team captain, research that Rosenberg confirmed. [7] Though some newspaper articles referred to Everett Scott as captain from 1922 to 1925, the Yankees recognize him as an "acting captain" during the 1922 and 1923 World Series and do not include him on their list. [1]

Captains

Babe Ruth was captain of the Yankees in 1922. Babe Ruth2.jpg
Babe Ruth was captain of the Yankees in 1922.
Lou Gehrig served as Yankees captain from 1935 through his retirement in 1939. Gehrig cropped.jpg
Lou Gehrig served as Yankees captain from 1935 through his retirement in 1939.
Key
Years activeYears of the captain's playing career
TenureTenure as captain
†
Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
‡
Denotes a co-captain
New York Yankees captains
PlayerPositionYears activeTenureRef
Clark Griffith † Pitcher 1891–19141903–1905 [7]
Kid Elberfeld Shortstop 1898–19141906–1907 [7]
Willie Keeler † Outfielder 1892–19101908–1909 [9]
Hal Chase First baseman 1905–19191910–1912 [10]
Frank Chance † First baseman 1898–19141913 [7]
Rollie Zeider Shortstop 1910–19181913
Roger Peckinpaugh Shortstop 1910–19271914–1921 [11]
Babe Ruth † Outfielder 1914–19351922 [2] [3]
Lou Gehrig † First baseman 1923–19391935–1939 [12]
Thurman Munson Catcher 1969–19791976–1979 [5]
Graig Nettles Third baseman 1967–19881982–1984 [13]
Willie Randolph ‡ Second baseman 1975–19921986–1988 [14]
Ron Guidry ‡ Pitcher 1975–19881986–1988 [14]
Don Mattingly First baseman 1982–19951991–1995 [15]
Derek Jeter † Shortstop 1995–20142003–2014 [6]
Aaron Judge Outfielder 2016–present2023–present [16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Press release: Aaron Judge Named 16th Captain in Yankees Franchise History". MLB.com. December 21, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ruth Made Captain; Roth Is Suspended; Babe Chosen to Fill Vacancy Caused by Transfer of Peckinpaugh to Boston. Roth's Ban Is Indefinite; Yankees' Veteran Outfielder Severely Penalized for Violation of Training Rules". New York Times. March 15, 1922. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  3. 1 2 "Many Fans Think Ruth Was Lucky; Majority of Local Baseball Men Call Sentence by Johnson a Light One". The New York Times. May 27, 1922. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  4. ↑ Appel, Marty (2010). Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 121. ISBN   978-0-7679-2755-0 . Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Yankees decide upon a captain". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. April 20, 1976. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Kepner, Tyler (June 4, 2003). "Baseball: Steinbrenner appoints Jeter captain of the Yankees". The New York Times . Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Mallozzi, Vincent M. (March 25, 2007). "Author Says Yankees Are Missing Something". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Toledo Signs Hartzell; Former Yankee Captain to Cover Third Bag for American Team". The New York Times. December 27, 1916. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  9. ↑ e-mails from Clifford Blau to Howard W. Rosenberg, March 25, 2007 and March 29, 2007, citing the New York Tribune of April 28, 1908, New York Evening Telegram of June 17, 1909, and Sporting Life of April 24, 1909.
  10. ↑ "Hal Chase Exonerated.; Ban Johnson Decides Yankees' Captain Was Not Disloyal to Team". The New York Times. September 24, 1910. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  11. ↑ Marcus, Steve (December 1, 1988). "Will Yanks Chase Captain Guidry?". Newsday . p. 150. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2011.(subscription required)
  12. ↑ "Lou Gehrig To Captain Yanks Team". Hartford Courant . Associated Press. April 13, 1935. p. 13. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2011.(subscription required)
  13. ↑ "Nettles Yanks' Captain". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. January 30, 1982. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  14. 1 2 Vecsey, George (April 12, 1986). "New Co-Captain: It's Randolph". Wilmington Morning Star. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  15. ↑ Martinez, Michael (March 1, 1991). "Baseball; Mattingly Is Named Captain; Will He Go Down With Ship?". New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  16. ↑ Lee, Joon (December 21, 2022). "Yankees name Aaron Judge 16th captain in franchise history". ESPN . Retrieved December 21, 2022.
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