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New York Yankees: Creating an all-time starting lineup

By Michael Pallas

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 12: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees grounds out to the shortstop to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 12, 2016 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 12: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees grounds out to the shortstop to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 12, 2016 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images) /
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COOPERSTOWN, NY – JULY 24: Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is introduced at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 24, 2016 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
COOPERSTOWN, NY – JULY 24: Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is introduced at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 24, 2016 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

The New York Yankees are known for great players and winning championships, and here we’re going to take on the impossible task of creating a starting lineup for one of the greatest franchises in North American sports history.

When you say New York Yankees, it usually conjures up glorious images. From Babe Ruth hitting home runs to Derek Jeter’s dive into the stands, there’s a lot of winning and Hall of Fame players who have donned the pinstripes. Their history is so grand that they have run out of single digit numbers for players to wear.

There are so many legends in the history of the franchise that it’s almost impossible to make this list. So to make this list, you must have been great.

Sometimes you do have to sacrifice a little defense for offense because this is a starting lineup. However, defense will be a factor in a lot of players making this list, as it must be.

This lineup would probably be tough to beat in any era. It’s filled with Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, and guys who are on the borderline. Let’s see who made the roster.

Note: This lineup will not have a DH in it.

You can’t leave a guy who was the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time off this list. Rickey Henderson only played four full years with the Yankees, but what a brilliant four years it was.

He played well enough in left field with a .968 fielding percentage that he wouldn’t be a total detriment to the team on defense. That said, he shined on offense in those four years.

Like most of his career, Henderson led off for the Yankees from 1985-88 and he was brilliant. His slash line was .301/.398/.522 in the first at-bat of games, and he hit 23 of his 81 career leadoff home runs for the Bronx Bombers. He led the American League in steals three times with a total of 301 stolen bases.

Henderson’s flash, bravado, and talent would be a perfect way to set the tone for any ballgame this lineup is in. Even though his time with the Yankees was relatively brief, it’s impossible to leave him off the lineup card. He has New York charisma and attitude written all over him, and the Yankees need an igniter. He’s the man, and you have no choice but to let Rickey be Rickey as he used to say.

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