Presenting the Yankees’ All-Quarter Century Team, the Bronx Bombers’ best since 2000

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Editor’s note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. We’re inviting readers to take our survey and make their picks for the best players at each position since 2000, with the results announced in an upcoming story. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage.

You’ve seen our MLB All-Quarter Century Team. Now check out our Yankees All-Quarter Century Team.

Most of the choices weren’t all that hard to make. The Core Four is represented. I didn’t shun those suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs — if MLB lets them put their uniforms back on, I’m not going to exclude them.

But there are a few spots worthy of debate, and runners-up that were fun to remember. (Always love a reason to mention Ronald Torreyes.)

Catcher — Jorge Posada

Posada represents an easy choice to kick things off. He is the first member of the Core Four on this list, and it’s a crime that he fell off the Hall of Fame ballot in 2017, receiving just 3.8 percent of the vote.

Posada played almost triple the number of games (1,537) as any other Yankees catcher in the 2000s. Gary Sánchez was the next-closest at 538. Posada appeared in five All-Star games and won five Silver Slugger awards. The Yankees retired his No. 20 in 2015. The switch-hitter also had 438 postseason plate appearances, hitting .254 with eight homers.

Jorge Posada took his place in Monument Park in 2015. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

He retired in 2011 and had opportunities to play elsewhere, but said he didn’t want to play for any team other than the Yankees. For a long time, Posada kept a picture of Thurman Munson in his locker.

Sánchez had some highs, too, including his epic rookie run in 2016 and his two All-Star appearances. Brian McCann was beloved in the clubhouse. And anyone who covered Kyle Higashioka and Austin Romine knows how they worked hard to reach the majors and stay there, and how integral they were to their clubhouses.

First base — Mark Teixeira

Texieira was part of the Yankees’ rebuild in the 2008-2009 offseason that saw them transition from the old Yankee Stadium to where they play today. They didn’t just give Texieira an eight-year, $180-million deal. As part of their splurge, they also brought in starting pitchers CC Sabathia (seven years, $161 million) and A.J. Burnett (five years, $82.5 million).

Texieira had his best season in pinstripes as they won the 2009 World Series. In 156 games, he hit .292, leading the league in home runs (39), RBIs (122) and total bases (344). It resulted in his first of two All-Star appearances with the Yankees, the second happening in 2015. He also finished second in the MVP race to the Minnesota Twins’ Joe Mauer.

The shift and injuries zapped Teixeira’s effectiveness toward the end of his career. He tore a tendon sheath in his wrist playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in 2013, and he had a deep bone bruise in his shin that was eventually determined to be a fracture in 2015, which helped usher in the Greg Bird era.

I considered Tino Martinez, but his best years were from 1996-1999. Jason Giambi’s case was compelling, too. (Long live the golden thong.)

Second base — Robinson Canó

Imagine if Canó didn’t leave? Would he have ended up as the best Yankees second baseman of all time? Would he have tested positive for PEDs? (OK, yeah, he probably would have. We have no way of knowing when he started doing what. We’re not buying his stories, either.)

But Canó was thrilling to watch. All his moves were so smooth. Everything looked so easy for him. Going to his right, turning and firing to first base all in one motion. That beautiful left-handed swing with loft and grace.

Five All-Star Games. A World Series in 2009. Four top-10 finishes in the AL MVP race. The John Sterling home run call: “Robinson Canó, oh, don’t you know?” Then he bolted for 10 years and $240 million to the Seattle Mariners after 2013, leaving the Yankees scrambling to replace him. Aside from Canó, only Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu warranted some consideration.

Shortstop — Derek Jeter

Who else but The Captain? Of Jeter’s 3,465 hits, 2,658 of them came in the 21st century. He hit .307 from 2000 until he retired in 2014. Who can forget his walk-off RBI single in his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium? Or that he fell one vote short of a unanimous election to the Hall of Fame in 2020?

This was a landslide victory. Didi Gregorius gets points for taking over for Jeter and becoming a fan-favorite. Torres gets points for suiting up every day at the position for a couple of years even though he had little business being there. Names you forgot played shortstop for the Yankees during this time: Troy Tulowitzki, Brendan Ryan and Ronald “The Toe Night Show” Torreyes.

Third base — Alex Rodriguez

Yes, A-Rod was twice suspended for PEDs. Yes, he looked foolish each time. Yes, he even sued the Yankees’ doctor and Major League Baseball.

But the Yankees wouldn’t have won the 2009 World Series without Rodriguez, who hit .365 with six homers and 18 RBIs in those playoffs. He played 22 seasons and 12 of them were with the Yankees. He hit 351 of his 696 career home runs with New York.

For all his drama, Rodriguez is one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time and a slick defender. His decision to move to third base in deference to Jeter was the right move. Still, I don’t blame the Yankees for not retiring his number or honoring him in Monument Park. It’s hard to rebuild bridges you’ve burned, especially when the Yankees don’t need him.

There were no other options. Gio Urshela still gets loud applause when he walks to the plate at Yankee Stadium. Miguel Andujar provided a fun 2018 rookie season as a member of the Baby Bombers. Most Yankees fans never want to hear Josh Donaldson’s name again.

Left field — Brett Gardner

Gardner will go down as one of the most beloved Yankees players of the 2000s. By the end of his 14-year run, he was a de facto captain of the clubhouse alongside CC Sabathia. He was one of the early voices that helped mold Aaron Judge. And Gardner had more than his share of highs between the lines.

A homegrown Yankee, Gardner played 108 games for the 2009 World Series team. He led the league in steals in 2011 and in triples in 2013. He was an All-Star in 2015 and a Gold Glover in 2016. He was the first (and I’m pretty sure only) player to jab his bat at the dugout ceiling when he got mad at calls.

The Yankees should invite him back for a Brett Gardner Day at Yankee Stadium. The sooner, the better.

Center field — Bernie Williams

Another relatively easy choice. Williams’ peak was from 1995-2002. Still, he was an All-Star in 2000 and 2001, and he put up a 4.5 WAR (Baseball Reference) in 2002. From 2003 until his final season in 2006, he posted a 100 OPS+. Williams attempted a brief comeback in 2009, working out at the team’s player development complex during spring training. But it was over.

Williams gets extra points for his occasional guitar solo national anthems at Yankee Stadium. It should have been the Core Five, with Williams included. Gardy could have fit here. Johnny Damon, too. Jacoby Ellsbury, anybody?

Right field — Aaron Judge

Judge was the pick for the The Athletic’s All-MLB Quarter-Century Team in right field. Stark wrote that he might be the best right-handed hitter of the modern era. So, of course, he’s making this list. When you think about what Judge is doing, and you try to contextualize it, it’s difficult. Everyone with similar production either played 100 years ago or has connections to PEDs. It’s astonishing.

Nick Swisher gets some love for hitting 29 homers on the 2009 team and for still being an influential voice in the organization. The last two seasons of Paul O’Neill’s career were 2000 and 2001. And there was that one glorious season from Juan Soto. It’s also easy to forget how solid Bobby Abreu was for the Yankees from 2006-2008 (7.0 bWAR, .843 OPS).

Designated hitter — Hideki Matsui

Matsui seemed to become a Yankees legend as soon as he donned pinstripes for the first time in 2003. The fanfare around his arrival was incredible. He lived up to the hype.

Godzilla was the 2009 World Series MVP, going 8-for-13 (.615) with three homers. He finished runner up to the Kansas City Royals’ Angel Berroa (remember him?) in the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year race.

Look, I get it. Maybe Giambi deserved this spot instead in terms of pure offensive production. He was a three-time All-Star with the Yankees. Over his seven years in the Bronx, he hit .260 and averaged 30 homers and 86 RBIs. But Matsui just feels right.

Giancarlo Stanton also has an argument, especially considering his incredible playoff hot stretches. Matt Carpenter’s 2022 run was a lot of fun, too.

Starting rotation — CC Sabathia, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Gerrit Cole, Roger Clemens

It was hard to leave Masahiro Tanaka out of this group. Did Tanaka live up to his seven-year, $151 million deal? Probably. He wasn’t the ace the Yankees hoped for, but he pitched virtually his whole tenure with a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, his splitter was disgusting and he finished a fan-favorite.

Sabathia and Cole were easy selections. Sabathia also made the most starts of any Yankees starting pitcher this century with 308 and was the workhorse for the 2009 team. Cole has his 2022 Cy Young Award and the Yankees are banking on him returning to dominance when he’s back from Tommy John surgery next season. Both pitchers earn major marks for their clubhouse leadership.

Mussina filled in a strange era for the Yankees. He arrived just after the 2000 World Series win. He retired just before the 2009 title. But he was nails, even finally posting his first 20-win season and leading the league in starts at age 39 in 2008, his final season. Clemens, who won six career Cy Young awards, nabbed No. 5 with the Yankees in 2001 and won a ring in 2000. He almost helped them to another ring in 2001, throwing six innings of one-run ball in Game 7 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks.

And, of course, there’s Pettitte. Like Posada, he deserves closer inspection for the Hall of Fame. According to FanGraphs, he posted the highest WAR (36.3) among Yankees pitchers this century. He also made 26 postseason starts for the Yankees with a 3.20 ERA, winning rings in 2000 and 2009.

Set-up man — Dellin Betances

Our All-Quarter Century Team didn’t name a set-up man. But this is my list, and I wanted to mention Betances.

His 2014-2018 run contained some of the most dominant pitching I can remember watching. FanGraphs rates his slider as the most dominant of its kind during that span (58.1 wSL), ahead of second-place Andrew Miller (55.6 wSL). Betances would just steamroll lineups, and it was a shame his shoulder started to go at age 31, just before his first foray into free agency.

David Robertson also warrants a mention here. D-Rob had 30-plus holds each season from 2011-2013 and saved 39 games for the Yankees in 2014.

Closer — Mariano Rivera

The best to ever do it. Of Rivera’s record 652 saves, 523 came in the 2000s. That total alone would place him third on the all-time list, behind Trevor Hoffman (601 saves) and ahead of Lee Smith (478). Rivera had a 2.05 ERA from 2000 until he retired after the 2013 season. He had an 0.86 ERA in 65 playoff appearances. His unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame in 2019 was deserved.

Aroldis Chapman registered 153 saves during his time with the Yankees with a FIP (2.89) nearly identical to Rivera’s (2.62) in the 2000s.

(Top photo of Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte: Al Bello / Getty Images)

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