New York Yankee Captains by Baseball Almanac

New York Yankee Captains

Baseball Almanac presents a comprehensive & chronological list of team captains for the New York Yankees franchise - a franchise that author David Voigt once described with, "In a tough age which called for tough men in baseball, the Yankees were the toughest."

"This is a great honor. Captain of the Yankees is not a title that is thrown around lightly. It is a huge responsibility and one that I take very seriously. I thank Mr. Steinbrenner for having such confidence in me." - Derek Jeter (June 3, 2003)

New York Yankees Team Captains Yankee Team Captains Appear in Chronological Order
Captain #	Date(s)	Name	Primary Position
1^st	1903 to 1907	Clark Griffith	P
2^nd	1907 to 1909	Kid Elberfeld	SS
3^rd	1909 to 1912	Hal Chase	1B
4^th	1914 to 1921	Roger Peckinpaugh	SS
5^th	05-20-1922 to 05-25-1922	Babe Ruth	OF
6^th	1922 to 1925	Everett Scott	SS
7^th	04-21-1935 to 06-02-1941	Lou Gehrig	1B
8^th	04-17-1976 to 08-02-1979	Thurman Munson	C
9^th	01-29-1982 to 03-30-1984	Graig Nettles	3B
10^th	03-04-1986 to 10-02-1989	Willie Randolph	2B
11^th	03-04-1986 to 07-12-1989	Ron Guidry	P
12^th	02-28-1991 to 10-08-1995	Don Mattingly	1B
13^th	06-03-2003 to Current	Derek Jeter	SS
Captain #	Date(s)	Name	Primary Position
Team Captains of the New York Yankees

Thurman Munson, who was an autograph of the week during the 2000 season, once said, "Maybe they made me captain because I've been here so long. If I'm supposed to be captain by example, then I'll be a terrible captain."

On May 25, 1922, Babe Ruth lost the captaincy of the Yankees, was suspended from the game, and fined $200 by Ban Johnson. During the game, which was played versus the Senators at the Polo Grounds, Ruth was thrown out at second base by an outfielder. Ruth disagreed with the call and threw dirt into the face of umpire George Hildebrand who promptly ejected Ruth. On the way to the dugout, a fan called Ruth a "lowdown bum and other names that got me mad" so he attacked the fan in the stands as well.

George Steinbrenner said, "I have always been very, very careful about giving such a responsibility (Captain of the New York Yankees) to one of my players, but I can not think of a single player that I have ever had who is more deserving of this honor than Derek Jeter. He is a young man of great character and has shown great leadership qualities. He believes, as I do, what General (Douglas) MacArthur said, that 'there is no substitute for victory.' To him, and to me, it's second only to breathing."

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