The Top 10 Relievers for the New York Yankees since 1976
We’re ranking the top 10 relievers to play for the New York Yankees. We know the best, but how do we judge the rest? Saves don’t always matter, but who managers trusted in critical situations did.
The parameters for this list are that a reliever had to make at least 100 appearances for the Yankees, and we’re only measuring players from the mid-1970s until today.
10. Dick Tidrow 1974-1979: That mustache alone should get him a place on this list. Tidrow was a Swiss army knife for the Yankees. He could be a long reliever, get you out of a tough spot, and even start when needed. He was extremely valuable.
9. Ramiro Mendoza 1996-2002, 2005: The only knock on Joe Torre as a Yankees manager was his overreliance on certain members of his bullpen—those he trusted. Mendoza was one of those players.
8. Mike Stanton 1997-2002, 2005: Stanton was another reliever at the core of Torre’s bullpen. He was more than just a lefty specialist; he could also get out righties.
7. Jeff Nelson 1996-2000, 2003: Nelson brought a bold personality to New York and a devastating swerve (slider/curve). That pitch would seemingly start from behind a right-hander’s back before breaking all the way across the plate and catching the outside corner. Even if the batter could hang in there, they had little chance of driving that pitch anywhere.
6. David Robertson 2008-2014, 2017-2018: Roberston didn’t possess a high-velocity fastball, but his motion and release made it hard on batters. His 92 MPH fastball felt more like 98.
5. Aroldis Chapman 2016-2022: The “Cuban Missile” regularly threw his fastball in the triple digits. I’m not sure how any left-handed batter could even get a bat on the ball more or less drive it. His time in the Bronx ended sadly as he refused to report to the team during the playoffs and wasn’t immediately placed on the roster.
4. Dave Righetti 1979-1990: Although one of the best relievers in Yankee history, he is probably best known for throwing a no-hitter versus the Boston Red Sox on July 4, 1983. Righetti is sometimes forgotten as he pitched for the Yankees in the 1980s when they had plenty of offense but lacked pitching to get anywhere.
3. Sparky Lyle 1972-1978: Lyle was an excellent reliever and a character. However, his career with the Yankees ended when they acquired the next person on this list. That acquisition prompted Yankees’ third baseman Graig Nettles to quip that Lyle “went from Cy Young to Sayonara.”
2. Rich Gossage 1978-1983, 1989: The “Goose,” as he was known, might be the most intimidating reliever of all time. He was a huge man, and his windup had arms and legs going everywhere. His fastball approached triple digits, and it rarely looked like he knew where it would go. He played during an era when closers would pitch more than one inning regularly.
1. Mariano Rivera 1995-2013: Simply the best
Stay tuned for the top 5 catchers…
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