Contents
We all know that the New York Yankees are one of the most iconic baseball teams in history. But do you know who wore the number 16 for them?
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the history of the Yankees and the players who have worn the number 16 over the years. We’ll also try to answer the question of who is the most famous player to don the number 16 for the Bronx Bombers.
Checkout this video:
Billy Martin
Billy Martin played for the New York Yankees from 1950 to 1957. He was a five-time World Series champion with the Yankees. After his playing career, he managed the Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. He also served as a coach for the Yankees and Oakland Athletics.
Martin’s career with the Yankees
Billy Martin played for the New York Yankees from 1950 to 1957. He was a five-time All-Star and won the World Series in 1950, 1951, and 1953. He was also the manager of the Yankees from 1975 to 1978.
Martin was born in Berkeley, California, in 1928. He grew up in Oakland and played baseball at McClymonds High School. He then signed with the Yankees in 1946.
Martin made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1950. He hit .267 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs that season. He also stole 19 bases. In the World Series, he hit .500 (8-for-16) with two RBIs as the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.
Martin had his best season in 1956, when he hit .297 with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs. He also stole 21 bases. The following year, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics for pitchers Bob Grim and Ralph Terry.
Martin returned to the Yankees in 1969 as a coach. He was named manager of the team in 1975, but was fired after just one season. He returned as manager in 1977, but was again fired after just one season. In 1978, he became manager of the Texas Rangers, but resigned midway through the season.
Martin died in a plane crash on December 25, 1989, at the age of 61.
Why he wore #16
Billy Martin wore #16 for the Yankees from 1950-1957, during which time he was a five-time All Star. He was known for his fiery temper and feisty attitude, both on and off the field. After being traded to the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, he briefly wore #13 before switching back to his familiar #1.
Lou Gehrig
The great Lou Gehrig wore the number 16 for the New York Yankees. Gehrig was a 7 time All-Star and 6 time World Series champion. He is also a 2 time AL MVP and a Triple Crown winner.
Gehrig’s career with the Yankees
Lou Gehrig played his entire Major League career with the New York Yankees, from 1923 until 1939. He was a seven-time World Series champion, and a six-time American League MVP. Gehrig is best remembered for his consecutive games played streak, which stood for 56 years and was finally broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995.
Why he wore #16
Lou Gehrig first wore #16 on his uniform when he was a rookie with the Yankees in 1923. He continued to wear #16 for the remainder of his career with the Yankees, which spanned from 1923-1939. Gehrig’s run of 2,130 consecutive games played is one of the most iconic and unbreakable records in baseball history, and it’s no coincidence that he wore #16 during that streak. To this day, Gehrig’s #16 is one of the most popular jersey numbers in baseball.
Babe Ruth
Yankees #16 was first worn by Babe Ruth, and has been worn by some great Yankees since. Yankees #16 was originally retired by the Yankees in 1948, but has since been un-retired and is currently worn by outfielder Aaron Hicks.
Ruth’s career with the Yankees
Ruth’s career with the Yankees began in 1920, when he was traded from the Boston Red Sox. He became one of the most prolific hitters in baseball history, setting numerous league and single-season batting records. Ruth helped lead the Yankees to four World Series championships. He retired from playing in 1935, but remained active as a Yankee coach and ambassador until his death in 1948.
Why he wore #16
Babe Ruth originally wore #3 for the Yankees from 1920-1922. In 1923, he switched to #7 and wore that number for the rest of his time with New York. Ruth was traded to the Boston Braves in 1935 and was supposed to wear #3 again, but there was already a player on the team wearing that number, so Ruth chose #16 instead. He only played 28 games with the Braves before he retired.
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle was one of the most popular New York Yankees players of all time. He wore the number 16 for the team and was known for his home run hitting abilities. Mantle was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Mantle’s career with the Yankees
Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees as a center fielder and first baseman, spanning 18 seasons and 12 consecutive World Series appearances. From 1951 to 1968, Mantle appeared in 2,401 games, batted .298, hit 536 home runs, and had 1,509 runs batted in (RBIs). He is one of only four players to be inducted into both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Museum of Modern Art.
Mantle was one of the best players and sluggers of his era and has been ranked as one of the greatest baseball players of all time by numerous sports publications. During his career, he was particularly adept at hitting home runs to the opposite field at Yankee Stadium; according to author Roger Kahn, this made him “baseball’s most Dangerous right-handed pull hitter”.
Why he wore #16
There are many theories as to why Mickey Mantle wore #16 for the New York Yankees, but the most likely explanation is that he was simply assigned the number when he first joined the team.
Mantle made his debut with the Yankees in 1951, and at that time, the team did not have any players who were already wearing #16. It’s possible that Mantle requested the number or that it was simply given to him by default.
Interestingly, Mantle actually wanted to wear #6, which was worn by Yankee great Lou Gehrig. However, that number had already been retired by the time Mantle joined the team, so he settled for #16 instead.
While it’s not clear why Mickey Mantle chose #16 as his number, it’s safe to say that he made it his own during his Hall of Fame career with the Yankees.
Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter is a former American professional baseball shortstop, who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter is regarded as a central figure of the Yankees’ late-1990s dynasty that won five consecutive World Series championships. He was the Yankees’ captain from 2003 until his retirement in 2014. Jeter is one of the most marketed athletes of his generation and is involved in several product endorsements.
Jeter’s career with the Yankees
Derek Jeter played his entire 20-year Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees. He was drafted by the Yankees in 1992 and went on to play for them until his retirement in 2014. During his time with the team, he became one of the most iconic and successful players in franchise history, helping the Yankees win five World Series titles.
Jeter is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and is considered a Yankee legend. He was a 14-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion, five-time Golden Glove winner, and one-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He also holds numerous franchise records, including most hits (3,465), games played (2,747), and stolen bases (358).
Why he wore #16
Derek Jeter was the New York Yankees’ captain and one of their most popular players for 20 seasons. He helped the team win five World Series championships, and he was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2000 World Series. Jeter was also a 12-time All-Star and a five-time Gold Glove winner.
Jeter wore number 2 on his jersey in honor of his favorite player, Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto. Rizzuto wore number 10, but that number was retired by the Yankees in 1985 in honor of another great Yankee shortstop, Bill Dickey. When Jeter made his major league debut in 1995, he asked for permission to wear number 2 and was given permission by then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
In 2009, Jeter’s number 2 was retired by the Yankees, making him just the second player in team history to have his number retired while still active (the other being Babe Ruth). Jeter’s jersey retirement ceremony took place on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2017.
