Back in August, I began a series here at Pinstripe Alley, where I was going to put together an All-Star Yankee team of players who were born in a given month. Admittedly, I think that I entirely forgot about it for two months before just remembering the other day, but the offseason is perfect timing for something like this to make a comeback. With the World Series over and the hot stove season not yet in full swing, that gives us plenty of time for some fun stuff.
Having missed the Yankees All-September and October teams, which we’ll get back to eventually, it’s now time to make a Yankee lineup of the best players born in November.
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Yankees All-November Team
Pitcher: Mariano Rivera
If we were building out a full roster of November birthdays, you could put together a pretty decent pitching lineup, as Mel Stottlemyre and Masahiro Tanaka could headline a rotation, with Jeff Nelson and Dave Righetti among those in the bullpen. However, we’re only choosing one pitcher, and there’s obviously only one choice: the greatest closer of all-time, Mariano Rivera.
Catcher: Jose Trevino
I said in the first edition of these posts that we were specifically choosing the best Yankee, not just the best ever player who happened to play for the Yankees. Were we doing that, Iván RodrĂguez would be the choice, but he appeared in just 33 games near the end of his career in 2008. The best Yankee is probably Trevino, who turned a last second trade into a surprise All-Star season in 2022 and was the backup catcher on last year’s AL pennant-winning team.
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First Baseman: Nick Swisher
More known for playing the outfield in his Yankee stint, Swisher was also capable of playing first, doing so 78 times in pinstripes. Were we being sticklers, he would probably be a better choice than the one we made in right field, but since Swisher is flexible enough to play first (as demonstrated below in a cameo at second base from Jorge Posada), we’ll put him there in the name of building a better team.
Second Base: Homer Bush
Second base is probably the weakest spot on the November roster, but Bush was a very solid role player on the 1998 Yankees and was later part of the deal that brought Roger Clemens to the Bronx, alongside David Wells and Graeme Lloyd.
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Shortstop: Bucky Dent
Roll that beautiful bean footage.
Third Baseman: Randy Velarde
Not a star, but Velarde was a solid Yankee utilityman from 1987-1995, before returning for a brief run in 2001. As an amusing aside, he also turned an unassisted triple play against them in 2000 with Oakland and was once name-dropped by Action Bronson.
Left Field: Johnny Damon
Not the best Yankee outfielder to ever cross the Red Sox/Yankees bridge, but still a pretty good one. Damon was the perfect leadoff hitter for the 2009 Yankees, helping them to a World Series championship and putting up over 13 fWAR in total in his four year run in the Bronx.
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Center Field: Joe DiMaggio
I’ve heard of him.
Right Field: Gary Sheffield
Here’s the aforementioned right fielder who I would probably take Swisher over if it was just a one-on-one better Yankee choice, but we can get both of them in this team. His run with the Yankees from 2004-06 wasn’t the peak of his career and it coincided with several disappointing playoff exits, to put it mildly, but his numbers were productive in that period.
Designated Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton
While his time as a Yankee hasn’t always gone smoothly and has featured quite a number of games missed due to injury, Stanton has written a nice little place for himself in Yankee lore. This past October notwithstanding, he’s been quite a big postseason performer, winning the 2024 ALCS MVP thanks to four clutch home runs against Cleveland.