In 1980, the Silver Slugger Award, presented by Louisville Slugger and awarded to the best offensive position player in each league, was born. These days, there are ten individual Silver Sluggers per season per league - one for each position, plus a utility player - as well as a Team of the Year winner in both the AL and NL.
Managers and coaches vote to choose the winners, who receive a trophy manufactured by Hillerich & Bradsby, the same company that makes Louisville Slugger bats. 24 Yankees have won one, with Barry Bonds holding the MLB career record (12), followed by Alex Rodriguez and Mike Piazza, who each have 10.
Here's a list of every Yankee who's received the honor, ranked in order of their importance to the franchise and dominance.
When the Yankees whiffed on Robinson Cano in free agency in 2013, Brian McCann was part of Plan B. He played in the Bronx from 2014 to 2016 and managed to win a Silver Slugger award, despite unimpressive statistics, probably because he led catchers in home runs.
McCann was a seven-time All-Star, and he was part of the 2017 Astros team, known colloquially as the "Trash Can Astros."
When Gary Sánchez debuted in 2016, it looked like the Yankees had found their next legendary catcher. Sadly, poor defensive play and a litany of mental mistakes led to Sánchez being a severe disappointment.
Most recently a backup catcher for the 2025 Orioles, Sánchez is a two-time All-Star, Silver Slugger, and Rookie of the Year runner-up.
Mike Stanley was a right-handed-hitting catcher who played five years in New York (1992-1995, 1997). He had his best season in 1993, when he played 130 games and posted an OPS of .923. It was Stanley's only career Silver Slugger, and he made the All-Star team in 1995.
DJ LeMahieu's tenure with the Yankees was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In his first contract (two years), he was Dr. Jekyll, winning two Silver Sluggers, a batting title, and finishing in the top four in the MVP voting both years. Then he signed a six-year extension, and it all fell apart/he went back to his duller alternate identity.
A fan favorite for a time, his career spanned 15 years, during which he won four Gold Glove awards, two Silver Slugger awards, two batting titles, and made three All-Star teams.
Granderson joined the Yankees as part of a three-team trade that sent Max Scherzer to Detroit. He played four seasons in the Bronx and made the All-Star team twice. 2011 was his best season, when he hit 41 homers and had a .916 OPS, finishing fourth in MVP voting.
Don Baylor played 19 years with the Angels, Orioles, Yankees, Red Sox, Athletics, and Twins. He won one World Series title in 1987 and was an MVP in 1979, the same year he made his lone All-Star team. He played with the Yankees from 1983 to 1985 and won two Silver Sluggers. The second of which came despite trailing Baltimore's Mike Young in OPS by over 100 points. Baylor continued his career as a manager and won Manager of the Year in 1995 with the Colorado Rockies.
Watching Juan Soto hit in front of Aaron Judge was the modern-day equivalent of seeing Gehrig and Ruth. Sadly, Soto opted for the most money in free agency instead of the best situation and left the Bronx for 'Lil' Bro' in Queens.
At only 26 years old, Soto hasn't even begun to make his mark on the record books, but he's already got five Silver Sluggers, four All-Star appearances, a batting title, a Home Run Derby win, and a World Series with the Nationals in 2019.
Gary Sheffield played on nine teams over 22 years, making nine All-Star teams. He won seven Silver Sluggers, one World Series (Marlins, 1997), and a batting title (1992) over the course of his storied career, and is a member of the 500 Home Run Club.
His iconic batting stance, where he'd waggle his bat back and forth like a metronome, allowed him to stay loose and drive the ball. He was a Yankee from 2004-2006, a favorite of then-owner George Steinbrenner. Sheffield put up a .897 OPS during his tenure. He's not in the Hall of Fame due to his involvement in the BALCO scandal, but hopefully the Veterans Committee will grant him entry one day.
When the Yankees signed Jason Giambi in 2002, rather than re-signing Tino Martinez, it marked the beginning of the 'Evil Empire.'
Giambi was fantastic - during his seven years in New York, he posted an OPS of .925 and is one of six Yankees to hit 40 home runs in their first 162 games with the team. By the end of his 20-year career, he had five All-Star appearances, two Silver Sluggers, and an MVP award (2000, A's).
One of the best second basemen to ever don pinstripes, Willie Randolph played in the Bronx from 1976 to 1988. Randolph never struck out more than he walked in a season. He was 22 years old when he played in and won his only World Series in 1977 (he missed the '78 Fall Classic with an injury, opening up an avenue for Brian Doyle's shocking postseason).
He made six All-Star teams and won one Silver Slugger. After retiring, he had a successful career as a coach with the Bombers (1994-2004).
The Yankees signed Alfonso Soriano after Bud Selig recognized him as a free agent following a controversial ending to the start of his career in Japan in 1998 (that really happened!), but he didn't become a starter until 2001.
That October, he hit a home run that gave the Yanks the lead late in Game 7 of the World Series and would have been one of the most memorable in franchise history, but they lost in the bottom of the ninth. In 2004, they traded him to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez.
Soriano was a fan favorite who returned to the Bronx for his final season. Known for his quick hands and five-tool profile, he made seven All-Star teams in his career, won four Silver Sluggers, and is a member of the 40/40 club.
After the 2008 season, the Yankees made a huge splash in free agency, bringing in Mark Teixeira. Teixeira played the last eight years of his 14-year career in New York. He was a big part of the championship run in 2009, with several clutch moments, including a walk-off home run in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins.
Teixeira was a great fielder who won five Gold Glove awards in his career, made three All-Star teams, and won three Silver Sluggers.
Wade Boggs won more Silver Sluggers (8) than any third baseman in history. He was a career .328 hitter, made 12 All-Star teams, won five batting titles, and two Gold Gloves. The Hall of Famer played 18 seasons and walked more than he struck out in 17 of them.
Boggs primarily played with the Red Sox, but he also spent five years with the Yankees, including 1996, when he won his only World Series title. Boggs was known off the field for his crazy pregame rituals, and set the (unofficial) major league record for the most beers consumed on a cross-country flight (73).
Robinson Cano had the chance to be a lifelong Yankee, but the Mariners offered him more money, and he left after the 2013 season. It turns out the Yanks dodged a bullet, as Cano quickly got worse, then was busted for steroids.
He played nine seasons in New York and finished in the top six in MVP voting four times, hitting .309/.355/.504 and winning two Gold Gloves. After leaving the Bronx, Cano played another eight seasons with the Mariners, Mets, Padres, and Braves.
The saddest part of seeing him go was that it meant John Sterling couldn't do his famous Cano home run call anymore, "Robbie Cano. Don't ya know."
Rickey Henderson was a Yankee for four and a half seasons of his glorious 25-year career. He was the prototypical leadoff hitter, possessing game-changing speed that impacted the game in a way the nerds in the current analytics office will never be able to quantify.
In 1982, he stole 130 bases, a record that nobody will ever break. He's a member of the 3,000 hit club and has scored more runs and stolen more bases than any person in history. Before being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Henderson made 10 All-Star teams, won three Silver Sluggers, two World Series championships, and an MVP award (1990, A's).
Don Mattingly could be the greatest Yankee never to win the World Series. He played primarily in the 1980s, a time before the introduction of the wild card, and with today's expanded playoff format, he would have had a better shot.
During his peak, before a congenital back issue became a chronic problem, Mattingly won three consecutive Silver Sluggers. His injury forced an early retirement in 1995. He played his entire 14-year career with the Yankees and collected nine Gold Gloves, six All-Star appearances, a batting title (1984), and an MVP award (1985).
After retiring, he became a manager and won Manager of the Year in 2020 with the Marlins. He now resides in the Toronto Blue Jays' dugout in a coaching capacity.
Constantino Martinez was a steady presence in the heart of the Yankees' order during the 1990s dynasty. He replaced a legend (Don Mattingly) and became a legend through hard play, grit, and perseverance. His biggest highlight in pinstripes was when he hit a grand slam in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series as part of a seven-run seventh inning that set the tone for the Yankees' sweep.
'Tino the Bambino' won four World Series titles, made two All-Star teams, and won a Home Run Derby. In 1997, he was second in MVP voting after hitting a career high of 44 home runs. I hope the Yankees will honor Martinez's accomplishments someday by retiring his number, 24.
Dave Winfield signed a big-money free agent contract with the Yankees in 1980. At the time, his 10-year, $23 million deal was the richest in professional sports. He played in New York from 1981 to 1990, when the Yankees traded him to the Angels.
Winfield was an excellent hitter who made the All-Star team nearly every season in the Bronx (12 times total in his career). He won seven Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, and a World Series title (1992, Blue Jays). He's a member of the 3,000 hit club, and after his 22-year career, he joined the Hall of Fame in 2001.
Alex Rodriguez is as controversial as he is talented. As a rookie with the Mariners, he hit 36 home runs with a 1.045 OPS, and continued that pace for most of his career. When the Yankees traded for him in 2004, he changed positions from shortstop to third base, and became arguably both the greatest third baseman and shortstop ever to play.
Late in his career, he got busted for steroids twice and earned a suspension for the entire 2014 season. He retired in 2016, four home runs short of 700. Rodriguez was a 14-time All-Star, a 10-time Silver Slugger, and a three-time MVP, including once with the Yankees (2007). He fueled a World Series title in 2009, and won a batting title as a youngster in 1996. He's a member of the 2,000 run club, 2,000 RBI club, and 3,000 hit club. Love him or hate him, the Yankees wouldn't have won the 2009 World Series without him. He's done it all.
Jorge Posada is part of the 'Core Four' who won five World Series with the Yankees from 1996 to 2009. He was a switch-hitting catcher who played his entire 17-year career in the Bronx. Posada made five All-Star teams, won five Silver Sluggers, and finished in the top six in MVP voting twice.
In 2003, when the Yankees were trailing late in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox, Posada tied the game with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth. In 2009, he hit the first home run at the new Yankee Stadium, and in 1998, he caught David Wells' perfect game. Since retiring, Posada has dedicated himself to his foundation, a non-profit that provides support to families of children diagnosed with craniosynostosis. One of the best catchers ever to play, Posada deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. The Yankees retired his number, 20, in 2015.
Bernie Williams was a graceful center fielder who brought a thoughtful approach to the plate and helped mellow out the clubhouse. He played all 16 years of his career in the Bronx and was a career .297 hitter with an .858 OPS. You could always count on the switch-hitting Williams for a clutch hit, often punctuated by John Sterling yelling, "Bernie goes Boom!" or "Bern, baby, bern!"
He was as important to the dynasty as anybody else, including Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter. Williams finished his career with five All-Star appearances, four World Series titles, four Gold Glove awards, one Silver Slugger award, and a batting title (1998). The Yankees retired his number (51) in 2015, and I believe his outstanding regular-season play and postseason accomplishments should warrant further consideration for the Hall of Fame from the Veterans Committee down the road. He loved to play the guitar and has continued to do so since his retirement.
Reggie Jackson was a Yankee from 1977 to 1981, and in 34 playoff games, he had a 1.090 OPS. When the Bombers won back-to-back championships in 1977 and 1978, Jackson had nine home runs in 21 games, including three in Game 6 to clinch the first title.
During his 21-year career, Jackson made 14 All-Star teams, won five World Series, earned two Silver Sluggers (if only the award had been introduced sooner...), captured two World Series MVPs, and took home one league MVP (1973).
He's part of the Hall of Fame class of 1993, a member of the 500 home run club, and has more career strikeouts than any other hitter. His distant cousin, Barry Bonds, is the all-time Home Run King.
Aaron Judge recently surpassed both Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra on the Yankees' home run list. He's sixth all-time in career OPS. As a rookie, he hit 52 home runs, which was a record at the time for a freshman (later broken by Pete Alonso). In 2022, he hit 62 home runs and set the AL/unenhanced single-season record.
He's on the verge of (hopefully) winning his third (should be fourth) MVP award, and next year, when MLB institutes the ABS challenge system, he'll be even tougher to get out, because pitchers won't be able to get as many low strikes called against him.
Judge is a seven-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, Home Run Derby champ, and Yankees captain. He's the most impactful Yankee since Derek Jeter and the greatest right-handed hitter of all time.
When the Yankees were scouting Derek Jeter leading up to the 1992 MLB draft, they were worried about him deciding to play college ball at the University of Michigan, and scout Dick Groch said, "He's not going to University of Michigan. The only place Derek Jeter is going is Cooperstown."
28 years later, Groch was absolutely correct. Derek Sanderson Jeter embodied the Yankees - he was a great-looking kid, a smooth shortstop, a consummate professional, and a born winner. The Yanks won the World Series four of his first five seasons, his 3,000th hit was a home run off David Price, and the final Yankee Stadium hit of his career was a walk-off single.
In 2001, at the stroke of midnight as the calendar flipped to November, he hit a walk-off home run in Game 4 of the World Series, earning the nickname "Mr. November." He eventually became the Yankees' captain (of course he did), playing his entire career in pinstripes. He made 14 All-Star teams, and won five Gold Gloves, five World Series, five Silver Sluggers, the 1996 Rookie of the Year, and a World Series MVP. He never won a league MVP, but he finished in the top 15 ten times and in the top three thrice.
In 1999, he led the league in bWAR. His famous Flip Play against the A's in 2001 was one of the best heads-up plays in baseball history. Jeter brought something to the table that statisticians can't quantify: intangibles, baseball IQ, and the ability to come through when the team needed him most. As a Hall of Famer, he was one vote shy of a unanimous selection, and he finished his career sixth all-time, with over 3,400 hits.