Considering all of the remarkable players who have worn pinstripes, there’s plenty to choose from when picking an all-time 26-man roster for the Yankees. Problem is, that also makes it a near-impossible task.

Sure, there are some gimmes – Derek Jeter at shortstop (sorry, Phil Rizzuto, but it’s not particularly close). But there are so many tough decisions that some Hall-of-Famers didn’t even make the cut. Apologies, Earle Combs, Dave Winfield, Waite Hoyt and all the rest.

So here’s our squad, after much thought and reconfiguring. Did we get it all right? Who knows? But one thing’s for sure – we’ll take this team against yours.

STARTING LINEUP

Catcher: Yogi Berra

If he didn’t do half the things he did, he’d still make the team. Sorry – that’s a lame try at the type of phrase-making Berra was famous for. No one can duplicate that. Nor can anyone duplicate his incredible play. Berra won so many World Series rings that Jeter remains jealous – 10! No one has more. He also was named AL MVP three times, played in 18 All-Star Games and slammed 358 home runs, plus 12 more in the Fall Classic. A cherished character of the game, he also won pennants as manager of both the Yankees and Mets.

First Baseman: Lou Gehrig

“The Iron Horse” remains third all-time in career slugging percentage (.632), is sixth in on-base percentage (.447) and seventh in RBI (1,995). He won the 1934 Triple Crown, was on seven World Series-winning teams, played in 2,130 consecutive games and hit 493 career homers. He also authored one of baseball’s most memorable moments, his “Luckiest Man” speech, as he battled a deadly disease.

Second Baseman: Willie Randolph

Joe Gordon and Robinson Cano were serious candidates here, but we’re taking a former Yankee captain who probably never got his due, at least from the outside world, for his role in those great teams of the 1970s. The gritty Randolph was a master at reaching base (.374 on-base percentage) in an era before it was properly appreciated and made five All-Star teams in 13 years in pinstripes.

Shortstop: Derek Jeter

Jeter oozed star power in a town that loves that kind of swag. Backed it up, too. Jeter won five World Series, is sixth on the all-time hits list with 3,465, made 14 All-Star games and was the Yanks’ captain. He’s also MLB’s all-time leader in several postseason categories, including runs, hits, total bases and doubles.

Third Baseman: Alex Rodríguez

Yeah, there’s more baggage here than at a loaded claim carousel at LaGuardia. But A-Rod produced on the field even amid all the drama he caused in 12 rocky seasons with the Yankees. There were performance-enhancing drug issues, including a historic suspension that wiped out his 2014 season, and assorted other turmoils. But he hit 351 homers, won two MVPs, had a .900 OPS and notched a monster 2009 postseason en route to the team’s most recent title.

Left Fielder: Joe DiMaggio

Yes, the “Yankee Clipper” was a center fielder, but there’s no chance we’re picking between him and Mickey Mantle in center and leaving one of them off this team. So we’ll slide DiMag over to cover the wide open spaces of Yankee Stadium’s challenging left field, while keeping a player who won nine World Series rings, second only to Berra. DiMaggio might be MLB’s smoothest-ever player and he owns one of the game’s perhaps-unbreakable records – his 56-game hitting streak. Here’s another nifty stat – he hit 361 career homers and struck out just 369 times. Total.

Center Fielder: Mickey Mantle

Who knows how great Mantle, a three-time MVP, would have been if he hadn’t battled injuries? As it was, he was the boyhood hero for an entire generation and slugged 536 home runs, not including the record 18 he bashed in the World Series.

Right Fielder: Aaron Judge

Judge’s career only began in 2016, but he’s earned a place on this club with amazing play, both at the plate and defensively. First, he smacked a then-rookie record 52 homers in 2017. Then he set the AL single-season mark with 62 in 2022, a sensational MVP campaign. And after he signed a nine-year, $360-million deal with the Yanks, we figure he’s going to add plenty more. Oh, and his career OPS right now is the same as Mantle’s (.977).

Designated Hitter: Babe Ruth

No, the DH did not exist in Ruth’s day, but we’re using it here to aid in tricky roster construction. Ruth changed the game with his slugging and baseball’s never been the same. The numbers are dizzying: 714 home runs, 2,214 RBI, .342 average, .474 on-base percentage and an all-time best .690 slugging and 1.164 OPS. Yowza.

STARTING ROTATION

No. 1: Whitey Ford

“The Chairman of the Board” rules as the all-time Yankee ace. Ford won 236 games, the most in Yankee history, is the club’s leader in shutouts (45) and innings (3,170.1), and is tied for the team lead in starts (438) with someone who shows up later in this rotation. Ford also set MLB records for World Series wins (10) and strikeouts (94).

No. 2: Lefty Gomez

Goofy? Sure, Gomez is credited with being one of baseball’s great wits. Great? Absolutely. Gomez was a four-time 20-game winner, won AL ERA titles in 1934 and 1937 and started the All-Star Game five times, matching the MLB record. He was 189-102 (.649) in a 14-season career, all but one game with the Yanks, and was 6-0 in seven starts in the World Series.

No. 3: Andy Pettitte

In 15 seasons with the Yankees, Pettitte was 219-127 with a 3.94 ERA and sits third on the club wins list. He tied Ford for the most starts in pinstripes and is the only pitcher with more than 2,000 career strikeouts with the team. Pettitte, a postseason stalwart, is also MLB’s all-time leader in postseason wins (19, all but one with the Yanks), starts and innings.

No. 4: Ron Guidry

“Louisiana Lightning” owns perhaps the best pitching season in Yankee history – 1978, when he was 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA. But it goes deeper than that. He was 170-91 with a 3.29 ERA over his 14-year career, won 20-plus three times and was 5-2 in the postseason.

No. 5: Mel Stottlemyre

For the final spot, we could’ve taken the easy way out and picked Roger Clemens, who was 83-42 in six years in pinstripes. Or even a Hall-of-Famer such as Red Ruffing, Herb Pennock or Hoyt. But Stottlemyre, who arrived in 1964, just as the mid-century Yankee dynasty would begin fading, is the call. He was 164-139 with a 2.97 ERA and 40 shutouts in 11 seasons, pitching mostly for struggling teams.

ALL-TIME BULLPEN

Closer: Mariano Rivera

No team has ever had a better endgame solution than the Yanks during the Rivera Era. He’s the greatest closer of all time and one of the deadliest, if not the deadliest postseason pitchers in history. Rivera had 652 career saves, the most all time, and a 2.21 ERA. In October, the numbers got crazier – his postseason ERA was 0.70!

Setup men: Rich Gossage, Sparky Lyle, Dave Righetti, Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton and Dellin Betances

Gossage and Lyle were two of the great relievers from the era where closers would throw more than one inning and were evolving into important weapons. In seven years in the Bronx, Gossage had a 179 ERA-plus; Lyle had 141 saves and a 2.41 ERA in seven seasons. Righetti’s 224 saves are second in team history to Rivera. Nelson and Stanton were a vital righty-lefty setup duo, serving as the gateways to Rivera during the 1996-2000 dynasty years. And Betances had a stunning run as an overpowering setup man, registering a 177 ERA-plus over eight years while striking out 14.6 batters per nine.

BENCH

Backup catcher: Bill Dickey

Nice to have a Hall-of-Famer who was an 11-time All-Star as the backup catcher, eh? No kidding. Dickey hit .313 in his career with an .868 OPS. Tough to leave off Thurman Munson here, though.

First Baseman: Don Mattingly

On any other club, Donnie Baseball would’ve been a cinch for a starting role. It’s a luxury to have this mid-80s masher come off the bench and flash leather (nine career Gold Gloves) or tap into the offensive skills that made him the ‘84 AL batting champ and ‘85 AL MVP.

Outfield: Reggie Jackson

It was difficult to exclude Combs, Winfield and Charlie Keller. Rickey Henderson had a memorable and effective five years in the Bronx, too. But Jackson can’t be left off, not when you consider his seismic free agent impact on the Yankees and the game and his postseason flair. He hit 12 homers in 34 playoff games as a Yankee, including three on three straight swings that magic night in 1977.

Infielders: Phil Rizzuto, Robinson Cano

Later generations knew him as a delightful broadcaster, but Rizzuto was the 1950 AL MVP, a shortstop who could do all the little things and was eventually elected to the Hall of Fame. Cano seemed en route to 3,000 hits and Cooperstown, too, after his first nine seasons in pinstripes, but later drug suspensions marred his career.