top of page
file.jpg
Writer's pictureSSTN Admin

COUNTING DOWN: The Best Yankee At Each Uniform Number (#66)

By Paul Semendinger

March

***

Uniform number 66 has enjoyed a variety of interesting players who have worn the number. We will take a quick look at each to determine who the best ever was to wear this number.

The best player might just be the guy wearing that number today… believe it or not.


Steve Balboni (1981-83) – In his first go around with the Yankees, Steve Balboni wore three numbers, 33, 66, and 28. In that period, he played in 69 games batting .210 and hitting just 7 home runs. t one point, Balboni was heralded as the up-and-coming slugger, but it just didn’t happen as a Yankee. After the 1983 season, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Mike Armstrong. As a Royal, Balboni had some good power years. For six years, he hit 20+ homers. He returned to the Yankees for the 1989 and 1990 seasons, blasting 17 homers each season.


Jim Deshaies (1984) – This was another promising left-handed pitcher that the Yankees let get away. For the 1984 Yankees, he pitched in just two games going 0-1, 11.57. At 24-years-old, he was traded to the Houston Astros for Joe Niekro who was 40-years-old. Amazing. Over the next two seasons, Deshaies would go 23-11.


Juan Miranda (2008) – In 2008, Juan Miranda hit .400 for the Yankees. That was the good news. The bad news is that he had only 10 at bats.


Andrew Brackman (2011) – 6’, 10” Andrew Brackman appeared in only three games as a Yankee. He pitched 2.1 innings, walked three, never struck out a batter, but also never allowed an earned run. A lifetime 0.00 ERA isn’t a bad thing to own.


John Ryan Murphy (2013-15) – In three seasons, John Ryan Murphy batted .267/4/24 while serving as the Yankees #2 catcher. He appeared as a catcher in 115 games. In November 2015, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins in a one-for-one deal for Aaron Hicks.


Mason Williams (2016) – In 2006, Mason Williams batted .296 as a Yankee. That was the good news. The bad news was that he played in only 12 games.


Bryan Mitchell (2017) – In 2017, Bryan Mitchell pitched in 20 games and sported a 5.79 ERA. As a Yankee, he also wore #65 and #55.


Kyle Higashioka (2018-20) – Higgy could be in the mix for the greatest Yankee to ever wear #66. Since 2018, he has appeared in 63 games. He has hit only .205, but he has blasted 10 homers. His batting average over the last two seasons is .231. Things are getting better for him. A big 2021 in #66 could propel him to the top, to be the best ever, but for now, he’s just the second best Yankee to ever wear #66.

The best Yankee to wear #66 was backup catcher John Ryan Murphy.

Backup catcher Kyle Higashioka has J.R. Murphy clearly in his sights.

***

Most of the research for this project came from Baseball-Reference.com.

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


dr sem.png

Start Spreading the News is the place for some of the very best analysis and insight focusing primarily on the New York Yankees.

(Please note that we are not affiliated with the Yankees and that the news, perspectives, and ideas are entirely our own.)

blog+image+2.jpeg

Have a question for the Weekly Mailbag?

Click below or e-mail:

SSTNReaderMail@gmail.com

SSTN is proudly affiliated with Wilson Sporting Goods! Check out our press release here, and support us by using the affiliate links below:

587611.jpg
583250.jpg
Scattering the Ashes.jpeg

"Scattering The Ashes has all the feels. Paul Russell Semendinger's debut novel taps into every emotion. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll reexamine those relationships that give your life meaning." — Don Burke, writer at The New York Post

The Least Among Them.png

"This charming and meticulously researched book will remind you of baseball’s power to change and enrich lives far beyond the diamond."

—Jonathan Eig, New York Times best-selling author of Luckiest Man, Opening Day, and Ali: A Life

From Compton to the Bronx.jpg

"A young man from Compton rises to the highest levels of baseball greatness.

Considered one of the classiest baseball players ever, this is Roy White's story, but it's also the story of a unique period in baseball history when the Yankees fell from grace and regained glory and the country dealt with societal changes in many ways."

foco-yankees.png

We are excited to announce our new sponsorship with FOCO for all officially licensed goods!

FOCO Featured:
carlos rodon bobblehead foco.jpg
bottom of page