Welcome to the Captains’ Conference.
Here’s a rundown of the six men who served this role for this Yankees ownership, how they felt when they received the honor and the advice they’d offer to Judge for his new gig:
Thurman Munson: On April 17, 1976, following a 10-0 blanking of the Twins at Yankee Stadium the Yankees announced their eighth-year catcher, just beginning a campaign that ended with him winning American League Most Valuable Player honors, as the first team captain since Lou Gehrig’s retirement in 1939.
Graig Nettles: On Jan. 29, 1982, the Yankees named the veteran third baseman Nettles, a member of the team since 1973, as their captain at an offseason luncheon and news conference in New York.
Ron Guidry and Willie Randolph: On March 4, 1986, at their Grapefruit League headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, the Yankees announced something novel: Co-captains. Guidry, the lefty pitcher who made his Yankees debut in 1975, and Randolph, the second baseman who joined the Yankees in 1976, were chosen to lead the team together, a notion advocated by rising executive Hank Steinbrenner, Hal’s older brother.
Don Mattingly: On March 1, 1991, in Fort Lauderdale, Donnie Baseball assumed the captaincy as the Yankees tried to move past a 1990 season that, at 67-95, still stands as the franchise’s campaign with the most losses since they changed their name from the Highlanders (in 1913).
Derek Jeter: On June 3, 2003, the Yankees chose the odd location of Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, right before they played their first-ever game there, to promote their iconic shortstop to the captain’s role.
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