Who's Next?

Number 21 is now officially on the wall in Monument Park in honor of the legendary LaTroy Hawkins!  Sorry, I mean Paul O'Neill.  Other than that week Hawkins had it before the fans basically made him change numbers, nobody has worn 21 since O'Neill retired after the 2001 season.  Now, 21 years later (on August 21), it's finally official.

The critics, of course, are gonna complain that the Yankees have "too many" retired numbers and make their arguments that O'Neill "doesn't deserve" the honor.  Which, frankly, is ridiculous.  It's up to the team and its fans to decide who "deserves" to have their number retired.  And, as evidence by the fact that the one guy who's tried to wear it in the past two decades was not treated very kindly, it's pretty clear where Yankees fans stand on the number 21!  More specifically, who the number 21 belongs to.

Paul O'Neill has a special place in the hearts of Yankee fans.  That's why, except for the Hawkins debacle, his number hasn't been given out since he retired.  When he got a plaque in Monument Park a few years ago, my reaction was "when's his number getting retired?"  So, for Yankee fans, the honor was actually long overdue.  Especially since, again, it's been unofficially retired for 21 years.

I have another response to the haters.  The Yankees have won a lot of championships.  Thus, they've had a lot of great players throughout their history.  It's the same reason the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Montreal Canadiens have a lot of retired numbers (which nobody seems to have a problem with).

Are they all the same level as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter?  No.  But, there's no rule saying you need to be one of the sport's all-time greats (or even a Hall of Famer) to have your number retired.  Teams get to decide their own criteria.  And, with the exception of Don Mattingly (who was the Face of the Franchise throughout the 1980s), all 23 men who have their number on the Yankee Stadium wall have played a big part in their 27 championships.  That's why they had their number retired.

Beyond that, Paul O'Neill was one of George Steinbrenner's favorite players.  The Boss is the one who gave him the nickname "The Warrior" because of that intensity he brought every day.  More than anything else, that intensity is what endeared him to Yankees fans.  It was also the trade for O'Neill in 1993 that helped set the stage for the run of four championships in five years from 1996-2000.  That fact cannot be forgotten, either.

O'Neill was the last guy from that group to have his number retired, joining Hall of Famers Jeter, Rivera and Joe Torre, as well as Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada.  Jeter, Rivera and Pettitte were also on the 2009 team, so the Yankees' most recent championship is also represented.  Which begs the question: Now that 21 is retired, whose number goes on the wall next?

There isn't an obvious candidate.  As I just said, everyone else from that late 90s dynasty has either already had his number retired or you can't make a case why he should.  Love you, Tino, but, sorry, you'll have to settle for your plaque in Monument Park, which is an honor in its own right.  And, with only one championship since then, it's not like there's anybody over the past 13 years who immediately stands out.

CC Sabathia is probably the only guy who might remotely be considered.  CC was a great Yankee for 11 years and if (when?) he's inducted into the Hall of Fame, it'll likely be a Yankee hat on his plaque in Cooperstown.  He was the ace of the 2009 staff and was MVP of the ALCS that year.  But does that warrant number 52 being placed on the wall?  Unfortunately, it does not.  A plaque in Monument Park?  Maybe.  But a retired number?  Definitely not.   (Although, it is worth noting that 52 hasn't been given out since he retired.)

Alex Rodriguez?  Yeah right!  Just like how A-Rod knows he'll likely never be elected to the Hall of Fame, it's equally unlikely that he'll be honored by the Yankees in any significant way.  The season-long suspension in 2014 took care of that.

Which brings me to the guy who took A-Rod's roster spot after he retired in August 2016.  Aaron Judge hasn't just become the Face of the Franchise over the past six years, he's become one of the Faces of Baseball.  And he's already making the case that he belongs among the all-time Yankee greats.  Who knows where he'll end up when all is said and done?  Of course, that's assuming Judge re-signs with the team when he hits free agency this offseason.  If he leaves, however, the chances of 99 ending up on the wall will range from minimal to nonexistent.

Judge is also missing something.  Something that he'll be the first to tell you is more important than any individual honor or record.  A World Series ring.  Sure, he could become this generation's Mattingly, a beloved Yankee who's still beloved despite not winning a championship.  But for Judge's place in Yankee history to be secure, he needs to lead the team to a title.  Preferably more than one.  And he knows that.

If the Yankees do win a championship (or several) in the next few years, Judge won't be the only one in the Monument Park/retired number conversation.  We could easily find ourselves talking about Gerrit Cole's 45 or Giancarlo Stanton's 27, too.  But, right now, there's only one number that we can confidently say will require a discussion.  Number 99.

What we do know is that, eventually, the Yankees will retire a 24th number.  Whether it's Judge's 99 or someone else's number, Paul O'Neill's 21 definitely won't be the last.  We just don't know who'll be next.  Rest assured, though, it'll be somebody.