Aaron Judge named Yankees captain: Which other players have held the coveted title?

A day after making his historic contract with the New York Yankees official, Aaron Judge was named the 16th captain in the club's history. The reigning American League MVP signed a nine-year, $360 million deal to remain in the Bronx, making him the highest-paid position player in MLB history.

After a dramatic, yet anti-climatic free agency period for the towering right fielder, Judge chose to remain as the star of the biggest market in the MLB. At 30 years old, Judge will spend the remainder of his prime in the Big Apple, with his contract ending after his age 39 season.

Aaron Judge enjoyed a historic season for the Yankees, setting a new single-season home run record not only for the franchise, but also the American League as a whole. On Oct. 5, 2022, Judge hit his record-setting 62nd home run of the year, surpassing Roger Maris for the American League home run crown.

"Nice tribute to dad today at Yankee Stadium! Today is the last regular season game to be played at Yankee Stadium in 2022. No Judge home runs today as he chases number 62. Best of luck to Aaron in Texas as he goes for home run number 62." - Roger Maris Jr.

Aaron Judge joins a long list of legendary New York Yankees captains dating back to 1903 when Clark Griffith was the very first captain in franchise history.

Player	Position	Yankees Captaincy Tenure
Clark Griffith	P	1903-1905
Kid Elberfeld	SS	1906-1907
Willie Keeler	OF	1908-1909
Hal Chase	1B	1910-1912
Frank Chance	1B	1913
Roger Peckinpaugh	SS	1914-1921
Babe Ruth	OF	1922
Everett Scott	SS	1922-1925
Lou Gehrig	1B	1935-1939
Thurman Munson	C	1976-1979
Craig Nettles	3B	1982-1984
Willie Randolph	2B	1986-1988
Ron Guidry	P	1986-1988
Don Mattingly	1B	1991-1995
Derek Jeter	SS	2003-2014
Aaron Judge	OF	2022-Present

Judge is the first New York Yankees player to be named captain since Derek Jeter, whose nickname is "The Captain." The iconic shortstop spent his entire career with New York, winning five World Series titles, as well as being elected to the All-Star team 14 times in his Hall of Fame career.

After falling short in the 2022 postseason, Judge and the Yankees will look to win the club's first World Series championship since 2009. General Manager Brian Cashman made several moves this offseason to help the cause, most notably signing free agent pitcher Carlos Rodon to a six-year, $162 million deal.

"The New York Yankees today announced that they have signed two-time All-Star LHP Carlos Rodón to a six-year Major League contract extending through the 2028 season." - Yankees PR Dept.

A look at Aaron Judge's historic 2022 season

Thanks to an incredible season from the new Yankees captain, New York finished the year with a 99-63 record, securing the AL East division title. It was a career year for Aaron Judge, who set new career highs in home runs (62), RBIs (131), walks (111), runs (133), and even games played (157). He also set new career highs in OBP (.425), slugging percentage (.686), and total bases (391).

"Aaron Judge says Hal Steinbrenner told him he was "all in" to help the Yankees win. Since bringing back the A.L. MVP, Judge has seen that in the other offseason additions." - YES Network