Several months back, I began a series here at Pinstripe Alley where I was going to put together an All-Star Yankee team of players who were born in a given month. Since then, we as a staff have started doing daily posts for the year 2026, highlighting a Yankee from history whose birthday happens to land on that day. As we near the end of this month, what better way to put a cap on a month’s worth of birthday posts then by using the all-month teams as a way to look back on who we covered? And maybe
some we didn’t cover who shared a birthday with someone else?
With that in mind, here are my choices for the All-October Birthday Yankee Team.
Pitcher: Whitey Ford (October 21st birthday post)
With Orlando Hernández behind and David Bednar in the bullpen, October has a decent pitching staff, but “The Chairman of the Board” is the only choice I could make on the mound. He’s rightfully a legend, in the Hall of Fame with his number retired by the Yankees, and yet his stats were still somewhat held back by the way manager Casey Stengel would use him.
Catcher: Joe Girardi (October 14th birthday post)
Girardi is not only the pretty obvious choice to be behind the plate for the October team, but we can also use him as a player-manager.
First Base: Joe Pepitone (October 9th birthday post)
In another universe, Fred McGriff would be starting at first base for this team, but, well, you know. Instead, Pepitone will starting over there.
Second Base: Robinson Canó (October 22nd birthday post)
There were some tough choices to be made in the infield, with the likes of Snuffy Stirnweiss, Bobby Brown, and Tony Kubek also options. However, no matter how much frustration around his departure still exists, Canó was still a damn incredible hitter.
Shortstop: Frankie Crosetti (October 4th birthday post)
With 17 World Series championships across his time as a Yankee player and coach, “Crow” is one of the most decorated people in all of sports.
Third Base: Red Rolfe (October 17th birthday post)
Rolfe managed in the major leagues after his player career, but that wasn’t the only sport he coached in. Rolfe had a brief run as the coach of the Toronto Huskies of the Basketball Association of America, which was one of the leagues that merged to form the NBA.
Left Field: Mickey Rivers (October 30th birthday post)
The excellent “Mick the Quick” of the 1970s was more of a center fielder, but we’re going to hold that spot for someone he shares a first name with.
Center Field: Mickey Mantle (October 20th birthday post)
Obviously, we had to save center field for one of the greatest Yankees and one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He put up 112.3 career fWAR despite being greatly hampered by injury in the final couple years of his career.
Right Field: Dave Winfield (October 3rd birthday post)
Of the many dumb things George Steinbrenner did, getting himself banned essentially because he was mad about Winfield’s contract was one of the dumbest. Winfield had a career 135 OPS+ as a Yankee, it wasn’t his fault the rest of the roster was meh in that era.
Designated Hitter: Juan Soto
I know he’s another one whose departure we’re all still somewhat annoyed about, but it’s fairly impossible to deny that Soto is going to go down as one of the best hitters of his generation. The Yankees exulted in everything he got to provide in 2024, including a pennant-clinching homer.
