Ranking the Plaques in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park - Part III

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In our first two installments of this series we covered the bottom half - in terms of quality - of plaques currently sitting behind the centerfield wall of Yankee Stadium. Now we're ready to dive into the good ones, the ones that start to capture the essence of why these guys matter to the most successful franchise in baseball history. If you ever visit Monument Park with the intention of learning something about the Yankees, I would start with these.

In the bottom left corner above, you can see the original three monuments in the field of play at Old Yankee Stadium.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

As was the case previously, I won't share a picture of every plaque because they tend to run together and get redundant as you scan through them. For any that I don't have a picture of below, it's relatively easy to find via google.

16. Phil Rizzuto - dedicated on August 5, 1985

Scooter's plaque was made in 1985, so I know this isn't the case, but I could swear this one was written by AI software. It gets the job done, but it's quite awkward. What it lacks in style, it makes up for in completeness. You've got a generic quote, a bunch accomplishments listed, a mention of his stellar broadcasting career, and they even snuck in a "Holy Cow". At the very least, it makes you think about Rizzuto's rich Yankee legacy.

15. Mel Stottlemyre - dedicated on June 20, 2015

The long overdue dedication for Stottlemyre runs on a bit due to the usual fluff of stats and accomplishments. But there's some real good stuff in there. It's clear that Mel stood out among his peers and that he was a Yankee lifer who might be the best righthander in franchise history. The additional touches about his hitting ability and highly successful coaching career earns this one a high score.

14. Red Ruffing - dedicated on July 10, 2004

Essentially a more succinct version of Stottlemyre's plaque, which makes sense since they were very simialr pitchers. Both were strong, durable righties that could handle the bat very well. Ruffing's plaque also has a mention of his military career - the only one in Monument Park to do so. However, what stands out most about Red's plaque is the fact that it was dedicated in 2004, nearly 60 years after he pitched his last game as a Yankee. What took them so long to honor the guy?

13. Miller Huggins - dedicated on May 30, 1932

Wikimedia Commons/Silent Wind of Doom

The original, the one that started it all. It's real short and real sweet, getting its point across without too much fluff. You can walk away from this one knowing full well that Huggins orchestrated the first real success of the storied franchise. There's also and odd mention of his "priceless contribution to baseball", which makes me think it's something other than leading the Yankees to the World Series, but I have no idea what it could be.

12. Bernie Williams - dedicated on May 24, 2015

As you can tell by now, I'm no fan of a plaque that leans too heavily on stats and accomplishments. This is the rare exception. When it comes to Bernie Williams, highlighting his numbers helps underscore his standing among all-time greats, even though he was never given that respect when he played. The mentions of his playoff success help further cement his legacy as an all-time Yankee. If you questioned Bernie's worthiness of a plaque before reading it, you'll walk away convinced he's earned it.

11. Paul O'Neill - dedicated on August 9, 2014

Right off the bat this one is a winner. We immediately learn about what kind of player O'Neill, even if it then just rambles off a bunch of numbers that don't mean much without context. There's no doubt here that he was a competitor, a leader, and pursued perfection at all costs. We even get "The Warrior" nickname which paints a vivid picture of O'Neill going all out in the field.

10. Joe Torre - dedicated on August 23, 2014

I'm struck by the unfortunate rendering of poor Joe Torre here. He looks exactly like Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein, and that's not a compliment. Once you get past the monster face, you'll find one of the best sentences on any plaque in Monument Park. They could have stopped after that first sentence and left it a perfect plaque. As usual, it trails off unnecessarily.

9. Mariano Rivera - dedicated on August 14, 2016

It's too long and there's too many stats, but this one covers all of the important aspects of Mariano Rivera. He's the greatest closer of all time, he was even better in October, his cutter was dominant, he was cool as a cucumber on the mound, and he's well respected by everyone in sports. You can't get more comprehensive than that. I just wish the nickname they chose was "The Sandman" rather than "Mo".

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