By the time Derek Jeter retired after the 2014 season, he was everywhere.
The classic, white, pinstriped No. 2 Yankees jersey he made famous was the best-selling jersey in all of MLB.
One prominent baseball merchandiser told ESPN that Jeter’s shirt was
in fact the best-selling MLB jersey of all time. The love of Jeter didn’t end when he stopped playing, either, as he remained atop most lists of baseball’s most recognizable stars for years after he retired.
All of that barely scratches the surface when it comes to putting the influence
of No. 2 into context. Over the course of his unparalleled 20-year career with the Yankees, Jeter accumulated
3,465 hits, 14 All-Star appearances, five World Series titles and legions of fans of all ages. Some of those Captain
fans are now outstanding MLB players themselves.
Using data gathered from baseball-reference.com
and MLB.com, ESPN evaluated the WAR (wins above replacement) of every MLB player from 2005 (halfway through Jeter’s career) to 2021 to determine which jersey numbers were most productive.
Below ESPN tells the stories of those No. 2s and of the players who currently wear the
only other four numbers to rank in the top 10 of average and total WAR and be worn by at least 100 players from 2005 to 2021.
Watch on ESPN and ESPN+:
“THE CAPTAIN,” EPISODE 1: Monday, July 18, 10 p.m. ET. Watch the
trailer
After a few flirtations with uniform numbers, the practice of putting them on player
jerseys began in earnest with the 1929 Yankees, and they have been a part of baseball ever since. At first,
players wore numbers that corresponded with their place in the batting order, which is why Babe Ruth wore
No. 3 and Lou Gehrig No. 4. The first No. 2 was also a Yankees shortstop — Mark Koenig, a member of the
franchise’s famed 1927 club.
Koenig had nothing to do with Jeter ending up as a No. 2-wearing Yankees’ shortstop
seven decades later, but Jeter has a lot to do with the proliferation of high-level No. 2s in the game since
his arrival. A number of the game’s top infielders have cited Jeter as an influence and a reason why they
wear the number they wear. There is even a shortstop who debuted for Boston this season whose parents
honored Jeter in a more profound way. That rookie’s name is Jeter Downs, and, yes, he’s named after the Captain.
#2
Jersey
No.
1
Avg.
Rank
543.4
total war
(rank: 1)
3.67
war/player
(rank: 1)
148
Total
Players
Xander Bogaerts
Red Sox shortstop
As a rookie in 2014, Bogaerts, who calls Jeter his “role model,” inherited No. 2 from Jacoby Ellsbury. In 2015, Boston signed Bogaerts’ other boyhood hero, Hanley Ramirez, who had worn No. 2 with the Marlins to honor Jeter, his idol. With No. 2 bogarted, Ramirez cursed his luck and settled for No. 13.
Alex Bregman
Astros third baseman
When the Yankees retired Jeter’s number in 2017 between games of a doubleheader with Houston, his biggest fan wearing Astros orange was Bregman … Jackie Bregman. Alex‘s grand slam minutes later with his mom in the stands felt dictated by fate, or as Alex said: “Guess it was the No. 2 magic tonight.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Marlins second baseman
Chisholm first met Jeter in 2019 during BP at Double-A Jacksonville and asked the then-CEO of the Marlins: “What do I have to do to be a Hall of Famer?” As a rookie in 2021, he chose the boss’ No. 2, which also happened to be the number of his favorite NBA player, Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball.
Marcus Semien
Rangers second baseman
Debuting with the White Sox at Yankee Stadium in 2013, Semien wore No. 5 and made two assists in a 6-5 loss, both on grounders by Jeter, his baseball role model. Last season, after donning No. 10 for seven years, Semien finally made a play for No. 2, which was also his dad’s football jersey at Cal.
Jean Segura
Phillies second baseman
Segura has worn No. 2 since his fourth season, with Arizona, in 2016. Four years earlier, as a rookie shortstop with the Angels, Segura didn’t connect with Jeter by his number (20), but by his approach. Former Yankees scout Dick Groch, who signed Jeter in 1992, said Segura’s quick bat and constant hustle reminded him of his greatest find.
Nico Hoerner
Cubs shortstop
Hoerner‘s ability to field deep in the hole, elevate, pivot and rifle across his body descends directly from the “Jeter Jump” throw. But even with his “Hoerner Hop” and a 162-game average WAR (4.5) nearly identical to Jeter’s (4.2), calling the talented Hoerner the second coming of No. 2 is still quite a leap.
Since Jeter broke into the majors in 1995, players wearing No. 2 have collected more hits than any other uniform number, followed by No. 7. Jeter leads the way, of course — he’s sixth on the career hit list, after all — but 10 other players have at least 1,000 hits wearing No. 2 since Jeter’s call-up. Following Jeter on that list are Randy Winn, Denard Span, Aaron Hill, Troy Tulowitzki and Bogaerts.
The thing is, Jeter didn’t even want No. 2 at first. His preference was No. 13, the number his father, Charles, wore in college. The number was at the time occupied by Jim Leyritz, so Jeter was assigned No. 2. It was surprisingly available given that most of the single-digit numbers had been retired for the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. According to Ian O’Connor, author of “The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter,” it was then-Yankees manager Buck Showalter’s idea to give Jeter No. 2. The next spring, after Showalter had been fired, New York’s equipment manager attempted to give Jeter another number. Jeter wasn’t having it.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Baseball players are infamously superstitious, but given Jeter’s original preference for sporting his father’s No. 13, he appears to be unconcerned about supernatural interference. Plenty of others have tempted fate with No. 13 and done just fine, especially in the dollar column. Jeter’s most notable No. 13-wearing teammate in New York was Alex Rodriguez, who made so much money on and off the field that he is now a co-owner of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. Manny Machado, an early front-runner in this season’s NL MVP race, is another well-compensated No. 13 blazing a path to Cooperstown-worthy statistics despite carrying the unluckiest of numbers on his back.
#13
Jersey
No.
2.5
Avg.
Rank
452.1
total war
(rank: 3)
3.16
war/player
(rank: 2)
143
Total
Players
Manny Machado
Padres third baseman
Machado‘s favorite jersey, the No. 3 he wore in high school, wasn’t available when Baltimore called him up in August 2012. Thanks, Ryan Flaherty. What about his childhood hero Chipper Jones’ No. 10? Taken by All-Star Adam Jones. So, the O’s new addition used simple addition, and added 3+10 to the roster.
Ronald Acuna Jr.
Braves outfielder
When Acuna first joined the Braves in late April 2018, the number he wore in the minors, 24, belonged to catcher Kurt Suzuki. The next season, Suzuki departed to Washington, but Acuna, the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year, decided to leave his old 24 on the farm and try his luck with 13.
Max Muncy
Dodgers infielder
Muncy, who has played at least three positions in each of his six seasons, has stayed put with No. 13 since 2018. When Machado arrived in L.A. for the second half of 2019, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen offered Muncy a “nice tip” to give Machado the number. Nice is relative; Muncy declined.
Joey Gallo
Yankees outfielder
After Gallo was traded from Texas to New York last July, he didn’t expect to keep No. 13 (unused in the Bronx since Alex Rodriguez’s 2016 retirement). But A-Rod had been very critical of a potential Gallo deal while working as an ESPN analyst. And when Gallo arrived, that dormant number was already in his locker.
Ke’Bryan Hayes
Pirates third baseman
Baseball offers few sure things, even when you’re the Pirates’ 2015 first-round pick, their No. 2 prospect and a legacy major leaguer. But Hayes had one lock as a rookie in 2020: He’d wear 13, his only number in the minors and the one his dad, Charlie, wore most during his 14-year major league career.
Salvador Perez
Royals catcher
Perez superstitiously wears women’s perfume during games yet is cool with 13. In fact, his performance on Friday the 13th and Tuesday the 13th (traditionally unlucky in his native Venezuela) exceeds his results in all other games. Over 11 career “unlucky” dates he’s batting .365 with a .908 OPS, but .265/.759 on all other dates. Spooky.
Uniform No. 13 is still not exactly the number of choice among big leaguers, but it’s become gradually more acceptable over the decades. During the 1930s, when the wearing of numbers became embedded as part of the game’s fabric, only 0.4% of player seasons were accounted for by players wearing No. 13.
After a brief rise in the 1940s, the figure dropped back to 0.4% in the 1950s, perhaps as a consequence of Bobby Thomson’s historic pennant-winning homer in 1951 off of No. 13-wearing Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca. But the usage climbed after that, increasing each decade to the 2010s, when 1.5% of player seasons went to bearers of No. 13.
Shortstop appears to be the position of choice for those who wave a dismissive hand at superstition. The four all-time leaders in WAR among No. 13s all spent at least one full season as a big league shortstop: A-Rod, Machado, Omar Vizquel and Dave Concepcion.
Only three players have posted a season of at least 8 WAR while wearing No. 13. The first was former Red Sox shortstop John Valentin, who put up 8.3 WAR in 1995, the season of Jeter’s debut. The other two were posted by A-Rod (2005, 2007), who was named AL MVP in both seasons played next to Jeter. Rodriguez had six other seasons of at least 8 WAR before he joined the Yankees, but he wore No. 3 during those campaigns for Seattle and Texas. No. 3, of course, is the domain of Ruth in the Bronx.
Through the Fourth of July, the most popular uniform number in the major leagues this season was No. 28, with 25 players featuring it so far this campaign. That was also the most popular number last season, when 32 players wore it, one more than the 31 players who wore No. 48. This year features a similarly fierce battle, with No. 50 this year’s leading contender to 28’s popularity crown. Through July 4, 24 players had worn the number this season. With some of this year’s division races already turning into runaways, maybe this is the race we’ll end up watching over the second half of the season.
#28
Jersey
No.
3
Avg.
Rank
472.7
total war
(rank: 2)
2.58
war/player
(rank: 4)
183
Total
Players
Nolan Arenado
Cardinals third baseman
Arenado said his decision to wear No. 28 stems back to his first big league camp with the Rockies in 2013. Most prospects must wear higher numbers in camp, but Arenado thought getting 28 meant he’d be looked at like a veteran. All he has done since is earn five Platinum Gloves and four Silver Slugger Awards.
Matt Olson
Braves first baseman
Olson wore No. 21 at Parkview High in Lilburn, Georgia, to honor fellow alum and Gold Glover Jeff Francouer (who sported it for the Rangers and Royals). When he was called up to Oakland in 2017, catcher Stephen Vogt had the number. So Olson chose 28, which he now wears back in Atlanta — with Francouer broadcasting from the TV booth.
Corey Kluber
Rays pitcher
Win or lose, two-time Cy Young winner Kluber is known for his stoicism on the mound. Rising through the ranks, he approached his number with similar detachment: 44 in college, 32 and 34 in High-A, 18 and 33 in Double-A, 4 and 44 in Triple-A, 34 as a rookie. But he has stuck with 28 since earning his first major league win in 2012. Go figure.
Javier Baez
Tigers shortstop
Baez is a brand-new 28. The two-time All-Star began his big league career wearing No. 9, nodding to the Cubs picking him ninth overall in 2011. He wore 23 with the Mets last year, as his number was owned by Brandon Nimmo, another 2011 first-rounder. This season, Baez signed with the Tigers but Willi Castro kept No. 9.
J.D. Martinez
Red Sox designated hitter
Houston gave Martinez No. 14 but released him in 2014 after three seasons. He switched to No. 28 in Detroit and went on to make four All-Star Games and win a World Series title. Did Houston realize its error? Four months after releasing Martinez, the Astros went out and drafted another 6-foot-3 outfielder named J.D. (Davis) — and gave him No. 28.
Josh Donaldson
Yankees third baseman
Over more than a decade in the majors, 2015 MVP Donaldson has only ever worn jerseys in the 20s; his favorite is clearly revealed by his Twitter handle @BringerOfRain20. But Donaldson was forced to add No. 28 when he joined the Yankees this season, as 20 was retired in 2015 in honor of Jorge Posada.
The resurgence of No. 28 wearers is a return to form for the jersey. After being the most worn number during both the 1990s and 2000s (in terms of total player seasons), it fell to No. 18 during the 2010s.
No. 28 might be in vogue now, but the mantle of “most popular number” is forever changing hands. During the 1930s, it was No. 24 that raced out to the lead, though it was more a question of quantity than quality. During the 1940s, No. 17 took the lead, followed by No. 15 in the 1950s. Since then it has been No. 23 (1960s) and No. 25 (1970s and ’80s) before the reign of No. 28 began.
Its decorated list features a multiple Cy Young winner (Kluber) and plenty of Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winners, like Arenado, Baez, Donaldson, Martinez and Olson. Jeter didn’t win any Cy Youngs, though there are probably some Yankees fans who think he could have if given the chance. But he did win five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers.
Jeter was one member of a wave of homegrown stars who formed the foundation of the championship Yankees teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was joined by Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada, among others. Rivera and Jeter are two of only 54 one-team Hall of Famers in baseball history, having gone into the Hall in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
These days, some of the AL’s top young players are also homegrown talents, starring for the team that developed them. An unusual number of those standouts happen to wear No. 11, a figure that is likely going to be featured on some of the iconic jerseys of this era.
#11
Jersey
No.
4
Avg.
Rank
379.7
total war
(rank: 5)
2.87
war/player
(rank: 3)
132
Total
Players
Jose Ramirez
Guardians third baseman
As a 10-year old in Bani, Dominican Republic, Ramirez watched from afar as hometown hero Miguel Tejada won the 2012 AL MVP. Nine years later, wearing Tejada’s No. 10, Ramirez began his two-year tear through Cleveland’s farm system. When brought up to the bigs, he settled for the next-best jersey, No. 11. That’s fitting — he’s actually on track to one-up Tejada.
Bo Bichette
Blue Jays shortstop
When Bichette joined the Blue Jays in 2019, he could have chosen numbers previously worn by two veterans he highly respected, Jose Bautista (19) and Josh Donaldson (20). Instead, he picked No. 11, which his father, Dante Bichette, wore for just one season — his first — with the Angels in 1988.
Rafael Devers
Red Sox third baseman
The Dominican Republic was once renowned for elite shortstops, not third basemen. But with Devers, Ramirez and Machado at the very top of the position, we could see the makings of a new trend. And if prospects start wearing Devers’ and Ramirez’s No. 11, we could have the makings of a new infographic.
Jorge Polanco
Twins second baseman
Polanco had an up-and-down start in Minnesota. In 2014 at age 20, he was up for five games, then sent down. In 2015, he was up four, and back down. But 69 games in 2016 constituted his last split schedule. Now nine seasons in, all in No. 11, he’s the longest-tenured Twin and a locked-in starter.
Brett Gardner
free agent outfielder
The veteran outfielder has been a mainstay in the Bronx since he was 24 years old. He entered free agency after 2021, and though other teams have reportedly offered him contracts, Gardner has turned them all down in hopes of finishing his career as the Yanks’ only wire-to-wire No. 11.
There is something to this notion of homegrown talent, at least in terms of winning at the highest level. Nine of the past 11 World Series champs have featured a homegrown WAR leader. For the Yankees, it has been a virtual necessity to feature a homegrown player as the cornerstone on a title team.
It didn’t start out that way, as the first four Yankees championships featured Ruth as their WAR leader. That was the aftermath of baseball’s most famous transaction — the one in which the Red Sox sold Ruth to their rivals in New York. However, the Yankees have won 23 titles since Ruth retired. All but two of those championship clubs have featured a homegrown Yankee atop its WAR leaderboard.
The exceptions were Red Ruffing (1938 WAR leader, came up with the Red Sox) and Graig Nettles (1977, played for Minnesota and Cleveland before moving to the Yankees). Each of the 21 other post-Ruth champions featured a WAR leader who made his MLB debut in a Yankees uniform. Three times it was Jeter filling that role (1998, 1999 and 2009).
All of this bodes well for this year’s Yankees, who are on a record pace for wins. Their WAR leader is AL MVP candidate Aaron Judge, who was a first-round draft pick by New York in 2013.
As Jeter neared the end of his career and ultimately retired, a new generation of stars were making their own ways to the top of the MLB pecking order. While it might not be a case of simply doubling up on Jeter’s No. 2, the double-deuce has risen in prominence perhaps more than any other since the advent of Jeter. While numbers in the single digits and teens have traditionally been the domain of hitters, pitchers have dominated uniforms bearing numbers in the 30s and 40s. No. 22 has become increasingly a mix of both. Ten of the 13 30-homer seasons from No. 22s have come since Jeter debuted, while 17 of the 18 200-strikeout seasons have come during the Captain’s era.
#22
Jersey
No.
4.5
Avg.
Rank
446.2
total war
(rank: 4)
2.49
war/player
(rank: 5)
179
Total
Players
Clayton Kershaw
Dodgers pitcher
Kershaw wore No. 54 for one start before pinch-hitting specialist Mark Sweeney rose to the moment and gave the 20-year-old rookie No. 22. Kershaw had worn the number playing travel ball back home in Texas to honor his hero, “Rangers’ Will Clark,” he clarified for Dodgers fans. “Not Giants’ Will Clark.”
Andrew McCutchen
Brewers designated hitter
McCutchen always coveted Ken Griffey Jr.’s No. 24 but was given No. 22 as a rookie. After a smashing debut season in which he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, he kept 22 for the majority of the next 14 seasons. When he landed with Milwaukee in the offseason, he finally, at age 34, was able to nab The Kid’s 24.
Christian Yelich
Brewers outfielder
Yelich, who wore No. 21 with Miami, adopted 22 with Milwaukee and promptly became the 2018 National League MVP. After Yelich broke a kneecap late in 2019, sympathetic teammate Ryan Braun wore Yelich’s 22 under his jersey and went on an MVP-like tear. Over the final 13 games Braun hit .325 with a .725 slugging percentage.
Jason Heyward
Cubs outfielder
Heyward has worn No. 22 every season to honor a high school friend who died in their senior year. In 2015, Heyward’s one season with the Cardinals, manager Mike Matheny gladly surrendered No. 22 (his own favorite) and was rewarded with Heyward batting .293 with 23 steals, both career highs.
Sandy Alcantara
Marlins pitcher
Alcantara hasn’t just made a name for himself in Miami, he has made a number. In the Marlins’ 30-year history, 15 players have worn No. 22. The first 14 combined for a 4.9 WAR over 19 seasons; Alcantara, the current No. 22, has a 13.3 WAR with the Marlins midway through his fifth season.
Juan Soto
Nationals outfielder
Soto has worn No. 22 for all four seasons in the bigs, but he’s @juansoto_25 on social media. Does he not want followers? Is he unaware of his own jersey? Did he sign up late after all the good @juansoto22s were taken? Turns out Soto joined too early, attaching his 2015 instructional league number to his handle.
While some of the decorated No. 22s of recent vintage have made their marks in the postseason, none of them have built anything close to the playoff resume that Jeter compiled over 16 postseasons with the Yankees. That’s not an insult to them because Jeter’s playoff record is one of the more staggering elements of his Hall of Fame career.
Jeter played an entire extra season just in playoff games, appearing in a record 158 postseason contests, 33 more than any other player. He’s also the all-time playoff leader in hits, runs, total bases and doubles. It wasn’t just volume. Jeter compiled a .817 OPS during his regular-season career. At playoff time, against tougher competition and when the stakes were at their highest, that figure was .838.
The 22s can’t match Jeter in October yet. Soto has a title under his belt already after hitting three homers for Washington in the 2019 Fall Classic. Heyward will forever be remembered for the ring he won with the 2016 Cubs. And Kershaw? Sure, his postseason career has been full of ups and downs, but he is the all-time playoff leader in strikeouts.
For reasons that go way beyond baseball and merchandise sales, No. 42 is baseball’s most iconic number, the only retired jersey in every MLB ballpark. Jackie Robinson, the man responsible for that, is fittingly also the all-time WAR leader for players wearing that number, followed by Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera. Now that the last of No. 42 bearers is retired, this is one leaderboard that is never going to change. That’s as it should be.
The heyday for No. 42 in the years after Robinson retired was the 1970s, when players wearing the historic number accounted for 166 player seasons. As was the convention of the day, it was mostly a pitcher’s number during those years, but some non-pitchers wore it, like slugger Greg Luzinski and future manager Tony La Russa.
There was also a player who wore No. 42 in six games for Cleveland in 1974. That player’s name was Johnny Jeter. Sadly, there is no relation.
No. 24 has seen three greats pile up more than 100 career WAR, including Barry Bonds, fourth all time, fifth-place Willie Mays and Rickey Henderson (19th). However, while Mays spent nearly his entire career making No. 24 famous, Bonds switched to No. 25 after he signed with the Giants, and Henderson switched numbers several times during his never-ending career.
Still, No. 24 has featured an unusual frequency of All-Star-level seasons, with 104 seasons of at least 5 WAR being posted by players while wearing that number. That’s second among all numbers, surpassed only by No. 5.
One of those All-Stars was Ken Griffey Jr., whose No. 24 is retired at all levels of the Seattle Mariners organization. On the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s major league debut, April 15, 1997, and again on the same day in 2007, Griffey honored Robinson by switching his 24 to 42. The gesture forged the path for every player to wear 42 on his back every April 15.
Produced by ESPN Creative Studio: Michelle Bashaw, Matt Becker, Dominique DeMoe, Heather Donahue, Jarret Gabel, Alecia Hamm, Sean Hintz, Luke Knox, Rylee McIver and Beth Stojkov.
Written by Bradford Doolittle.
Illustrations by Brandon Loving. Additional visuals from AP Images, Getty Images, Imagn.