Ranking The Best Local Athletes In History By Jersey/Uniform Number: 29-20

By Daniel Friedman
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Continuing with our weekly rankings of the best local athletes by jersey/uniform number, here are numbers 29-20.

MORE: 99-90, 89-80, 79-70, 69-60, 59-50, 49-40, 39-30

29. Catfish Hunter, Yankees

The Hall of Fame pitcher won 63 games in five years in the Bronx. He was a two-time All-Star during his Yankees tenure.

Runner-up: Kenny Jonsson, Islanders

28. Curtis Martin, Jets

One of the better running backs of his era, Martin is the Jets' all-time rushing leader. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Runner-up: Sparky Lyle, Yankees

27. Scott Niedermayer, Devils

One of the best defensemen in NHL history, he helped the Devils win three Stanley Cups and won a fourth in Anaheim later on.

Runner-up: Rodney Hampton, Giants

26. Patrik Elias, Devils

He's the Devils' all-time leader in goals and points. At age 38, he hasn't slowed down much.

Runner-up: Dave Langevin, Islanders

25. Tommy John, Yankees

He's unfortunately more commonly known for having a surgery named after him, but he was a fine pitcher. The lefty was a two-time All-Star with the Yankees.

Runner-up: Bill Melchionni, Nets

24. Willie Mays, Giants/Mets

A no-brainer. "The Say Hey Kid" played a role in both eras of NL baseball in New York by becoming a Met in 1972. He's currently fourth on MLB's all-time home-run list and won 12 Gold Gloves during his career. Mays is one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- baseball players of all time.

Runner-up: Bill Bradley, Knicks

23. Don Mattingly, Yankees

Mattingly was a six-time All-Star and his No. 23 was retired by the Yankees after his playing career ended in 1995.

Runner-up: Bob Nystrom, Islanders

22. Mike Bossy, Islanders

Arguably the best pure goal scorer in NHL history, he was an instrumental part of the dynastic Islanders of the 1980s.

Runner-up: David DeBusschere, Knicks

21. Tiki Barber, Giants

The Giants' all-time leading rusher, he played nine seasons in New York and was a three-time Pro Bowler.

Runner-up: Paul O'Neill, Yankees

20. Jorge Posada, Yankees

He was behind the plate during four Yankees championship runs and had a fine career. Posada was a five-time All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award just as many times.

Runner-up: Jimmy Patton, Giants

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