New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has called on the ballclub to make retired captain Derek Jeter their last on-field leader.

There have been 11 Yankee captains in the franchise's storied history, and Cashman said none have epitomised the role like Jeter had - and wants the role extinguished in honour of the departed slugger.

Cashman, speaking on ESPN Radio on Thursday, said that the franchise's tradition of naming a captain should end when it decides to retire Jeter's number two.

"As far as I'm concerned, and I'm not the decision maker on this, that captaincy should be retired with number two," Cashman said. 

"I wouldn't give up another captain's title to anyone else."

That decision lies in the hands of ownership, according to Cashman. He said it would be difficult to envision another player as captain because Jeter was "so perfect" for the role.

"Leadership comes in a lot of forms," Cashman added. "It would be a hard one to anoint someone captain regardless of how great they might be."

Jeter was the longest-tenured captain in Yankees history, serving from June 3, 2003 until he retired after the 2014 campaign. With five World Series titles and a franchise-record 3,465 hits, his resume is among the most impressive in the club's existence.

The Yankees announced in February they will retire the numbers of Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams this summer. They have not made official plans to retire Jeter's shirt number.

The New York Daily News compiled a timeline of Yankees captains since 1922, a list that includes the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson and Don Mattingly, among others.