Derek Jeter is an eternal lock to get in the MLB Hall of Fame. As the elaborate love affair and retirement acknowledgements occurred in every city the New York Yankees visited this season, I pondered those enraptured with Jeter’s legacy. It’s not only fans, but MLB’s offices and teams abound.
Is Derek Jeter an unequivocal shortstop among peers or did playing in New York embellish his premier labeling? The answer lies somewhere in the median.
Michael Jordan, a friend of Jeter’s and business associate (Jeter wears Brand Jordan gear), left the NBA as its greatest player. There will always be arguments, but none of them concern opponents or teams during Jordan’s era. Playing in the most competitive timeframe of NBA basketball, MJ had no equals.
There have always been equals or superiors to Jeter at the shortstop position. He’s simply been on national TV and won more often than any of them.
If Derek Jeter played in a different American League city for his career, odds are he wouldn’t sniff postseason baseball as often as he did. Unless you think Jeter’s personal 71.8 WAR lifts sub-par, cellar dwelling organizations single-handedly. Then you’re certifiably biased as such points of contention bear no merit.
Think of Minnesota, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Oakland, Texas, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Toronto. Jeter’s presence wouldn’t magically transform perennial bottom feeders into World Series champions. My apologies if that dispels any myths about #2’s transcendent winning intangibles.
The 1990s and 2000s Yankees replicated what New York teams did from the 1920s through the 1970s in terms of postseason appearances and World Series feats. Jeter was team captain, had a tireless work ethic, and flair for the dramatic that arose in timely fashion. His postseason opus from 1996-2004 alone would constitute a fine big league career.
Jeter never won an MVP (JustinMorneau edged him in 2006), batting title, orwas consideredMLB’s best player any time during his career. Yet, he never toiled in subterfuge playing on contending New York teams.
A first rounder taken out of high school, Jeter’s two decade Yankees career is chock-full with achievement personally and collectively. He’s won Rookie of the Year, World Series MVP, All Star Game MVP, Golden Gloves, and Silver Sluggers. He’s lauded for being PED free, charitable endeavors, and evading negative transgressions off the field.
He’ll finish a career batting over .300 with nearly 3,500 hits. Jeter has the most hits for a permanent shortstop and succeeded Lou Gehrig as the Yankees hit king. He’s sixth on MLB’s all time hits ledger. A model of consistency and durability, he regularly played upwards of 150 games at short, but Cal Ripken Jr. has the market cornered in that respect.
Jeter’s name became synonymous with October baseball in this era. He played a regular season’s worth of playoff games in his career (158) and is the only man in baseball with 200 playoff hits.
His 11 seasons of at least 190 hits trail only Pete Rose and Ty Cobb in that category. Not a bad thing to come in third in a stat which collates MLB’s lone two 4,000 hit members.
The Yankees made it look simple from 1996-2001, but Jeter’s fifth title in 2009 made him one for his last 14 seasons. From there, he’s witnessed fellow teammates Andy Pettite, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera retire. In recent seasons, he’s battled more injuries and remained at shortstop. He churned out an impressive 38-year-old season before fracturing his ankle in the 2012 playoffs, which all but eradicated 2013.
Now in 2014, despite a .257 batting average and recent 0-for-28 slump, which neared his career worst (an 0-for-32 string in 2004), Jeter’s farewell tour is a gob of nostalgic sentimentality. It’s overdone and unnecessary, but so it goes. The 40-year-old has factually been more of a detriment than a benefit for a Yankees team not playoff bound for two years straight.
Perhaps it’s all deserving and perchance it’s not. Who’s to say inserting Barry Larkin, Ernie Banks, Ripken Jr., Robin Yount, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Troy Tulowitzki, or Hanley Ramirez in his stead wouldn’t produce comparable results? For instance, Edgar Renteria had two World Series-winning hits to his name. Renteria, not Jeter, is on a list with Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig for being clutch in his own right.
Jeter was a valuable part of a Yankees dynasty without question. I refuse to believe a career in Oakland would have concluded with a farewell tour and cart ride around beaten up O.Co Coliseum. Ambivalent notions concerning his eminence in the game should persist. What cannot be expunged is that Derek Jeter maximized his talent, circumstances, and environment where he spent a Hall of Fame career.
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