MLB Playoffs: The Biggest Heroes of the Last 20 Years
By Brad Rowland
Derek Jeter
Simply put, this was the easiest inclusion on this list. Derek Jeter leads all MLB players in postseason games played (158), postseason at-bats (650), postseason runs scored (111), postseason hits (200), postseason total bases (302), postseason doubles (32), postseason triples (5) and postseason singles (143) while finishing in the top-6 in postseason walks (66), postseason RBI (61), postseason home runs (20) and postseason stolen bases (18).
Quite obviously, being a member of the Yankees for nearly two decades has a lot to do with those cumulative numbers, but the recently retired shortstop did finish with a career .308/.374//.465 slash line in the playoffs, and Jeter was also named the MVP of the 2000 World Series. In that series win over the Mets, Jeter went 9-for-22 with two home runs and two doubles (.409/.480/.864) slash line, and for the entirety of the 2000 playoffs, the “captain” produced a .998 OPS.
It can certainly be argued that Derek Jeter was never the best single player in baseball, but it also isn’t a full coincidence that his teams were seemingly always in the hunt. The 2000 World Series performance is the stuff of legend, but Jeter’s longevity is absurd, and he is a no-brainer member of this list.