Comparing MLB’s best players at every position from the 2000s and 2010s
Comparing the best MLB players of the 2000s and 2010s: Shortstop
Shortstop: Derek Jeter vs. Troy Tulowitzki
The big question here is: Does Alex Rodriguez count as a shortstop? If he does, he’d be the clear choice for the 2000s. However, we’re going to say no because he spent the majority of the decade at third base. That would seem to leave Derek Jeter as the obvious choice.
However, let’s not sleep on Miguel Tejada. Tejada has a huge edge over Jeter in home runs and RBIs. Yet Jeter had more hits and had a higher OPS. I think it’s closer than many people realize, but in the end, we have to go with Jeter. It’s also worth mentioning that Jimmy Rollins and Rafael Furcal had nice decades.
The 2010s really present a difficult decision, as there just aren’t any standouts. If we’re looking at WAR, Andrelton Simmons is actually the leader at 36.3, mainly on the strength of his defense, while Elvis Andrus was the hits leader. Do we go with one of them? Do we go with Troy Tulowitski, who started the decade off with a bang but then fell off the table? Do we go with Francisco Lindor, who is a star but only started playing in 2015?
Andrus never placed in MVP voting, while Simmons is a nice defensive player but doesn’t nearly have the bat to compare to Tulowitski or Lindor. Tulowitzki holds the edge in home runs, RBIs, and OPS. Lindor was the better all-around player during his time. It’s a very tough call. I’m going to go with Tulowitzki since he played in about a full season’s worth more of games. But I could easily be persuaded back to Lindor.
The fact that I agonized over a 2010s shortstop, compared to how strong a player Jeter was, seems to indicate that this is a pretty easy decision. The 2010s just don’t offer a shortstop that even comes close to doing what Jeter did over a full decade.