Happy Birthday to Derek Jeter, Hall of Fame Shortstop, who spent his entire 19-year career wearing the pinstripes.

Career Statistics/Accolades: (1995-2014)

.310 BA, 3,465 HITS, 260 HR, 1,311 RBI, 1,923 RUNS, .377 OBP

  • 14x All-Star
  • 5x Gold-Glove
  • 5x Silver Slugger
  • 5x World Series Champion
  • 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year

In my lifetime as a Yankee fan, Jeter is the greatest Yankee I ever saw play. He was the perfect Yankee at the perfect time. When he came up with the Yankees, the team was up in coming with many young players, and the team needed not just a new face of the franchise. In 1996, his first entire season with the team, he won Rookie of the Year, and the team, won its first of what would be five World Series over the next fourteen years. As a player, Jeter was a Hall of Famer, a lifetime .310 hitter, well over 3,465 career Hits, and 6th all-time. I would say Jeter had about thirteen years in which he was one of the top hitters in the league, as well as having multiple All-Star game appearances, World Series, Gold Gloves, and Silver Sluggers to his name. Career-wise, Derek Jeter rivals guys like Ernie Banks and Cal Ripken Jr as the second-greatest Shortstop to ever play.

Derek Jeter, throughout his career, was very durable, not only having the talent but also the exemplary character and discipline on and off the field to be the very best player and person he could be. That’s why he would later be named the Captain of the New York Yankees. At the plate, he was aggressive, swinging at most pitches either inside or very close to the strike zone. As a right-handed hitter, you’re most likely to pull the ball to left field, but Jeter, with his inside-out swing, was known for pulling balls to Center and Right Field. He also took advantage of the close Yankee stadium right field fence where he’d hit most of his Yankee stadium Home Runs. Playing the defensive Shortstop position, he positioned himself well for a quick release when he threw the ball and was also known for a “jump-throw,” leaping if throw to first base while running towards third base. While some saber-metrical darlings claim he was terrible defensively, while it at times was iffy, he took home five Gold Glove Awards. Also, if he was so bad defensively, why did he play 23,225.2 Innings at one position, never moving anywhere else, besides an occasional half day off at DH?

What made Derek Jeter great?

Well, if you asked that question to more than one person, you would get more than one answer for sure. My answer would be when it mattered most, Jeter was there. Part of being great is playing great in the big games. All those years when the Yankees were contenders and were in must-win games, Jeter was known for making a great defensive play or getting a clutch hit. With five World Series titles and seven World Series appearances, as well as being the Shortstop for the New York Yankees, Jeter was always in the spotlight and played great.

Postseason Stats: (158 Games)
.309 BA, 200 HITS, 20 HR, 61 RBI, 111 RUNS, .374 OBP

Jeter has the all-time postseason record in Games, Plate Appearances, At Bats, Hits, Runs, Doubles, and Triples. In the 2000 Subway series against the Mets, he was named the World Series MVP. Overall had Jeter played in a lesser market like Cleveland for his entire career, his career wouldn’t have been as dramatic. However, playing in the market that he did, for the competing team he was on, and in the position he played, Derek Jeter’s career is one of the better careers in baseball and sports history.

References:

  1. Derek Jeter Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jeterde01.shtml
  2. Derek Jeter via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Jeter