Jeter debate can rage forever, as he sits in Cooperstown
Here’s the thing about Derek Jeter: whatever you think about him as a baseball player, you are probably right.
Whether you think he’s the greatest winner of the modern era (five championships certainly nails down that title), or an exaggerated defender whose shortcomings were hidden by rings, trophies and superstardom (they were), you are correct. There’s room for nuance when discussing Jeter because of how long and eventful his career was.
You can appreciate the unrelenting greatness of the late ’90s and early 2000s while also lamenting the fact that his ego may have hamstrung the Yankees in later years. Moving the aging captain off of shortstop would have helped the team, and maybe even — gulp — DH’ing in the playoffs would have, too. That bullheadedness caused Jeter to play through a bone bruise that compromised his footwork and may have caused the broken ankle in the 2012 ALDS. That was the same season, though, when a 38-year-old Jeter hit .316, led the American League in hits and won his fifth Silver Slugger award. Again, nuance. He was undeniably great when he was great, and maddeningly frustrating when he wasn’t.
The times he wasn’t were few and far between, though, and mostly came on the defensive end. From 1996 to 2009, his first championship year to his last, Jeter ranked fifth in MLB in Wins Above Replacement. Only Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Chipper Jones and Albert Pujols were better, according to FanGraphs. While Jeter’s glove graded out negatively during that time, he was 26% better than the average major-league hitter, production topped only by Rodriguez among MLB shortstops. No shortstop hit for a higher average over that time than Jeter (.318), whose on-base percentage, yet again, fell short of only one man, who ended up playing on his right for 10 years.
Forget about the argument in favor of A-Rod playing short and Jeter moving to third for a second. It probably should have happened, yes, but Jeter’s defense isn’t what prevented those Yankees teams from getting over the championship hump for so long. There’s no six division titles in nine years without Jeter’s bat. There’s probably no Hideki Matsui, CC Sabathia or Mark Teixieira signings without Jeter’s magnetic presence, and there’s definitely no 2009 World Series.
Jeter’s heroics in October have been re-litigated to the point of exhaustion, but consider that in the 2009 postseason, the captain hit .355 with seven extra-base hits in 15 games. His “down” series during that playoff run — the sixgame ALCS against the Angels in which he hit .259 — still included a walk per game and a .394 on-base percentage. Jeter did that when he was 35, turning in a postseason perhaps only topped by one he had when he was 25. During the Yankees’ pennant march in 1999, their no-nonsense shortstop hit .386, collecting hits off fellow Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz along the way and stealing three bases in the World Series sweep for good measure.
Much like Michael Jordan, Jeter seemed to thrive off the idea of perceived doubt. He excelled in situations when many openly wondered if he had the fortitude to do so: carrying a team after Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neill started to decline, hitting .300 well into his thirties and, most importantly, getting another ring after the gilded run at the turn of the century. Sure, some of the Gold Gloves may have been undeserved, and several of his most iconic defensive highlights were a product of having limited range that made the plays appear more difficult. But no one in the modern era comes close to matching Jeter when it comes to unforgettable moments in the biggest spots, ones so memorable that they can be recalled just by their shorthands.
The leadoff homer. Mr. November. The Flip. And in classic Jeter fashion, the Jeffrey Maier, which was aided by something completely out of his control.
That is mostly the story of Derek Jeter’s career. He was an undeniably magnificent player who ascended to godlike status through the power of narrative and New York City. All he did was show up to work every day and do his job, while others declared him the second coming, the prodigal son or Mickey Mantle with better media training.
In reality, he is none of those things. Derek Jeter was a very good player who happened to be on some very great teams that allowed him to do very cool things in very big games. It’s also true that one-dimensional sluggers like Jeff Bagwell and Frank Thomas had careers that were better than or equal to Jeter’s, at least by Wins Above Replacement.
People can argue all they want (and they will) about whether Jeter was overrated, properly rated, or so scrutinized that he’s actually become underrated now. The beauty of it all, at least after this weekend, is that it really doesn’t matter. The bronze Jeter on his Hall of Fame plaque won’t be able to hear any of it.