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For a few years now there has been a debate about one of the most controversial players in baseball, Derek Jeter. Is the Yankee shortstop overrated or is he as good as everyone says? For years, ...

New York Yankees: Is Derek Jeter Overrated?

by Alex Geshwind (Analyst)

19

1061 reads

Opinion

August 09, 2008


For a few years now there has been a debate about one of the most controversial players in baseball, Derek Jeter.

Is the Yankee shortstop overrated or is he as good as everyone says?

For years, even as a Yankees fan, I was on the side of the people saying Jeter was overrated. Boy was I wrong. Below I will so, sabermetricly and objectively, that Derek Jeter is one of the top five offensive short stops of all time.

In an effort to identify sleepers for an ongoing draft of all-time greats, I was looking over a spreadsheet of wOBA leaders by position. Then I saw Jeter, sitting there, in the sixth spot. This was a surprise so I looked at who was above him. Here are the top 6 players:

1.       Alex Rodriguez

2.       Nomar Garciapara

3.       Arky Vughan

4.       Joe Cronin

5.       Honus Wagner

6.       Derek Jeter

So what does that mean? Well for one, it means Jeter is pretty good. But he has played during an offensive era right? Well lets look at league adjusted OPS for shortstops:

1.       Honus Wagner

2.       Alex Rodriguez

3.       Arky Vaughan

4.       Nomar Garciapar

5.       Ernie Banks

6.       Derek Jeter

So even when you league adjust, Jeter still cracks the top 6. Now I think the true ranking lies somewhere in between these numbers, especially at the top. However, this seems to show that Jeter is in fact one of the top shortstops in league history.

So let's take another look at a few of the guys ahead of Jeter. Nomar Garciapara has good numbers, yes, however the amount of time he’s missed do to injury and the fact that he only had a few really good years drop him down my list a bit. That would put Jeter in the top 5. So the list would go as follows.

1.       Alex Rodriguez

2.       Honus Wagner

3.       Arky Vaughan

4.       Ernie Banks

5.       Derek Jeter

That would put Jeter in the top 5 all time. Not overrated.

Now you can call on defense, and I will admit Jeter is not good defensively, but really what measures are you going to use. Quite simply at this time there isn’t an accurate measurement for defense that is commonly available.

So there you have it. Look at my argument. I just dont see how Jeter is overrated. He is a very good offensive shortstop, and he should be in the hall of fame.

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19 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Nick Tatum 11 months ago

    Jeter may not put up the same vintage numbers anymore, but he's still a baller, and there's no denying his career body or work!

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  2. Jean Kijewski 11 months ago

    How can you say that Jeter is not good defensively??? What other shortstop can field the ball and jump up as he spins around and gets the guy out at 1st?? And what about the play he made when he ran clear across the infield and threw the ball to Posada...that play saved a run!! Another example is the play he made when he landed in the seats, but he came out with the ball?? I know of no other shortstop who ever pulled off some of the plays that Jeter has. Absolutely, he's #ONE in my book!!!!

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    • RedSox Maniac 11 months ago

      I have to second that. Too many people go nuts over errors and overlook range, which there is currently no viable statistic to judge it.

      Range hurts players who can easily get to the ball but can't put out a good throw. Guys like Lugo, Renteria, and Freddie Sanchez get hurt by this count. As well as Jeter.

      I put Jeter in the top 10; he does sail the ball at times, but other teams aren't blessed with the great glove work of Jason Giambi. No if you'll excuse me, I gotta put Sarcasm back in his cage.

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  3. Ben Ernst 11 months ago

    i think jeter is overrated because he isnt even the best shortstop on his current team.

    In the past, there havent been that many great players at shortstop, until now. Guys like Jimmy Rollins, Jose Reyes, Michael Young, Miguel Tejada, Troy Tulowitzki, and Hanley Ramirez still have many years left in their careers and if they keep up the pace, are going to bury Jeters' offensive and defensive stats before their careers are over

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    • RedSox Maniac 11 months ago

      That's like saying Scottie Pippen is overrated because Michael Jordan plays the high guard.

      I get your second comment about the other great players, but the first was nonsense. An 8 year-old knows A-Rod is better than Jeter, and that argument above was already settled.

      At the same time, I see your argument on the other great players. Hanley and Tulowitzki will be amazing, Rollins and Reyes are already there, what I think maybe the settling point is 3,000 hits and the WS rings, which you can't take away from Jeter.

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    • Danni Lololo 11 months ago

      but jose reyes is immature. look at what he does. he annoys me so much

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  4. Detroit Sports Fan 11 months ago

    Jeter is good, but of course he is overrated

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  5. RedSox Maniac 11 months ago

    I only think he is overrated because of his contract ( 18 million ). But other than that, if the Yankees decide they don't want him, I'll take him in a heartbeat ( lesser money, but he's worth at least 11 mil).

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    • Jersey 11 months ago

      As a player, Jeter may not be worth 18 mil, but think of all the revenue he brings in. He is an incredibly huge draw, and he's one of the most recognizable players in sports. Baseball is a business, and 18 million is not a steep price to pay for a guy with this kind of popularity.

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  6. Alex Geshwind 11 months ago

    There is a very good stat to quantify range. Its called range factor. Jeter is consistently in the bottom few shortstops in the league.

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  7. Stuart Malec 11 months ago

    His 18 million is well deserved, he always plays consistant, he is a great leader, has a great attitude, and is clutch. He is so popular too and brings in so many fans just with by being there. What sells me for Jeter is his clutch ability though.

    This year is Jeter has his worst batting average in the .285 range. Not bad, but sub-par for Jeter. However with runners in scoring position his average goes up to about .320. Arod has around a 3.15 average but with RISP it goes all the way down to somewhere in the .250-.270 range. Jeter is clutch and A-rod isn't. He comes through when it counts and that's why he is more valuable to the team. A-rod needs to be traded for better pitching.

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    • Jean Kijewski 11 months ago

      AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    • Alex Geshwind 11 months ago

      First of all, where would the Yankees be without Alex Rodriguez? A run is a run, whenever it happens. Its the same. It just is.

      Second, look at the sample size for clutch at bats. Its too small to mean anything. Alex Rodriguez was better in the clutch last year. Jeter is this year. Its sutch a small sample size that it just becomes random.

      Third, do you know the OPS' of Arod and Jeter in the playoffs. They are .002 points off. Thats how close they are in the playoffs. Arod is way better in the non crapshoot playoffs.

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  8. Patrick SJ Read 11 months ago

    Jeter isn't overrated dude. His range, armstrength and offensee made him a top 3 ss league wide in the 90s...what is overrated is the expectation that Jeter will perform like he is still 25 yrs old. And even though older he can still make plays and throw balls for outs that others still can not.

    He is rock solid now, he makes some plays he shouldnt make; and misses some he shouldnt miss but his range and offense still make him a plus rating.

    now, aboyut Jeter's competitve drive that leads a whole team to do and play better - value or no?

    a slight losing slump shouldnt make fans so finicky - not exaclty the author I am talking about, but an overall sense of dread. it is the yankees we are talking about here. and they were 7 out this time last year.

    now the rotation and offense are a mess...as is the BP - NY talked to Freddie Garcia the other day - he isnt ready to ptich this year. dont bet on prospects for a trade either...see CC. we need a free agent or someone from within ASAP/

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    • Alex Geshwind 11 months ago

      Im not saying hes overrated, that was kind of the point of the article, that offensively hes one of the best shortstops ever. Defensively however he is below average. His range factor is consistently in the lower part of the league, aside from like 2004 and 2005. Im not panicking, I think Jeter is still pretty good, but hes doesn't have good range, thats all im saying.

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  9. Michael Schlossberg 11 months ago

    Derek Jeter plays for the Yankees, therefore expectations are higher and also he won 4 championships in his first 5 seasons... Jeter has done everything in his career, he consistently get's 200 hits, usually posts a .300 average... he is having a down year, ofcourse I will admit that... but to say DJ is overrated just simply is not accurate..

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  10. Robert Nelson 11 months ago

    NO ONE, PERIOD, goes to right field like Pete Rose went to left field batting lefty. Over-rated? Over-hyped? Just Jeter being Jeter. Every at bat is the same. I've done this a million times before. I know what you're thinking. He's NOT getting old, he's doing his job.

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  11. Tom Shile 10 months ago

    Completely Overrated.

    A great player is great no matter where they are. If Jeter was on another team and not the Yankee's or dated starlets, no one would know who he is. His off field situations are what boost his on field mediocrity. Always has, always will.

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  12. Nick V 10 months ago

    He will finish his career to be one of three players with 4000 hits, has an above .300 batting average, and to say he is not a good fielder is absolutely dumb. He is at the top almost every year. He has a great arm makes amazing plays and has a gold glove under his belt.

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