Derek Jeter: Power Ranking the New York Yankees Captain in 3,000-Hit Club

Wow! Talk about doing it in style!

As all MLB fans—diehard and otherwise—know by now, Derek Sanderson Jeter went 5-for-5 on Saturday to lead his New York Yankees to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. More importantly, he ended the 3,000-hit vigil and officially joined only 27 players in the history of Major League Baseball in the 3,000-hit club.

Fittingly, the Yankees captain delivered in the clutch to knock in the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth, and he watched longtime teammate Mariano Rivera shut the door in the ninth.

Somewhat ironically, Jeter—who has good pop for a shortstop, but is not known by any means as a home run hitter—achieved the milestone with a homer to left in the third. The only other member of the club to reach his milestone on a long ball was another guy known primarily as a singles hitter, Wade Boggs.

Congrats, Derek, but it's now time to put your career (so far) in perspective.

Of the 28 members of the 3,000-hit club (a club not quite as exclusive as the 500-HR club, but a little harder to join than Sam's Club), where does the captain rank as an all-around player?

The following slideshow will attempt to do just that, although there is no single stat (yes, I know there's WAR, and all's fair in love and WAR, but...) to do it.

Instead, the following ranking is the culmination of number-crunching, the eye test (admittedly, hard to do for guys like Cap Anson and Honus Wagner) and a feel for the game and its history.

Enjoy, and as always, feel free to enter the debate, passionately and respectfully.

Some stats were culled from Baseball-Reference.com.

28. Rafael Palmeiro

Total Hits: 3,020

Years: 1986-2005

Team(s): Multiple

Key Stats: .288 BA , 569 HR, 1,835 RBI

Being ranked No. 28 out of 28 seems a little harsh, but keep in mind that everyone on this list is either in the Hall of Fame, about to be (Craig Biggio) or kept out for other reasons (Pete Rose and Mr. Palmeiro.)

Palmeiro was a sweet-swinging first baseman who somewhat inexplicably (well, it is explicable) put up great power stats later in his career.

Interestingly, he was only named to four All-Star teams.

27. Paul Waner

Total Hits: 3,152

Years: 1926-45

Team(s): Multiple; Best Years with Pittsburgh Pirates

Key Stats: .333 BA, 113 HR, 1,309 RBI, 1,627 R

"Big Poison" was listed at 5'8", 153 pounds, which would make him only a little venomous today. His brother, Lloyd (aka "Little Poison") was a teammate and fellow Hall of Famer.

26. Craig Biggio

Total Hits: 3,060

Years: 1986-2007

Team(s): Houston Astros

Key Stats: .281 BA, 291 HR, 1,175 RBI, 1,844 R, 414 SB

The career Astro was a scrappy second baseman who could do a bit of everything quite well. Expect this "Killer Bee" to make the Hall of Fame very early in his eligibility.

25. Paul Molitor

Total Hits: 3,319

Years: 1978-98

Team(s): Multiple

Key Stats: .306 BA, 234 HR, 1,307 RBI, 1,782 R, 504 SB

Often injured in his early days with the Milwaukee Brewers, "The Ignitor," almost improbably, had a brilliant career helped by its longevity.

He was a smart, resourceful player who was a hit machine well into his 30s and beyond.

24. Dave Winfield

Total Hits: 3,110

Years: 1973-95

Team(s): Multiple; Most Identifiable with the Yankees or the Padres

Key Stats: .283 BA, 465 HR, 1,833 RBI, 1,669 R, 223 SB

Winfield was one of the greatest, and most graceful, natural athletes to ever play the game.

A hoops star at the University of Minnesota, Big Dave was drafted by at least three major sports.

23. Eddie Murray

Total Hits: 3,255

Years: 1977-97

Team(s): Multiple; Best Years Were with the Baltimore Orioles

Key Stats: .287 BA, 504 HR, 1,917 RBI, 1,627 R, 110 SB

Murray is one of only four players to be a part of both the 3,000-hit club and the 500-HR club. That takes longevity and brilliance to accomplish.

The other three? Rafael Palmeiro, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

22. Lou Brock

Total Hits: 3,023

Years: 1961-79

Team(s): St. Louis Cardinals, After a Couple Years with the Chicago Cubs

Key Stats: .293 BA, 149 HR, 900 RBI, 1,610 R, 938 SB

Lou Brock (yes, his name even sounds rapid) changed the game with his burning speed and cerebral approach to baserunning.

Do you think the Cubs regret trading him for Ernie Broglio?

21. Cap Anson

Total Hits: 3,418

Years: 1871-97

Team(s): 22 (of 27) Years with Cubs

Key Stats: .334 BA, 97 HR, 2,075 RBI, 1,999 R, 277 SB

I wonder if Anson regretted not touching home plate that 2,000th time.

He was listed at 6'0", 227 pounds; that's a big man for the 19th century, and not exactly tiny for the 21st.

20. Wade Boggs

Total Hits: 3,010

Years: 1982-99

Team(s): Multiple; Best Years Were with the Boston Red Sox

Key Stats: .328 BA, 118 HR, 1,014 RBI, 1,513 R

One of the great pure hitters to play the game, the superstitious Boggs won five batting titles in his first seven years (and four in a row) with the Red Sox.

19. Tony Gwynn

Total Hits: 3,141

Years: 1982-2001

Team(s): San Diego Padres

Key Stats: .338 BA, 135 HR, 1,138 RBI, 1,383 R, 319 SB

If you saw Gwynn play, you would not be surprised that this hitting machine won eight NL batting titles.

You may have forgotten about his early years, when he was relatively svelte and could really motor. He won four Gold Gloves and once swiped 56 bases (1987).

18. Derek Jeter

Total Hits: 3,003*

Years: 1995-present

Team(s): Yankees

Key Stats: .312 BA, 237 HR, 1,159 RBI, 1,727 R, 331 SB

Jeter has won (if somewhat controversially) five Gold Gloves and much more famously, five world championships.

Not only has he been the enduring symbol of the modern Yankees, and a great ambassador for the game, but look at his career stats again...quite impressive!

*July 10, 2011

17. Robin Yount

Total Hits: 3,020

Years: 1974-93

Team(s): Milwaukee Brewers

Key Stats: .285 BA, 251 HR, 1,406 RBI, 1,632 R, 271 SB

Rockin' Robin came up as an 18-year-old, ready-for-prime-time shortstop and exited as a still-rangy center fielder, all with the Brewers.

Yount garnered two MVP awards in his fine career.

16. Pete Rose

Total Hits: 4,256

Years: 1963-86

Team(s): Multiple; Best (and Worst?) Years Were with the Cincinnati Reds

Key Stats: .303 BA, 160 HR, 1,314 RBI, 2,165 R, 198 SB

The all-time hits leader was one of the fiercest competitors that the diamond has ever seen...just ask poor Ray Fosse.

Among other things, Rose won three batting titles as a Red.

15. Rod Carew

Total Hits: 3,053

Years: 1967-85

Team(s): Minnesota Twins and California Angels; Best Years Were with the Twins

Key Stats: .328 BA, 92 HR, 1,015 RBI, 1,424 R, 353 SB

Carew was a great technician at the plate who made the AL All-Star team every year except for his final one. From 1972-1978, Carew won six out of seven AL batting crowns. The other year? He slumped to .331.

14. Carl Yastrzemski

Total Hits: 3,419

Years: 1961-83

Team(s): Boston Red Sox

Key Stats: .285 BA, 452 HR, 1,844 RBI, 1,816 R, 168 SB

Yaz won three batting crowns, and won the MLB Triple Crown in 1967. He was also an excellent left fielder, who really understood how to contend with the Green Monster.

13. Al Kaline

Total Hits: 3,007

Years: 1953-74

Team(s): Detroit Tigers

Key Stats: .297 BA, 399 HR, 1,583 RBI, 1,622 R, 137 SB

Historically, perhaps an underrated right fielder, who won a batting title at age 20, and won 10 Gold Gloves.

12. Cal Ripken Jr.

Total Hits: 3,184

Years: 1981-2001

Team(s): Baltimore Orioles

Key Stats: .276 BA, 431 HR, 1,695 RBI, 1,647 R, 36 SB

In a strange way, his monumental streak of consecutive games may have overshadowed how great of an all-around player this Orioles legend truly was. 

Ripken is known by most as a great offensive shortstop, but how about his defense? He led AL shortstops in fielding percentage four times, and his career defensive WAR (17.6) is the 10th highest all time for any position.

11. Eddie Collins

Total Hits: 3,315

Years: 1906-30

Team(s): Split Between the Philadelphia A's and Chicago White Sox

Key Stats: .337 BA, 47 HR, 1,300 RBI, 1,821 R, 741 SB

If you're looking for a second baseman for your all-time team, you can't get much better than Collins.

Check out that picture. Doesn't he just look like Central Casting's heady, scrappy player?

In his career, he is credited with 1,499 bases on balls against only 360 strikeouts.

10. George Brett

Total Hits: 3,154

Years: 1973-93

Team(s): Kansas City Royals

Key Stats: .305 BA, 317 HR, 1,596 RBI, 1,583 R, 201 SB

Brett's three batting crowns came in three different decades: 1976, 1980 and 1990.

George put up amazing numbers in the regular season, and then took his game to even higher levels (.337/.397/.627) in the postseason.

9. Roberto Clemente

Total Hits: 3,000

Years: 1995-present

Team(s): Pittsburgh Pirates

Key Stats: .317 BA, 240 HR, 1,305 RBI, 1,416 R, 83 SB

If you think of a player who was just beautiful to watch, Clemente would be at the top of the list.

His life ended much too soon (at age 38) while on a humanitarian mission.

The four-time batting champ was coming off a season in which he batted .312, and he had won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves.

8. Nap Lajoie

Total Hits: 3,242

Years: 1896-1916

Team(s): Split Between Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia A's

Key Stats: .338 BA, 82 HR, 1,599 RBI, 1,504 R, 380 SB

Simply, one of the greatest turn-of-the-century (that century) ballplayers to lace them up.

In 1901 (with the Philadelphia A's), Nap led the AL in runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBI, BA (.426), OBP, slugging and, of course, OPS and OPS+. We're not sure if he got a raise for the next year but probably not (he didn't lead in triples after all).

Another amazing stat? He was credited with nine strikeouts that year in 582 plate appearances. Nine. That's a good series for Mark Reynolds.

7. Rickey Henderson

Total Hits: 3,055

Years: 1979-2003

Team(s): Multiple; Best Years Were Probably with the Oakland A's

Key Stats: .279 BA, 297 HR, 1,115 RBI, 2,295 R, 1,406 SB

Rickey may have been a third-person talking egomaniac, but what a player and leadoff hitter he was.

Considered by many to be the greatest spark plug ever, his record of 1,406 stolen bases looks very safe.

6. Tris Speaker

Total Hits: 3,514

Years: 1907-28

Team(s): Multiple; Great Years with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox

Key Stats: .345 BA, 117 HR, 1,529 RBI, 1,882 R, 436 SB

In his career, the "Grey Eagle" struck out only 283 times, while drawing 1,381 walks.

5. Stan Musial

Total Hits: 3,630

Years: 1941-63

Team(s): St. Louis Cardinals

Key Stats: .331 BA, 475 HR, 1,951 RBI, 1,949 R, 78 SB

Musial won seven batting titles, led the league in RBI twice and five times in runs. He won three MVP awards and finished second four other times. Is there any wonder he was nicknamed "The Man"?

4. Honus Wagner

Total Hits: 3,420

Years: 1897-1917

Team(s): All but First Few Years Spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates

Key Stats: .328 BA, 101 HR, 1,733 RBI, 1,739 R, 723 SB

The "Flying Dutchman," considered by many to be the greatest shortstop to ever play, won eight NL batting crowns from 1900-11.

3. Ty Cobb

Total Hits: 4,191

Years: 1905-28

Team(s): All but Last Two Years Spent with the Detroit Tigers

Key Stats: .366 BA, 117 HR, 1,938 RBI, 2,246 R, 897 SB

The Georgia Peach, a most ferocious competitor, won 11 AL batting crowns in a 13-year stretch from 1907-19.

2. Hank Aaron

Total Hits: 3,771

Years: 1905-28

Team(s): All but Last Two Years Spent with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves

Key Stats: .305 BA, 755 HR, 2,297 RBI, 2,174 R, 240 SB

Even if he did not hit 755 home runs, Aaron would be on a very short list of the greatest players to ever play.

No. 44 was a true five-tool player who did everything quite well, and as classy a player as the game has ever seen.

Much of the same can be said about the No.1 player of the 3,000-hit club...

1. Willie Mays

Total Hits: 3,283

Years: 1951-73

Team(s): All but Last Two Years Spent with the New York/San Francisco Giants

Key Stats: .302 BA, 660 HR, 1,903 RBI, 2,062 R, 338 SB

Has there ever been a player that brought more sheer exuberance and talent to the ballpark than the "Say Hey Kid"? Doubtful.

Of course, his game had every bit as much substance as style, which was considerable.

Among many other things, Willie won four consecutive stolen base titles and 12 consecutive Gold Gloves.

He did almost everything better than almost anyone who has ever played the game.

Now, it's your turn?

Whether you agree or disagree with the rankings, please be heard and read below.

Once again, congrats to Derek Jeter for earning his way into this most impressive 3,000-hit club.