The Miracle Of Jeter-Ation

I will admit, this is not NEW news. However, as a life-long Yankees fan who came of age in the 1996-2000 era, I never even thought of this. But is Derek Jeter as good as everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) says he is? For years sportswriters have lauded the Yankees' captain as being a tremendous clutch hitter, a good, if not great, defensive shortstop, and the unquestioned leader on baseball's most recognizable team. It seems clear in recent years though that Jeter's offense is one-dimensional, his defense is truly sub-par, and his leadership skills do not mean as much with this group of Yankees.

Jeter is still undoubtably a valuable part of the Yankees' playoff hopes this year and for the foreseeable future but if you listen to the talking heads on ESPN or worse men like Tim McCarver, you would think Jeter puts up monster offensive numbers while playing Vizquel-esque defense. Whenever Jeter makes what appears to be a somewhat difficult play in the field you will hear, "And there goes Derek Jeter again, doing what he has done for more than a decade." However, what most sportscasters fail to realize is that Jeter lacks ANY range to his left and the one part of his defensive game that is really great plays better in center field than at shortstop (Jeter's ability to range for pop-ups is second to none among infielders). "But what about the Gold Gloves?!" Well, as anyone who really watches baseball will tell you, the best indicator of who will win this year's Gold Glove is who won last year's Gold Glove. It is just another example of baseball writers being ignorant.

Derek's ability to hit in the "clutch" is often cited as the reason why the 96-01 Yankees had almost unprecedented success. And I will admit, as a young fan, I bought into this nonsense. However, Jeter's offensive game is limited now to line drives and ground balls to the right side. This would be great if the Yankees utilized this talent when the leadoff man reaches base with a hit and run, but, instead, Jeter takes it upon himself to lay down more sacrifice bunts than any self-respecting American League two hitter should. His power, as limited as it was, has been sapped in recent years, and he does not handle the inside pitch well at all anymore.

Finally, Jeter's leadership may have been significant on the "Dynasty Era" teams, but this new generation of Yankee teams do not have the same makeup. The Yankee captain is now just a figure-head, as players like Alex Rodriguez and Joba Chamberlain have over-taken Jeter in terms of talent and in name recognition. With his massive production and marketability A-Rod, though not the fan's choice, is the man the Yankees are banking on for the next decade, not Jeter.

The mainstream media has always loved Derek Jeter. It's easy to. A young man who comes up and does nothing but win. What's not to love?! But for years, the media has ignored the obvious: Jeter, while a GREAT player who is a no-doubt Hall of Famer, is not the player he once was and has been surpassed by a number of other young players. It is time for the media to wake up and see Jeter for what he really is: A consistent average hitter with limited power and a downright terrible defensive shortstop.