[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Duluth Eskimo

I would be happy to get 92 hits out of my shortstop by the all star break. I know the guy gets a lot of plate appearances, but there are few people I would rather have at the plate when I absolutely need a run. The guy is clutch and he will be missed. Oh, by the way he went 2 for 2 of the best the national league had to offer.

Jeter has been great throughout his career, and he's absolutely a Hall of Famer. I like Jeter. But if the best defense for him deserving an All Star birth this year is "well, he's got 92 hits", that's not very persuasive at all. There are five other shortstops in the American League with 92 or more hits. And if we're looking at numbers alone, again, there have been 11 other guys playing shortstop in the AL that have done more than Jeter. Shouldn't one of those guys that actually played better than Jeter deserve the recognition?

Jeter hit .272 in the first half. Jose Reyes hit about the same at .273. He hit 7 home runs to Jeter's 2. He hit 19 doubles to Jeter's 9. He scored 51 runs to Jeter's 31. And while Jeter stole 6 bases in 7 attempts, Reyes stole 17 in 18 tries. Jeter's OPS was .647 to Reyes' .738. Now, Reyes didn't have a gangbuster first half, but I think he was a better choice than Jeter. But the main point here is that we're not talking about Jeter or Reyes being voted in as a third shortstop. Jeter started.

If they wanted to make him an honorary captain or something, I've got no problem with that. But the All Star Game is supposed to recognize the best players in each league that season. Jeter has made the All Star team a million times before because he deserved to make them. The guy has been a great hitter, a good defensive catcher, and he's everything you could hope for in a team leader. He doesn't make a lot of noise, but he doesn't get in trouble either. He leads by example day after day. He's out there playing every single day. He rightly belongs in Cooperstown. I just don't think he deserved to be there this year. And, if he hadn't announced he was retiring after this year, he wouldn't have been voted into this game.