Posted By:
Al C.risafulliJeter is a monster. Period.
You can quote me all the Bill James stats you want. You can tell me he's a defensive liability and not even the best shortstop on his team. You can point to Bernie Williams and tell me he's got better postseason numbers with half the hype (which is true). You can even point out that stats would indicate that Jeter is not the "clutch" performer that people say he is.
But when Jeter goes into the HOF, which he will, people will talk about what he meant to these teams he's been on - and NOT his statistics. I watch this guy play every day. For the past 11 years, there has ALWAYS been a Yankee I liked better - Paul O'Neill, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera. But the bottom line is this: Derek Jeter takes all the hype, all the media and fan scrutiny, all the pressures of playing for George Steinbrenner's Yankees, all the pressure of the EXPECTATIONS of winning the World Series every year, and consistently delivers. He's been a rock in that lineup since 1996, he's one of the most fundamentally sound players in the game, and he's a superstar.
No, he's not Michael Jordan. He's not Gretzky. He's not Pujols.
But you can throw all sorts of "close and late" numbers and sabermetric stats out the window with Jeter. Because when the Yankees desperately need a guy to come from out of nowhere, catch an errant throw and dish a shovel pass off to Posada, Jeter is there. When the Yankees need someone to dive face-first into the stands to catch a foul pop and inspire his team, Jeter is there. When the Yankees need someone to hit a leadoff home run in the Subway Series to get his team sparked, Jeter is there. And when they need someone to calmly go 5-for-5 and then deflect all the praise to his teammates, Jeter is there.
If I'm building a new franchise today, Derek Jeter is the first guy I take. Not because I'm a Yankee homer, but because I want my first guy to be a leader who understands the importance of a team game - and can consistently deliver fundamentals at a very high level.
Ozzie Smith? Great player, HOFer. Not in Jeter's league.
-Al