Who can you compare Derek Jeter going back to 1869.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

I'm a New Yorker and not a Yankee fan and I have to admit that Jeter is truly a great player. As another poster wrote, his numbers as a shortstop and (mainly) a leadoff hitter have been fantastic. He's also a fine fielder, a very smart player and has intangibles out the a$$. He is a true winner who always gets the big hit and makes the big plays. You guys keep bringing up Mantle in your arguments against Jeter; uh, many people believe that Mantle was highly overrated due to the team he played for. Here's something to think about: after this year, Jeter will have had just two less seasons than Mantle of 100 RBI or more - and he's got a few years to catch Mantle. No doubt Mantle was the better offensive player and we never got to see what he was truly capable of over the long haul due to injuries and his drinking, but Jeter, as a shortstop, has damn good numbers over his career and is the consummate team player and winner. He's also going to end up with over 3000 hits - how many players in that club can we call overrated???