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What is The Hudson?: How good is Derek Jeter?

Heegos Written by Heegos, Tuesday April 21 2009
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Just watch ESPN for more than five minutes and you'll know that Derek Jeter is the greatest shortstop of all-time.

OK, maybe not five minutes, and maybe not the greatest, but Jeter gets plenty of run on the "Worldwide Leader," as well as many other national and local platforms. The problem is, is Jeter really that good, or is it all a by-product of the Yankees hype machine?
 

Well, as "They" say, "The numbers don't lie."  Or do they…? Here is how Jeter stacks up against five of the 21 shortstops in the Hall of Fame. I chose to leave out Honus Wagner because, well, his number are just staggering, especially playing in the Dead-ball Era.


                       AVG     OBP    SLG      H        HR      RBI     RUNS     SB    SEA
Ernie Banks    .274     .333    .500    2,583    512    1,636    1,305       50     19
Derek Jeter     .316     .387    .458    2,535    206    1,002    1,467      275    14
Cal Ripken      .276     .340    .447    3,184    431    1,695    1,647       36     21
Phil Rizzuto     .273     .351    .355    1,588     38        563      877      149     13
Ozzie Smith    .262     .337    .328    2,460      28       793    1,257      580    19
Robin Yount    .285     .346    .430    3,142    251    1,406    1,632      271    20
        Jeter's stats are through 2008.


On the surface, Jeter's numbers hold up fine. He boasts the best batting average and doesn't finish as the bottom of any stat category. As any true baseball fan knows, it's not all about numbers. Let's see how Jeter fares in baseball lore compared to these other greats.

Ernie Banks
Mr. Cub is the one of the most successful power-hitting shortstops of all-time. His 512 home runs trails only Alex Rodriguez for most homers by a shortstop. (Both Banks and Rodriguez spent the majority of nine seasons at shortstop.) It's safe to say Jeter will not pass Banks in home runs, currently averaging 17 bombs a year. Jeter should finish his career with over 3,000 hits and 1,700 runs, and that’s if he just plays two more years at his current averages. The biggest disparity between Banks and Jeter is, of course, championship rings. Jeter's four trumps Banks none, hands down.

Cal Ripken Jr.
Ripken set the standard for the modern shortstop. At 6-4, 225, Cal may have been better suited for linebacker than shortstop. Ripken hit for power, batted in the middle of the lineup, and still had time to earn two Gold Gloves, all while playing every day. Jeter's power numbers and RBIs will never rival Ripken's, but Jeter's 275 stolen bases add an aspect to his game that Cal never had.

Phil Rizzuto
The original Yankee shortstop, Rizzuto's offensive numbers are fairly average. But it's hard to judge Rizzuto by his stats, especially since baseball-reference.com says his career numbers compare closely to those of Jose Offerman and Delino DeShields. No, Scooter was not an offensive juggernaut, but he did what baseball purists love the most: the little things. Rizzuto led the league in sacrifices from 1949-52 and played hard-nosed defense. The Rawlings Gold Glove Award was first given out in 1957, the season following Rizzuto's last game, so there's no telling how many times he would have earned the honor. Rizzuto's seven world titles and 1950 MVP award keep him in the conversation as the best Yankee shortstop. Oh, Phil also served two years in the navy during World War II.

Ozzie Smith
The Wizard of Oz sets the gold standard for defense at shortstop, literally. Smith won a record 13 Gold Glove's at his position, third all-time behind Greg Maddux (18) and Brooks Robinson (16). Smith's offensive numbers are less than stellar, but it was definitely his flashy glove that earned him his HoF honor. Though Bill James and friends may argue otherwise, Jeter has been know to flash the leather in the past.

Robin Yount
Yount and Jeter compare most favorably of the players listed here. Jeter should reach or come close to Yount's totals in hits, RBIs, home runs and runs. Yount is the most well-rounded Hall of Famer on the list, and Jeter is hot on his heels. One thing Yount has over Jeter is that Yount played his last nine seasons in center field, earning the second of his two MVP awards as an outfielder. That, and a sweet 'stache.

Defining Moments
Jeter has a number of defining moments throughout his career. First and foremost was the eighth inning home run in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles. Jeter's deep fly ball was ruled a home run after fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and brought the ball back with him into the stands. Along with "The Dive," Jeter's range and field savvy is best illustrated in what has come to be called "The Flip." He also earned the ominous nickname "Mr. November" in the 2001 World Series after he put a 3-2 Byung-Hyun Kim offering into the right field bleachers, winning the game in the tenth inning. It was MLB's first-ever non-exhibition game to be played after October.

Conclusion
There is no doubt Derek Jeter will end up in the Hall of Fame, and most likely on his first try. What is hard to determine is whether Jeter would have gotten the same publicity, or put up the same numbers, had he spent his entire career in Milwaukee or Minnesota. Jeter definitely benefited from hitting in a usually stacked Yankees lineup, and from the New York media monster, but he still deserves to be acknowledged as an all-time great. The Greatest Shortstop of All-Time? I'll leave that honor to Honus Wagner.


"What is The Hudson?" will be a semi-regular view on East Coast sports by a West Coast fan.
 


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