Jeter’s Consistency

The name Derek Jeter brings many thoughts to so many people who follow baseball. For those with pinstriped thoughts, the mention of Jeter evokes words like clutch, leader, classy, captain, and, in some misguided circles, perfect. In the non-pinstriped world, far different words are bandied about such as over-hyped, poor defender, average, and, at best, a good player surrounded by great players. There is a problem with both schools of thought. While there is an element of truth to both sides, essentially both are wrong. Derek Jeter is not the perfect player or the perfect person; he would likely be the first to admit that. He doesn’t always come through in clutch situations; the numbers show that. He isn’t the best defensive shortstop in the game; he never was. But, the idea that he is an over-hyped, average player is also quite wrong. If anything, Jeter may have been a bit undervalued around the game in an era of illegally inflated statistics while being over-exposed by a media thirsting for a clean-cut, New York athlete who has been on winning teams since the day he entered the Major Leagues. Yes, the Baseball World has been at odds with what to make of Derek Jeter since the day his 1996 Rookie of the Year campaign. In an honest moment, as Jeter completes his 14^th full season, even the most strident of Jeter detractors are starting to realize that Jeter is no longer that supposedly overrated player, but a certain Hall of Famer.

The Numbers Becoming Too Much to Ignore

For years, Derek Jeter was labeled as an average player who was simply over-exposed and spoken of with hyperbole. Yes, Jeter didn’t put up power numbers like Miguel Tejada did for a while. He didn’t hit .360 and slug close to .600 like Nomar Garciaparra did for a time. No, instead, Jeter continued to excel at one thing. In fact, he can be called legendary at this. While the “super power” shortstops had a couple of good seasons, Jeter was elite at being consistent. A look at his statistics illustrates that consistency. For instance, he has hit over .300 in 11 of his 14 full seasons. In his three other seasons, he’s hit .290 or above. He has posted on base percentages over .370 in 12 of his 14 seasons, with the other two seasons above .350. He has slugged over .450 in 10 seasons while posting at least 10 homeruns and 11 stolen bases in every season. Perhaps the most telling statistic is the fact that he has played at least 148 games in every season, but one—2003 in which he was hurt on opening day when Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby sat on his shoulder. It is that type of consistency that makes Jeter an elite player, but also opens him up to criticism.

The critics will correctly state that a Jeter season is rarely one that will garner MVP consideration. He doesn’t post numbers like an Albert Pujols or even an Ichiro. With the exception of 1999 and 2006 (seasons in which Jeter could’ve and probably should’ve been awarded an MVP), he was never the most dominant player in the game. But, he has been consistently above average, especially considering his position. His worst season, 2008, was a season that he hit .300/.363/.408. Those statistics still were among the best in Baseball at the shortstop position. His .771 OPS ranked 8^th among all shortstops last season. So, his lowest total of his career was still in the top 10 in the sport. Consistency is a form of dominance. That type of consistency has allowed Jeter to make a mark in a sport that has been dominated by power hitters since he came into the league. Of course, those power hitters were helped by drugs and other supplements. Jeter, of course, has never been associated with those. Sure, he’s been overshadowed by some players, but his consistency has allowed him to outlast just about everyone. Consider the previously mentioned superpowers at shortstop just a few seasons ago of Miguel Tejada, Nomar Garciaparra, Alex Rodriguez, and Jeter.

The Super Powers from 1996-2006: An Average Season

The Super Powers from 2007 to Present: An Average Season

There is something to be said for consistency. While Tejada and Garciaparra may have put together good runs of play that overshadowed Jeter early on, they have regressed while Jeter has maintained his standard of excellence over the long haul. Alex Rodriguez has compiled immortal statistics that far outweigh Jeter’s. However, each of the three mentioned have been linked, in some form or another, to the performance enhancing drug era. Jeter has not and is one of the few players who fans can believe in without even a hint of doubt. One will never know if Jeter’s statistics would’ve been far better than Tejada’s and Garciaparra’s if all things have been equal. As it is, Jeter hasn’t experienced that severe drop in production. Sure, Tejada and Garciaparra were once thought of as the better players who didn’t receive the media attention that Jeter did. Now, after seeing their dramatic fall, Jeter’s excellence is further enhanced. That media attention was, evidently, well deserved.

His Place Among the Greats

Of course, no one should mistake Derek Jeter as an immortal player. Greats like Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, and Willie Mays all belong in that category. However, Jeter is in the conversation with many Hall of Fame players. If one just wants to look at the shortstop position, Jeter has few peers. Yes, players such as Honus Wagner and Arky Vaughan (one of the most underrated Hall of Fame players of all-time) are ranked ahead of Jeter. But, considering the vast history of Baseball, to only have two players at his position separate themselves from Jeter’s career says quite a bit about the Yankees’ captain. If one looks at players similar to Jeter who are in the Hall of Fame (high average, moderate power), one sees that Jeter compares well. Of course, it would be easy to compare him to those controversial Hall of Famers like Kirby Puckett and others who are considered borderline picks such as defensive wiz Ozzie Smith. Instead, let’s compare Jeter to players with little to debate regarding their Hall of Fame credentials.

Career Averages Against the Hall of Famers

If one covered up the names, one wouldn’t really be able to distinguish between any of the Hall of Famers and Jeter. Jeter, in a very quiet way (evidently quiet is possible in New York), has compiled Hall of Famer worthy statistics. Yet, he has been called overrated for many seasons. Why? The answer lies within the era in which he has played. Fans and media got wrapped up in the homerun and the power game. The perception of greatness was warped with Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. Homerun totals were celebrated more than singles and doubles. Jeter’s more powerful counterparts at shortstop had the more dazzling, power statistics, but Jeter’s consistency has allowed him to produce elite level seasons for the past 14 years with no dropoff. Those seasons, while not dazzling, have put him into the conversation amongst the best in baseball history. Yes, he is not an immortal like Willie Mays, but he has been every bit as good as the aforementioned group of Hall of Famers.

Jeter and Ripken

Jeter and Cal Ripken are linked in many ways as both are offensive minded shortstops who were often criticized for a lack of range at shortstop. Both are also connected because of Lou Gehrig. Ripken famously broke Gehrig’s consecutive games played mark while Jeter is about to break the Iron Horse’s Yankees’ hit record. Ripken is a deserved member of the Hall of Fame and widely considered one of the greatest offensive shortstops in the Game’s history, perhaps the greatest of all-time. Jeter, despite claims to the contrary, has quite a bit in common with Ripken’s offensive production. For comparison’s sake, the following chart will compare Jeter’s career numbers to Ripken’s statistics compiled when he was a shortstop.

Jeter and Ripken, the Shortstop

While Ripken is correctly regarded as an all-time great, Jeter’s statistics measure up with Ripken’s (remember, these are Ripken’s averages just as a shortstop so they don’t account for his seasons at third base at the end of his career). The argument can be made that Ripken was a power hitter while Jeter is a top of the order type hitter. While that is true, Jeter’s power numbers are not that far off from Ripken’s while his other statistics are far better. Ripken, like Jeter, is often lauded because of his consistency. But, in his 15 seasons as a shortstop, Ripken slugged less than .450 and post on base percentages lower than .340 seven times in that time period. As previously mentioned, Jeter hasn’t had those peaks or valleys during his 14 year career. This is not to say that Jeter is better than Ripken, but it does say that Jeter can be mentioned in the same conversation as Ripken and the debate wouldn’t be ridiculous many detractors like to believe. In the pantheon of shortstops, the argument can be made that Derek Jeter is one of the three or four best to ever play the game. What was once an argument based on subjectivity has now turned into an argument supported by statistics.

What Nobody Likes to Hear

When Jeter’s name is mentioned, the Jeter critic will dispel the notion of clutch play. Indeed, clutch play is often overused in Baseball and in particular with Jeter. The notion that Jeter elevates his game in the playoffs or during tense moments is somewhat of a myth depending on the definition of clutch. If clutch means that a player performs better than he does during the regular season, Jeter is not clutch. However, if one bases clutch on the idea that a player performs just as he does over the long haul of his career, then Jeter is the epitome of clutch. For his career, Jeter is a .309/.377/.469 hitter in 25 post-season series. Those numbers are quite close to his 14-year regular season total. There are numerous players who perform far worse than their regular season record would indicate (his teammate Alex Rodriguez is the poster child for such an occurrence). This is where Jeter’s consistency comes into play again. It is not that he is better in the post season. He is simply just as good. That “just as good”, whether the cynics want to believe it, is an elite level hitter. The Yankees have often reaped the benefits of Jeter being able to maintain his level of performance when the games were more intense. The ability to maintain his career norms is what makes him clutch. It is what separates the elite players from the rest.

Closing Thoughts

Does Jeter benefit from playing in New York? Absolutely. Would he be less publicized if he played in Kansas City? Probably. But, the only the aspect of his career that would be impacted would be his post-season opportunities. He simply wouldn’t have them. Even still, his regular season resume is elite enough. The consistency is real, not a result of playing in New York. Of course, none of the above mentions the non-playing skill set Jeter brings to the table. He is someone who is driven, but most elite level athletes are driven. One never reads a story about Jeter involved in some wrongdoing or controversy. While this doesn’t give him bonus points as a player, it is a remarkable accomplishment in this media age that Jeter has never been the subject of a salacious story.

Jeter stands tied with Gehrig for the Yankees’ franchise hit record, many will discuss the merits of such an accomplishment. After all, it is not the coveted 3,000 hit plateau, a plateau that Jeter will reach early in 2011. Some say that, once again, Jeter is being over-hyped and over-exposed for this accomplishment. Yes, the career retrospectives are a bit much, but this is a big deal in every possible way. The Yankees are the most storied franchise in all of sports. They’ve had Baseball immortals fill their rosters over the years. The names are all found on plaques in Cooperstown. For Jeter to have more hits than those greats, is something special. It is especially noteworthy as his accomplishment isn’t a result of simply compiling numbers in lackluster seasons. No, as shown above, Jeter has essentially been the same player since he entered the league. He has earned that Yankees’ record by playing well, not by hanging on. It should be celebrated as he has more hits than Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle. He’s not better than them, but he does have more hits than them.

The idea that celebrating his accomplishment is putting him in the same class as those immortal names is ludicrous.  He isn’t in that same class, few players are. But, that doesn’t mean he isn’t an all-time great player. Sure, his defense has been subpar for most of his career and he doesn’t put up big power numbers like Albert Pujols. He is, however, consistently good. The consistency is what makes him elite player and one of the best to ever play. That cannot be argued.

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