Derek Jeter is overrated

Thanks, Pro, for the interesting case... ======== Re: Offense ======== Pro contends that if Derek Jeter were a true superstar, his OBP would be "well above .400." Let it be known that only 4 players in the American League have an OBP over 400 right now [1] and nobody in their right mind would contend that Jeter is among the top 4 batters in the AL. However, he does boast something close to 400 - a .387 career OBP which Pro admits is well above average. He then contends that the media exaggerates his abilities. How so? The media talks about anyone who's CONSISTENTLY "well above average" as Derek Jeter has proven to be over the past 16 seasons. Also, something I haven't mentioned in the last round is that Jeter is good offensively because he also has a good eye and can steal bases if necessary. He's a great lead-off batter. ========== Re: The Clutch ========== Pro asserts that The Clutch does not exist and labels it a myth. However, various people have come up with mathematical formulas to determine whether or not The Clutch position really exists and they determine that it does [2]. Other sources note that the Clutch definitely exists; people just have different understandings of what it is [3]. Derek Jeter himself once told Sports Illustrated, "You can take those stat guys and throw them out the window." Those who chalk Clutch up to luck expect the circumstance of one's situation (whether the game is on the line or not) to be irrelevant. Anyone with any degree of psychology knowledge knows that in tough situations some people choke, some people step up to the plate (no pun intended) and some people are in fact truly unaffected. While a 'clutch' situation might have no bearing in some players, a clutch situation (defined as a game defining at-bat) certainly exists and some people work better under pressure. That is a simple fact. Jeter has performed well in many clutch situations. ======== Re: Defense ======== Pro says that Jeter has a weak range and I would tend to agree with that assessment. However we have absolutely no reason to accept Pro's speculation about why he won 3 Golden Gloves [he's attributing it to just a few plays]. If making a few good plays is enough to win one a Gold Glove, then can't it be said that the other winners didn't deserve it either? Apparently Jeter made more good plays [big players] than other players or else he wouldn't have won the award... 3 times. ========== Re: The Team ========== I disagree that Derek Jeter has nothing to do with the Yankees' success, or the belief that DJ is not a team player. A team "having money" is not enough to get to and win the World Series (right, Red Sox?). Leadership and discipline is required; Jeter offers both. He's a veteran who's earned his reputation at being a very good teammate and a very good Yankee. There was no reason to forfeit his SS position to A-Rod. Jeter had earned his spot and A-Rod picked up the 3B position. Pro admits that Jeter's range is limited meaning as an infelder he wouldn't have been better suited to make the transition to 3B and especially not the outfield. He's certainly not a 1B either meaning the only other position he could have played was 2B. Given his experience at SS, both himself and his managers probably felt that it was in the team's best interest to keep him in that position. Finally, Pro asserts that Jeter is overpaid and thus limits the team's ability to acquire better players and help the team overall. This is false. The Yankees dominate the rest of baseball in terms of their salaries, and 2 other Yankees are paid higher than Jeter [4]. The Yankees have so much money that paying Jeter less wouldn't do much in terms of their ability to acquire awesome talent. ========= CONCLUSION ========= Nobody would argue that Jeter is THE best hitter or THE best defender. People do however praise his consistency and his ability to perform above average year in and year out. While he may not have the greatest range on the defensive side of the ball, he doesn't make a lot of errors and is known to make excellent plays; some that even cause him to jump into the stands and bleed. He's considered a great player and worth the cost because of his leadership ability and willingness to put the Yankees first. Being a Yankee is very important to him; he's specifically stated on many occasions that he wants to be remembered in particular as a Yankee - the team that means so much to him. His dedication, level of commitment and ability to command respect of the players, coaches and even opponents is why the MLB commissioner priases Jeter the way he does. The media portrays Jeter in a great light because of his instincts and ability to remain collected. He's won a ton of awards and his numbers speak for themselves. You'll notice that Pro said Jeter was largely overrated, and yet he absolutely cannot take away from the facts I mentioned regarding being the Yankee player with the most all-time hits, post season hits, etc. ===== Sources ===== [1] http://espn.go.com... [2] http://www.tangotiger.net... [3] http://www.fangraphs.com... [4] http://espn.go.com...