2nd Best Shortstop in Baseball?

[keRplunK]

Re: 2nd Best Shortstop in Baseball?

exactly what i was going to say, put jeter on the rangers and put arod on the yankees, if i had to guess i wouldn't be surprised if arod would have lead them to 1 or 2 more WS then jeter did, so that the player is only as good as his team crap doesn't fly, not in a game like baseball. In basketball a player of Arods calibar makes a MUCH more drastic impact to there team.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Re: 2nd Best Shortstop in Baseball?

what are you talking about seattle has just as many good hitter as the yankees, if not better, it's the pitching that wins titles ask Schilling and Johnson

so a-rod wouldn't play any better on the yankees, IMO

[tshelton]

Re: 2nd Best Shortstop in Baseball?

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
so a-rod wouldn't play any better on the yankees, IMO

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But if he was on the Yankees and won a couple of rings, then everyone would start respecting him. But instead, they give all the respect to Jeter who is a terrible defensive player IMO.

[ToughTony2K2]

Re: 2nd Best Shortstop in Baseball?

People don't understand that Derek Jeter is not a power hitter. He's a number 2 hitter, where he gets a lot of hits (200 + in 3 consecutive years), scores a lot of runs (100 + in his first seven years) and steals a few bases (b/w 20 to 30). If you watch Derek Jeter on a regular basis, you will realize he is the best base runner in the league. He knows when to stretch a single into a double, when to take an extra base on a bad throw, etc. He is a great short stop who knows where to be on the field, like in Oakland during the ALDS and in Yankee Stadium during the 2000 World Series. He is also one of the best post season hitters.

[BernieWilliams51]

Re: 2nd Best Shortstop in Baseball?

I agree with toughtony. Jeter is NOT A POWER HITTER. Maybe 5 years from now, when the yankees suck (hopefully not) and Jeter moves to clean up, then he can hit hrs. I've seen some of his hrs. He hit one way deep into the right center field bleachers at Yankee Stadium. If it was 20 feet to the left, it wouldve been well into the black seats. He's shown he can hit the ball hard. He's even said himself that he's not a power hitter; his role on the team is just a table setter. If you look at A-Rod, Tejada, and Nomar, they're probably in the top 2 spots on their respective teams in terms of offensive importance to their team - in that i mean power and rbi-wise. Jeter is still behind Giambi, Williams, Posada, and Soriano. I just think Jeter knows his role.

People complain when the Yankees dont play "small ball" and now people are saying that they've moved away from their philosophy and key to winning championships. Players like Jeter and Williams help keep "small ball" alive. Of course more is expected of Williams power wise now but if you look back 8 or 9 years, he was treated the same way as Jeter - he had very high expectations in the top offensive categories: avg, hrs and rbis. Now bernie has those and still proves that he doesnt need to hit 30 hrs a year to be considered an all-star. He's hitting in the .335 range with 18 hrs and 95 or so rbis. I bet Jeter can do this in a couple of years when players like Bernie retire.

Cut the guy some slack. He's come a long way from his minor league days in terms of muscular build - so did bernie. Players like A-Rod and Tejada were already stronger than Jeter at the age of 20. Nomar was the main offensive guy in Boston before Ramirez came around. I remember him batting in the #2 spot or maybe even cleanup when he first came up. Before Ramirez much more was needed out of him production wise. The Yankees have yet to need Jeter as their main power force in their lineup. When that day comes, Jeter will be, IMO, batting .320 with 25-30 hrs, and 100 rbis. Also keep in mind, Jeter is battling back from a leg injury last year and is just this season regaining his range. His defense has improved greatly since his rookie year. If he can stay healthy, i think everyone will get a chance to see what he can do defensively. LEAVE THE POOR GUY ALONE!!

[NYJets]

Re: 2nd Best Shortstop in Baseball?

One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is Jeter plays in Yankee Stadium, a very tough park for righties. Nomar plays in Fenway, which is great for righties. Tejada plays in Oakland, which is inbetween. I take Arod out of this discussin because imo he is BY Far the best shortstop in baseball. Just something to think about