Jeter: The Definition of Shortstop

State of the Yankees: Shortstop. Really? After reading several blogs about my Yankee’s this past week, I strolled across a blog discussing the shortstop position. The question ranged from “Is Jeter’s age a factor? Does Derek have what it takes to produce the numbers he has in recent years?” The answer is hell yes. The Lohud Yankees blog really fired me up over this one. I understand as a writer, to make headlines you must state questionable information from time to time knowing in fact it will bring more appeal to reading the article.

Derek Jeter has been the face of the New York Yankees since his rookie season in 1996. He is a 9-time MLB all-star and takes pride in being named the captain of the squad. When Derek is out of the lineup you can tell. He plays such a crucial role in the Yankee offense. With Jeter missing, they pitch around the bigger hitters such as Teixeira and Rodriguez. Let’s face it, with a gap in any lineup your team seems to falter just a tad. It takes a team to gel and play together to get the best out of a season. Jeter has been known for his substantial optimum health throughout his playing years as well as his consistency at the plate. He may not hit for power but he sure knows how to make contact and that’s what matters most in clutch situations. Jeter also has been known for his strong offensive game and acrobatic play in the field during the month of October. He has never had a year where you question him individually or his play by any means at all. This is why it is hard for me to take in the title of the LoHud blog this week called “State of the Yankees: Shortstop.” Come on, are we serious? For a player like Jeter to never have had a bad year and coming off a monumental season where he led Yankees to their 27th World Series title leaves me with a blank stare at this article.

Chad Jennings, author of the LoHud Yankee blog, laid out his blog with a worse-case and best-case scenario. At the beginning of his article he mentions how Jeter will be turning 36 this season. He then builds into his worst-case scenario on how it makes sense to worry about a lack of production from most 35-year-old shortstops. His following sentence was a weak attempt to cover up the fact that he previously mentioned Jeter potentially having a non-productive season. What kind of Yankee fan is he questioning someone who hasn’t stopped his production since the day he put on the pinstripes. Ok, I could agree with Jennings if Jeter’s previous season was just “average.” Quite frankly, I personally believe an article such as this one, should not have even been posted until the day Jeter’s previous season is labeled as average.

On a more positive note, it was enlightening to see Jennings post a liberal paragraph titled “The future.” He mentioned the upcoming utility infielders who in fact will see more playtime when Jeter does make the switch to DH. I personally believe the playtime for these minor leaguers will be determined on Jeter’s watch. Jeter still has a flashy glove and as mentioned earlier, Jeter has great range/ acrobatics in the infield. When the time comes to pass the torch in the direction of the next prospect, Jeter will coach and mold this chosen one into the player he is. It was mentioned by the Lohud that Ramiro Pena will be the player with the flashy glove and great defense similar to Jeter. But it is Pena’s bat that is at question when it comes to making him solidified as that man. As for now he is in AAA ball and will continue to work hard into that player we will eventually call up. He is also listed on the roster as the backup and could also see time if Jeter or Rodriguez find themselves on the DL this upcoming season.

Overall, let’s just say Jeter does have a season that is labeled as average. It would be the first average season in his entirety throughout his Yankee career. I am led to believe regardless of an off season or not you must consider as an organization what he has done for the team. He lifts them on and off the field with class and strong determination to win. I disagree with Jennings cheap shot of it being a messier offseason after the duration of this year if Jeter doesn’t put up the numbers expected. Jeter started a Yankee and will retire a Yankee. Period.