On November 1st of 2013, the Yankees did one of the most natural things imaginable for the organization, deciding once again that Derek Jeter would be the shortstop for the following season. At the time it wasn’t clear, but it turned out to be the final time the organization would make that call, as Jeter announced just before 2014 Spring Training that it would be his final campaign.
The one-year, $12MM contract struck between the Yanks and their aging franchise icon kicked off a dramatic farewell tour, brought Jeter’s fantastic career to a close, and wrapped up an interesting transactional history between the two sides. His first big contract — ten years, $189MM — came one year after the sides had seemingly agreed to a lesser deal that ultimately wasn’t consummated by owner George Steinbrenner.
In the 2010-11 free agent period, Jeter was already a Yankee legend but was coming off of a poor season as he entered the open market. It took a bit of gamesmanship — MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk called it a “tug-of-war” before the month of November was out — before the sides finally agreed to a three-year, $56MM deal. (GM Brian Cashman said this on November 23, 2010: “He should be nothing but a New York Yankee,” Cashman said. “He chooses not to be.”) There was drama even after that deal was struck, too, with chatter about moving Jeter to the outfield (see here and here) and discussion of hurt feelings.
Heading into 2013, it seemed that Jeter might again command a multi-year pact. He was fresh off of a productive and healthy 2012 in which he slashed .316/.362/.429. But the aging star managed to appear in only 17 games in 2013, with a variety of leg injuries keeping him off the field.
Complicating matters was a player option that was ultimately valued at $9.5MM by operation of incentives provisions. Negotiations weren’t contentious this time around, but nevertheless proved as complicated as anything the sides had previously arranged due to CBA considerations that still seem unclear in retrospect. (Want to have a crack at understanding it? You can check out all the contemporaneous reporting right here.)
Ultimately, the deal didn’t pay off from an on-field perspective. Though Jeter made his 14th All-Star game, that was an honorary nod — albeit one that delivered some memorable moments. He did still play nearly every day, wrapping up his career with a .256/.304/.313 batting line over 634 plate appearances. And New York’s second place finish in the AL East wasn’t enough to snag a Wild Card spot.
Of course, that tepid finish did little to change the fact that Jeter enjoyed an unbelievable run with the game’s most iconic franchise. All told, he took over 12,000 plate appearances over two decades and compiled a lifetime .310/.377/.440 batting line with 260 home runs. He helped lead the organization to five World Series titles, and racked up 71.8 wins above replacement by measure of both fWAR and rWAR. Jeter is a surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, with the only question now is whether he’ll become the first player to receive unanimous support in his first year of eligibility.
There’s no way he gets in unanimously. At this point I don’t think any player ever will.
I don’t know, 3000 hits and leading your team to multiple titles in his career is pretty good
But only 260 homers
For a unanimous vote I’m thinking around .320 career BA, 500 HR, 3000 hits maybe 1.5k RBI? Plus 2 rings, and a bunch of all star appearances
I personally don’t see anyone of that caliber in baseball right now.
Those numbers you put up, maybe Pujols has them by the end of his career.
Pujols has fallen off a cliff in all around play. Mostly DH with power only. Had he played as well With angels as he had with Cards… maybe but not likely..
if I’m voting for the HOF, 260 hr while leading your team to 5 WS championships is worth more than 500 hr while leading your team to 2 WS championships.
Championships is a Team accomplishment. Not individual.
Ted Williams and Ty Cobb never won a WS. Are they not HOFers to you?
Still may only be a DH now, but a career .309 hitter with 591 HR’s, 1817 RBI’s, a .965 OPS, 3 MVP’s, and 2 World Series Championships. Honestly even as a huge Griffey fan I would say Pujols was the better hitter, as his counting stats will still go up some while his averages will drop some. Griffey was an awesome defender but never had the team or individual stats to quite match Pujols career.
Agreed
It’s great and it will get him in as a first ballot HOFer, but there’s always going to be those few voters who feel “If Ruth didn’t get in unanimously, no one should” that will leave him off. It’s left others off. It will leave Jeter off.
Exactly. Maybe Trout is a guy who gets 99.8% by the time he’s done, but until all the oldtimers with a vote die off, I don’t see anyone getting 100%.
Yeah. We’re getting there; there are supposedly only about 30 BBWAA voters left who were members before 1980, and some of them, like Murray Chass stopped voting years ago (thankfully, in the case of Chass, who exemplifies everything that’s wrong about old baseball writers). Jeter won’t get in unanimously, but it’ll be close. Griffey got 99.3% and Jeter was better than Griffey, or at least the perception is that he was better than Griffey. But there will still be a bunch of old writers who won’t vote for him because they feel everybody should wait a year or something.
The other issue – and this is the bigger one – is that the ballot is getting crowded. Because of the reluctance to vote in the “PED” guys (Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Clemens, Bagwell, Sheffield, etc) the ballot is getting pretty static. Those guys are going to stay on for years and years without getting in, and voters can only choose ten. Add in Mussina and Schilling, who are clearly Hall of Famers but older voters are still obsessed with 300 wins. Next year Raines should get in but there’s still a lot of deserving players who are tumblingoff the ballot – Lofton. for example, simply because the ballot is too full. Jeter will get in on the first vote, and maybe even pass Griffey’s percentage, but it will be another generation of writers before there is a unanimous selection. Rickey Henderson ended his career as the all-time leader in runs scored, steals and walks, along with 3000 hits, almost 300 homers, caree 401 OBP, 4th all-time in games played…you get the picture. He got 94.8% of the vote.
The only player I see with even the slightest chance of getting in Unanimously anytime soon is Mariano, but I suspect some voters are reluctant to vote for a reliever period.
No way does Mariano get in unanimously. Half the writers still think anyone who isn’t a starter is a glorified mopup guy.
Too early to bet on Trout. The only one to really bet on who’s playing now would be Pujols in my opinion.
Honesltly when you look at the possibility of who would leave out Maddux, Ripken, or Griffey Jr. from their ballot. All of these guys should be unanimous because it’s unthinkable to not have them enshrined in the HoF.
Only Pujols? Adrian Beltre is a mortal lock for the hall.
I agree, mainly because there’s still some bonehead BBWAA members wasting votes.
He was the captain, one of the most clutch players of all time there was a play named after him. He played under the biggest spotlight of teams of all time his entire career, never had any problems off the field( I know it’s more about his performance) 5 time World Series champion, batted over .300 in the post season. Jeter was a winner and one of the most influential baseball players of all time, first ballot easy and maybe one of the highest percentages to be voted in ever.
most overhyped player in baseball.
6th all time in hits including the all time hits leader in baseball’s most successful franchise And the most hits all time by a Shortstop, and he is “overhyped” you say?
Going to come off as trolling, but I dont care I’ve always been consistent in my loathing of the worst defensive SS in history of the game, who should have moved to LF the second they signed the superior SS in A-Rod – who btw did the “team player” thing and moved to 3B, which Jeter flat out refused to do. Almost all of Jeters big defensive plays were dumb luck due to him not having a clue where he needed to be positioned, “past a diving Jeter” – he should never have needed to have dive in the first place, every SS worth his salt got to all those singles he let go by him.
HOF is also about being a great citizen and team player – in his refusal to move from SS or say anything even remotely engaging or interesting or be known as a charitable off-field guy proves that Jeter never played for anyone but himself. He’s a HOFer though, but shouldn’t be first ballot, save that for the Trout and Kershaw-types. If Jeter wasn’t a Yankee he’s basically Craig Biggio without the defense.
The worst defensive SS in history? Come on. He was a bad defensive shortstop but that’s a bit much.
Jeter started a charitable foundation during his rookie year in 1996, the Turn 2 foundation, which still operates today It’s just your average high school scholarship charity – stay off drugs, get good grades and we give you some money for college, but he’s been doing it for 20 years now. His family basically makes up the board of directors.
And if we’re going to criticize players for not being engaging or interesting- well, that’s all of them. Have you ever watched an interview with a baseball player or manager? Literally 99.9% of them are useless. They all speak in sports cliche.
That’s true he was selfish and refused to move for arod. That’s one thing I never liked about him
Jeter is biggio or a healthy Barry Larkin. Great player but if you remove him from the Yankees and have say the reds draft him (I believe one of their scouts wanted to take him with the pick in front of Yankees) and you don’t hear about unanimous talk or perhaps even first ballot.
I can’t see Rivera getting unanimous either simply because he’s a reliever and voters just won’t all go for that.
Lol. I love how people say he “refused to move”. Because Jeter had authority on where he is going to be playing on the field over the front office, right?
I suggest you all read this where Multiple times it mentions Steinbrenner and Cashman telling Jeter and the press he’s staying at SS
mobile.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/sports/baseball-yank…
“If Jeter wasn’t a Yankee he’s basically Craig Biggio without the defense”
If Ortiz wasn’t a Red Sock , he’s basically Edgar Martinez. If this, if that. That’s not relevant. What matters is what happened. He was a lifelong Yankee who collected over 3000 hits and was a part of 5 WS winning teams, and he surely will be a first ballot.
I’m not a Jeter fan myself, but the worst ever, really? I’ll give you “worst defense from a first-ballot Hall of Famer who played 20 years at shortstop”., but you’ve got to be relatively good in the field to have a contending team keep trotting you out there every night for twenty years. Compared to Ozzie Smith, Jeter was terrible in the field. Compared to if you put Adam Dunn out there at short, though? At this point, Jeter’s fielding is almost underrated.
No re2pect
Most overhyped? Absolutely, thanks to NY media. Most overrated? Definitely not. Doesn’t matter how or why you get 3,400 hits, it’s very impressive nonetheless.
Concur
If Ken Griffey Jr didn’t go in unanimously then I don’t think anyone will.
Sucks Griffey missed it by 3 votes.
Those three should have their votes revoked.
Jeter didn’t even win MVP no way he will get it
Robbed in 06 I think by Justin Morneau who wasn’t even the MVP of his own team.
Rivera will be unanimous !
No he won’t.
Jeter likely gets 97% 1st ballot. Loses 3% due to his negative fielding stats.
Rivera will be interesting. My guess 85%. Didn’t pitch a lot of innings and low K’s
Little known fact. Derek Jeter, by defensive runs saved, was the WORST defender in MLB the last 20 years with NEGATIVE 152 DRS. The next closest is Prince Fielder with -101.
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld&…
That alone should solidify him not getting every vote.
But once he decided to run and dive into the stands after catching a pop up in foul territory.
Great fielder!
Yet somehow Fangraphs has him at 1.2 Def rating. I don’t get it lol.
Positional adjustment — he was playing shortstop all that time, of course, albeit without much range.
Where did you get 20 years from, DRS goes back to 2003.
Try UZR/150…
Mo definitely should be