For the past several years, Sports Illustrated has conducted a "poll" asking players who they feel are the most overrated athletes in their profession. I guess the "poll" is designed to give us all an inside look at what players believe behind closed doors and to "dispell" many of the uneducated opinions we obviously, as fans, cling to.
So, what do the players believe? According to the "poll", the players evidently believe that those of us in fan-land are delusional when we wax poetic about Derek Jeter. He, according to the "poll", is the most overrated player in baseball.
Look, no one needs to defend Derek Jeter. We don't need a fund raiser or a telethon to bring to light the plight of Jeter. He is in his early 30s, had more money than even MC Hammer could spend, has been smart enough to stay away from the altar, has his pick of single, gorgeous women from all different lines of work (modeling, acting, etc...) and is BELOVED in New York.
That's not exactly the kinda guy who needs support in the press of in the stands. I'm sure Derek Jeter does not suffer from a crisis of confidence.
And the results of the "poll" discredit the findings enough to where it is amazing anyone even acknowledges it's existence. For one thing, the "poll" says that Alex Rodriguez is one of the top five most overrated players in baseball. Really? The guy isn't even 33 years old and he is gonna pass Mickey Mantle on the all-time homer list. His stats are already legendary. He could retire today and, just going on statistics, would be considered one of the 50, or even 25 greatest players who EVER lived. This is an overrated player? Exactly why would he be considered overrated? Absurd.
Another poll conducted by SI of the players indicated that, if they were to start a team tomorrow, they would pick Jeter first and A-Rod second. They would start their team with those two guys. But wait, they are overrated, right? Would you start your team with JD Drew, another guy who made the list? Would your first pitcher signed be Barry Zito? Ummm.............NO! So why in the world would you consider Jeter and A-Rod your first choice to start a team? Again, makes no sense.
However, I do think that, when it comes to Jeter and his statistical prowess, some points have to be made. Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, who actually defended Jeter by saying the poll was probably motivated as much by jealousy as anything else, wouldn't be talked about if he were on the KS Royals. That, to a certain extent, is true, but it is true mainly because NO ONE is ever talked about on Kansas City. Look at A-Rod. Sure, people knew who he was, but did A-Rod, the best player in the sport, receive even a tenth of the press before coming to New York that he does now? Of course not. Throw any good to great player on the greatest stage in sports and see how much brighter their star shines. Does anyone honestly believe that we would hear a peep about Jose Reyes or David Wright if they played for the Colorado Rockies? Of course not. It doesn't negate who they are, or how they play, it is simply a fact: New York shines the light brighter than ANYWHERE else in America.
But people always automatically assume that Jeter is simply a product of his environment and his opportunities on the big stage. Implicit in the Kansas City remark is the notion that, without the opportunity to play on great teams and in great games, Jeter would simply be another run-of-the-mill guy in baseball. "Intagibles" is what you always hear about Jeter.
Here is the truth: Derek Jeter would be a first-ballot hall of famer no matter what team, no matter what city he were playing in. A quick refresher of the numbers on Jeter: He has 2431 hits. Conservatively, let's assume that Jeter has at least 100 more hits in him this year (I would argue he probably has closer to 120 hits in him this year, considering he has been slumping this year, but we will go on the low end). That means that, by the age of 34, Jeter will have over 2500 hits for his career. Think of it this way; if Derek Jeter, at 34, has AT LEAST two more years of 200 hits left in him, he will probably pass the 3,000 hit mark before he turns 37 years of age. If he played into his 40's, he could challenger for 4,000 hits. That's incredible. Jeter has had 200 hits 6 times in his career already. He has had three straight 200 hit seasons twice now in his career. If Jeter were to get hot in the second half of the season this year (a distinct possibility) he could have four straight years of 200 hits, something even Pete Rose never accomplished. Jeter has a career batting average of .320, not exactly shabby. Jeter has 1417 runs scored. By the end of the year he will have 1500, unless he is injured or just falls off the face of the earth. Considering the Yankees offense each year, the fact that he has scored over 100 runs each year he has been in the league except for 2003 (when he dislocated his shoulder), it is a good assumption that Jeter will end up with over 2,000 runs scored in his career, something only 7 other guys in history can boast. Jeter has 400 doubles in his career to this point. Assume he gets another 20 doubles this year, and then assume he average at least 25 double over the next eight years, and he would be at over 600 doubles for his career. Again, a quick look at the all-time leaders list finds that only 14 men have eclipsed 600 doubles. At the end of this year, Jeter will have over 1,000 RBI for his career. Driving in runs has never been Jeter's MO, but you would have to assume that, averaging 75 RBI for eight years in his career, he would come close to 1600 RBI for his career, putting him in the top 30 of all time. Jeter has 270 career steals. Now, as the years have gone on, Jeter has run less, especially since his legs seem to have given him more problems over the years, but, again, assume that Jeter averages 12 stolen bases a year for the next 8 years, he would have 366 stolen bases for his career.
Think of it this way: Jeter has the chance to put a list of numbers together that are as impressive as anyone who has ever played the way he has. Let's look at what is realistic for Jeter: 3400 career hits, 2,000 career runs scored, 1500 career RBI, 600 doubles, 350 steals. Is that a career that only looks impressive under the bright lights of New York City?
Let's also take a few other things into account: Jeter has been the runner up to the MVP award twice in his career, both times he probably should have won. That, and his stats, have come at a time when a good percentage of the players around him were using steriods. Jeter has compiled these numbers (by all accounts) on the level, amassing old school numbers at a time when everyone else was exploding around him.
And this isn't even taking into consideration Jeter's postseason performance and big game penchant.
The point? Unless Jeter is injured or ages DRAMATICALLY over the next several years, he has a chance to put together the type of career that will impress as much on paper as it has on the field. There aren't a lot of guys knocking on the door of the type of numbers Jeter is staring at. If he were in Kansas City, he certainly wouldn't get the type of publicity he has in New York, but there is a good chance he might be admired more.
The irony, Jeter would probably be considered one of the most underrated players in MLB if he played for a smaller market team.
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