WHY OVERRATED IS OVERUSED

"A deep drive to left..... Number 3000!!!!"
5 for 5, Game winning RBI. Congrats Derek! I can't think of a better performance.

(Photo: Getty)
Now, on to my original point... We hear it all the time. "Derek Jeter is the most overrated player in baseball." Well, as far as I'm concerned that's both an inaccurate and tiresome statement.

While his stature and legend may be inflated, there is no possible way he is THE most overrated. Fact is, you don't get 3000 hits by being average. You don't have a .312 career batting average by being an average ballplayer. You don't have a .309 career post-season batting average by being an average player. And lets face it, Jeet has played 147 career post season games, so that .309 isn't a small sample; it's a testament to a great hitter. You don't amass the stats Jeter has accumulated by being overrated. Jeter is at or near the top of many of the Yankees career stats lists. His name is up there with the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle.

Terry Francona has said that Jeter "is the last guy you want to face with the game on the line." Derek always seems to come through when it counts. Great players do great things in big spots. When I think big gamers, I think Joe Montana, Reggie Jackson, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Derek Jeter.
Back in the late 90's there was an argument about who the best young shortstop was. Well, Derek (.312 BA, 236 HR, 1157 RBI, 5 Championships) has outlasted both Nomar Garciaparra (.313, 229, 936, 0 Championships) and Alex Rodriguez (.302, 626, 1883, 1 Championship) at shortstop. Was he the best of the three? Probably not, but he's definitely been the most consistent and the most professional.

The Captain has never been a controversial guy, never getting into trouble.... Would he be this God-like figure if he played in a small market? Doubtful, but that's part of the lore. It's no secret A-Rod has had issues with the New York media. It takes a special person to be a superstar here in New York and that's part of what makes Jeet so special. As the song says, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."(Photo: Getty)
So, rather than saying Jeet is overrated, I argue he is a product of circumstance, a class act, a future Hall of Famer, and most of all, the Captain of the New York Yankees!!

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer

bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com

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