The Greatest Player I have ever seen

I was taken with the number six pick in the 1992 amateur MLB draft, I have been voted to the all-star team ten times in my fifteen year career, I have finished in the top ten in MVP voting six times despite never winning one, I have won 3 gold gloves, a Rookie of the Year award, a World Series MVP and have been referred to as the best playoff hitter of all time. Who am I?

The correct answer? Derek Jeter.

While the heading of this post may seem a bit over the top I stand by it and say that he truly is the best player that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing play the game of baseball. Yankee or not, Derek Jeter represents the epitome of a great player and may even be considered the face of the game today and for years to come. If you’re having a hard time believing me when I say that just look at his stats above. In addition to those stats you need to also consider his World Series rings and his ability to play under the everyday pressures of New York, and not just play but lead under those conditions. He has been the captain of the Bronx Bombers for as long as I can remember and at the age of 35 is currently batting a whopping 330 and could be in line to win his first MVP award. Which under the circumstances of how great he has been was the biggest surprise to me, and it makes me wonder whether the steroid era had something to do with that. The other surprise for me was that Mr. Jeter has never won a batting title. However keep in mind that in his twelve full seasons at the major league level he has never finished a season outside of the top ten in batting average, an even more impressive feat than winning one I would say. Oh, and one last thing, let us not forget that he holds the record for most playoff hits in a career. When did he do that? About four years ago.

So why all this talk about Jeter?

As of last night he tied Lou Gehrig for the all time lead in hits while playing for the Yankees with 2,721 hits and will most likely surpass that record when he takes the field against the Orioles tomorrow night. In an era where free agency and trades have dominated it only adds to the lure of Derek Jeter that he has spent all his time in a Yankee uniform. A model of consistency and the best hitting approach I have ever seen Derek Jeter will certainly have people call the new Yankees Stadium “the house that Jeter built”