Last night in a game against the Orioles, Derek Jeter passed Lou Gehrig on the all-time list. The fact that Gehrig was a revered Yankee player and that Jeter got his hit in front of 46,000+ fans added to the significance of the event in the eyes of the media.
That puts him #53 on the all-time list. With 2,722 hits, Jeter still needs a couple hundred more plus a few more if he wants to meet the goal of the magical 3000. At the age of 35, barring any major injury, he’ll most likely accomplish that goal.
Where does Jeter fall on the all-time lists in other offensive categories? Here is a quick breakdown:
| Batting Average | 65th | .316 |
|
At-bats |
89th | 8539 |
| Runs Scored | 50th | 1564 |
| Total Bases | 85th | 3945 |
| Doubles | 109th | 437 |
| Runs Created | 65th | 1572 |
| HBP | 22nd | 142 |
| Times on Base | 64th | 3738 |
| OBP | 118 | .387 |
Oh yeah, he’s 47th in singles with 2,005 but that seemed like kind of a back handed compliment.
These numbers are very good but they don’t really jump out at you. That said, Jeter’s hit total is second (behind Ken Griffey) among active players. The difference is that Jeter is only 35.
I’m sure there will be plenty out there who will be comparing Jeter’s hitting stats to others claiming East Coast bias and Jeter-hype. Those will no doubt be the same who will bring up the argument of Jeter’s reputation of mediocre defense (fair or unfair).
But let’s face it. Barring a major scandal, Jeter’s bid for the Hall is pretty much secure when the time comes, like it or not. The phenomenon of Derek Jeter, a player who played his whole career for the Yankees, became their team captain and helped them win in the postseason, counts for more than any stat or fact that you can analyze.