Derek Jeter Remains Calm about Future
Speculation has been looming on how much more time Derek Jeter has in New York. He has been “slumping” recently, hitting well below his usually impressive numbers. Some have wondered if father time is catching up to him at 36 years old.
“I don’t sit around talking about a slump,” said Jeter.
He added, “You play long enough, you realize there are going to be times you don’t get the results you want.”
Jeter’s average this year is at .271 and in his entire 16-year career, his worst average for a full season was .291 in 1997. He is also in his last season of a 10-year contract and is making $10 million this season.
His contract isn’t that big of an issue though. He is a Yankees icon and the team isn’t doing too badly. They are the defending World Series Champions and have the best record in baseball. The only fishy thing is, the Yankees have not yet talked with Jeter about a new contract.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman addressed the situation by simply saying: “We’ll find out at some point." “The clock runs out on everybody. Sometime in the future, it will be a real issue to deal with.”
Cashman called contract negotiations “a two-sided coin.” Don’t forget last season that free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui both left the team.
Damon signed with the Detroit Tigers and Matsui went to the Los Angeles Angels.
When suggested that Jeter and long-time closer Mariano Rivera would both leave the team as free agents at the end of the season, Cashman said: “I don’t see that happening.”
Jeter knows that sometimes in your career certain things just catch up to you in your hitting and you just have to put in some work in fixing the issues.
“There’s some things you have to work on, mechanical things, not staying back, a little too much movement,” Jeter said. “What can you do? You work on it.”
We have to also remember that Derek Jeter is the face of the New York Yankees, even more so than Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod). He is a future Hall-of-Famer and his number will likely be retired by the Yankees. It certainly would be a weird sight seeing him in any other uniform. Can you imagine Jeter in a Red Sox uniform?
Manager Joe Girardi said that Jeter is not showing any anger but he did say that he senses frustration from the shortstop: “I know he’s frustrated. I can see it. A few more wrinkles in his forehead.”
Some may wonder if soon will truly be the end of a Yankees era. The most prolific owner in history, George Steinbrenner, passed away, long-time announcer Bob Sheppard passed on, several players left in free agency this past offseason, and if Jeter and Rivera are not offered contracts, that would be the end of two iconic players in the history of the greatest franchise in sports.
There is probably no sense to panic for Jeter right now though. He still has plenty of time to turn things around and he can prove that the slump has nothing to do with his age. You just have to look no further than the Yankees most-hated rivals the Boston Red Sox for inspiration. Slugger and clutch-hitter David Ortiz appeared to be nearing the end to his welcome in Boston, before returning to his old slugging ways and quickly putting an end to any suggestions that he was over-the-hill.
They key is to just be patient and all greats have had slumps. Jeter will eventually turn things around and the Yankees have to understand that. If Jeter were to hit the open market, he wouldn’t be there for long.
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