New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter: Captain Clutch – Part 2
Jeter had the second best batting average in the American League in 2006 and ended up in the top 10 six times for the MVP balloting and had a career high of 104 double plays.
2008 saw Jeter’s lowest slugging percentage since 1997 which was .410. It has been speculated that this decrease was caused by the injury he suffered he was hit on the wrist by a pitch. After the hit, his batting average dropped to .269, which compared to
the .324 before the injury was quite a drastic slump. Come May, he hit .322 which was quite an improvement and he was selected to his ninth All-Star game that year.
The home-run he hit in the September of 2008 tied Jeter with Lou Gehrig for the most hits at 1,269 and he went on to break the record later in a game against the Chicago White Sox. He was named at number 8 for the 50 greatest current baseball players. In
2009, Joe Girardi, the Yankees’ manager switched him with Johnny Damon in batting order which made Jeter the leadoff hitter. He proved himself by batting .334 and a .406 on base percentage along with 18 home-runs and 30 stolen bases. He scored 107 runs which
were in the top 10 in MLB and 212 hits which were the second highest in MLB.
2010 saw Jeter’s statistics drop in many respects, as he batted .270 with a .340 OBP and a .370 SLG. It was the first season where his OPS fell below 100. However he later batted well at .342 and won his fifth Gold Glove award. This season was the first
season where he became a free agent, but the Yankees were quick to pick him up once again when he signed a three year contract with them.
Jeter is a remarkable player for the Yankees. He is the most popular player for the past few years as he has a tremendous fan-base. He has become a household name as his jersey is always the highest selling amongst the fans.
Derek has stayed loyal to the Yankees by playing for only them for the length of his career and he is expected to retire with the team as well. Jeter is respected for all the he has done for the Yankees as he helped restore their image after it was constantly
tainted by George Steinbrenner. Although he hasn’t put up number like Rodriguez, the numbers that he has put up are all thanks to his talent and not steroids as in Rodriguez’s case. His contribution can be measured by the fact that he has 7 World Series appearances
and 5 Championships since 1996 under his belt.
Jeter is the true definition of what a baseball player should be, as he has remained relatively scandal free and more importantly steroid free. As many players have been known to have taken steroids, Jeter is always been clean. The fans respect Jeter and
everything that he has done not only for the Yankees, but for baseball as a whole.
Although the competition is getting fierce and newer more younger players are starting to make their mark on the game, Jeter will always remain as one of the greats of baseball for as long he plays the game.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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