Each day, "Piss and Wynegar" will present Yankees "player previews" for the coming 2008 season. In what can only be referred to as a "revelatory" strategy, we will use statistics, as well as opinion, to further our analysis.What is it about this guy? We like to think of ourselves as objective fans, capable of rooting unconditionally for the Yankees while being realistic and critical when necessary. We realize that Derek Jeter is the second-best shortstop on his own team. We recognize that his defense is simply “fine” and that his offense is usually “really good,” but we also fall into that (large) group that would not give up the Captain for anything in the world. To try and define the reasons why would take up too much time and, frankly, would probably do more harm to Jeter’s God-like image than good, so we’ll just say “because.” We worship at his altar…because.
While some critics labeled Derek’s 2007 as a down year -- especially compared to his monster 2006 campaign (really, he was a beast) -- it was actually, quite literally, average. BA, OBP, and SLG were all within 10 points of his career mean, while hits, HR, RBI, runs scored, 2B, and BB also all hovered around his career average. And, while his fielding was statistically sub-par (18 errors), assuming that Jeter does not begin dating Alyssa Milano in ‘08, another perfectly strong year likely awaits.
To view earlier "Hi! My Name Is" entries, click here.
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