Derek Jeter

New York Yankees: Comparing Jeter and Cano to Torres and LeMehieu

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New York Yankees, Derek Jeter

I was watching the 2009 World Series DVD of the New York Yankees beating the Phillies and remembered how much I enjoyed watching the dynamic duo, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano, hold it down in the middle of the infield. It got me thinking that the Yankees haven’t had two players of that caliber of talent since those years. However, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu might just be the next big Yankee middle infield duo.

I was looking at both Jeter’s and Cano’s stats from the years they played together which was 2005-2013. In those years, Jeter batted .310 with 106 total home runs and 568 runs batted in. Cano put up a .309 batting average with 204 homers and 822 runs batted in. In those eight years playing together, Cano and Jeter put up some solid offensive numbers.

Between Cano and Jeter when they shared pinstripes, 12 all-star games were played, six Gold Glove awards were given, ten Silver Slugger awards were awarded, and one World Series ring was won. It’s no question that Jeter and Cano made up the best middle infield duo of those years.

Ever since Cano left the Yankees and Jeter hung up the cleats, the Yankees haven’t had that kind of middle infield power. Didi Gregorius and Gleyber Torres are phenomenal infielders, but they still lacked some of the things Cano and Jeter accomplished.

This upcoming year, Gleyber Torres is expected to slide over to shortstop and DJ LeMahieu will be playing at his natural position at second base. These two may have what it takes to put up the same numbers as Cano and Jeter.

LeMahieu is already a premier hitter and consistently has put up a high average throughout his career. Torres is lesser on the batting average but can pop 40 homers a year.

I personally think Torres and LeMahieu can match or even beat Cano’s and Jeter’s offensive numbers but defensively, Jeter and Cano will remain the best duo. They were both constant Gold Glove winners and put up high fielding percentages throughout their careers.

It’s no question that Torres and LeMahieu will be a strong middle infield for the New York Yankees. They’ll definitely be two of the players leading at the plate as the Yanks try and take home championship number 28.

The 10 Best Yankees Moments of the Last Decade

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

While the 2010’s was the first decade that the Yankees did NOT appear in a World Series since the 1910’s, there were still plenty of great moments that happened to our boys in pinstripes. And since everyone is reflecting on what happened to them this past decade, I thought I’d share my top 10 Yankees moments of the last decade.

10. Aaron Boone’s Hot Start

How many managers start their career with back to back 100 win seasons? I mean, seriously, how many managers start their managerial career’s with back to back 100 win seasons?! Aaron Boone’s first two seasons as skipper are about as productive as you can get for a manager. And this includes the copious amount of injuries the Yankees sustained in 2019.

9. Jorge Posada Clinches the Division

2011 was a crazy year for the Core Four. Andy Pettite was a year away from leaving retirement early. Derek Jeter got his 3,000 career hit on a home run in a 5-5 performance. And Mariano Rivera got career save 602. 2011 was also the last season for long time, home grown, Yankee catcher, Jorge Posada. Having a lackluster season, it was thanks to Jorge Posada that the Yankees clinched the 2011 AL East title.

8. The Emergence of the Baby Bombers

Gary Sanchez had a 2016 that would make Shane Spencer blush. In 53 games, he hit .299/.376/.657 with 20 home runs. 2016 also saw Aaron Judge’s first career at bat (I was there. Good golly that was a hot day. But such a majestic shot!). The very next season, the Yankees emerged as one of the most dominant teams in the American League. 

7. Mariano Rivera’s Final Game

It was crazy watching the Yankees pay to have Metallica play “Enter Sandman” exclusively for Mariano on Mariano Rivera day, but there’s just something about watching a grown man reduced to tears over something as simple as one of his lifelong friends saying “It’s time to go.” Watching Giarardi sending Jeter and Pettite out to pull Mo from his final appearance at Yankee stadium was a stroke of genius. But you just wish the Yankees were able pull out the win.

6. 2017 Wild Card Through ALDS

It seemed improbable that the Yankees were going to make it to the post season in 2017, a rebuilding year. But they did. And with their ace on the mound, Luis Severino, it seemed like a sure fire thing that the Yankees would dominate the Twins in the Wild Card game. They went down early. But thanks to Didi Gregorius, the Yankees mounted a first inning comeback to win. And then… there was the ALDS. Down 2 games to none, they improbably came back in 3 straight games to advance to win the series and advance to the ALCS against the 100 win Cleveland Indians.

5. Savages

Aaron Boone was ejected on July 18th. And in his parting rant left us with “savages”. The rest, as they say… is history.

4. Next Man Up

2019 was a disaster of a season with a complete roster of players (and not just any players our best players) ending up on the IL for lengths of time. But with the emergence of DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela, the team was able to stay afloat for the incredible 103 win season.

3. Derek Jeter’s 3,000 hit

5-5 with a home run to cross the 3,000 hit plateau… the Captain always had the flair for the dramatic.

2. CC’s Final Pitch

CC Sabathia was a warrior for the Yanks his entire stay. Through all his injuries, the decline in velocity, CC fought hard on every pitch for us in the Bronx. And when it came to Game 4 of the ALCS, literally throwing his arm out of its socket, the man left it all on the field in a way that made his former manager break down and cry on MLB Network’s coverage of the postseason.

Derek Jeter’s Final at Bat

Derek Jeter was the final member of the Core Four to retire. It was tough watching all those Yankees greats that I grew up with finally ride off into the sunset like the legends of baseball they became. So when it came time for Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium, people were obviously pretty upset watching how upset Jeter was for most of the game. They took a lead early, but gave it back late. And then, it was magic hour. Tied at 5, 1 out, runner on second, and Jeter lines a typical Jeterian single to right, winning the game. Watching reruns of that game to this day still causes me to tear up a little bit.

And those are my picks for the 10 best moments of the first decade the Yankees didn’t appear in a single World Series.

Why Should New York Yankees Fans Treat A-Rod Better?

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There’s a growing trend among New York Yankees fans. The trend is Alex Rodriguez deserves better treatment after the “years of mistreatment” from fans when he was a player.

I’m sorry, are we forgetting just HOW his last few years as a Yankee unfolded?

Remember how he sued the Yankees?

After getting caught in the Biogenesis scandal, A-Rod was facing a 162-211 game suspension for his involvement. During the appeal of MLB’s initial ruling, A-Rod sued the New York Yankees team doctor, and team hospital (New York Presbyterian) for misdiagnosing the hip injury that resulted in him missing most of the 2013 season. Part of the suit alleges:

Defendants, after performing, understanding and analyzing the MRI, had diagnosed Plantiff as suffering from a superior labral tear at the left hip; and without informing the plaintiff of the diagnosis, knowingly cleared the Plaintiff to resume playing as a third baseman for the New York Yankees during the [2012] season playoffs, thus allowing the Plaintiff to further injure himself and the necessity for additional surgeries.

Now, while the Yankees as an organization weren’t specifically named, A-Rod is trying to throw someone who looks after the ENTIRE TEAM under the bus. I mean, this is the guy who ultimately brought Mariano Rivera AND Derek Jeter back for their final seasons. Why would the Yankees keep someone around who didn’t have the best interest of every member of the team in their best interest, including Alex Rodriguez?

A-Rod was like Gerrit Cole

A-Rod wasn’t brought to New York to win more MVP’s than championship’s, he was brought them to bring more championships to the 96-00 totals. And he only brought in 1 extra championship. He was touted as someone who would win the team multiple championships. But when it came down to winning those championship’s, A-Rod was nowhere to be found. As a Mariner, A-Rod was 18-53, good for a .339 postseason average.

As a Yankee, A-Rod had only 3 series out of 14 playoff appearances with a batting average of .270 and lower. The man finished with a career postseason batting average of .259, and 41 RBI’s, over the span of 19 postseasons series/appearances (his last postseason appearance was the 2015 Wild Card game going 0-4). Specifically as a Yankee, though, he went 54-205, good for a .263 batting average as a Yankee. This isn’t the stuff that brings home the gold.

Is Gerrit Cole doomed to A-Rod’s fate?

If Cole win’s a couple Cy Young’s, and an MVP, it’s not why he was brought to the Yankees. He’s bringing brought to New York to win multiple World Series championships. So, unless Cole decides “The pressure is too much, I need to take steroids,” like Alex did multiple times, Cole is doomed to be treated just as harshly as A-Rod was. But can you really blame Yankee fans? We were promised something from A-Rod, and he failed to deliver. We’re promised the same thing from Gerrit.

And before you start with “Oh, baseball’s a team sport! It’s about the contributions from all 9 (in the American League it’s 10 with the DH) guys on the field!” stop and think about this:

A-Rod has a career 117.8 WAR, with a .295 career batting average in the regular season, as well as over 3,000 hits, at over 660 home runs. Derek Jeter had a WAR of 72.4, with a career .310 regular-season batting average, with 260 career home runs, and finishing in the top 10 of hits for his career. I’ve posted A-Rod’s postseason stats. Jeter’s were .308 with more home runs and more RBI’s in the postseason than A-Rod’s. By EVERY metric, Jeter shouldn’t be outperforming A-Rod in the postseason. They were both paid to slow the game down and win when it mattered most. But A-Rod, when the lights shone brightest, couldn’t do it, and Jeter could. Why should we treat A-Rod better than we treat Jeter when Jeter actually got the job done?

Why This is the Biggest Year for New York Yankees in Cooperstown

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New York Yankees, Derek Jeter

You don’t have to ask New York Yankees fans, pretty much all of baseball (outside of Boston) knows that Derek Jeter is a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. Will he become the second unanimous inductee into the hall, following his teammate Mariano Rivera? Only time will truly tell.

But it’s big because the Modern Baseball Era Committee (formerly the Veterans Committee) has an opportunity to induct the one Yankee EVERYONE agrees should have been in the Hall of Fame long before now. And by everybody, even Boston fans think he should have been inducted.

So, Who is the Modern Baseball Era Committee?

The Modern Baseball Era committee is part of what used to be the Veterans Committee. The Modern Baseball Era committee looks to induct players, umpires, executives, and managers from between 1970 through 1987. These include players who have fallen off the ballot for the Writers ballot, the ballot that determines who does and doesn’t get into the Hall of Fame in the first place.

So, if Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds miss getting in on the primary Writers ballot, the Today’s Game committee could ensure that those three get into the Hall of Fame. Bobby Cox was one of these inductees by committee.

So Who’s the One Yankee Who Should’ve Been In By Now?

His name is Thurman Munson.

A quick rundown of Munson’s career. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1970, MVP in 1976, 3 gold glove awards, 2 World Series championships, was a 7-time All-Star, and batted .357 in the postseason. 

Defensively, Munson was one of the best catchers ever. Sporting a career caught stealing a percentage of 44%, a career .982 fielding percentage, and had a range factor of 5.5 (again, as a catcher). Comparatively, Munson’s caught stealing was 21% higher than Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, and 2% lower than Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriquez. 

He puts up a good case offensively as well. Not great, but compared to some other Hall of Famers, he’s right there as a shoe it. His career slash line was .292/.346/.410. His career WAR is 46.1. It’s not great, but it’s higher than Lou Brock, a baseball Hall of Famer. Joe Gordon was inducted into the Hall of Fame via the different committees with a career .262 batting average, with just a meager 1,530 hits. Munson had 20 more hits in his 11-year career. And yea, he’s had better offensive numbers than Roger Bresnahan.

So Why Isn’t He in the Hall Yet?

It’s hard to tell. According to the Baseball Hall of Fame, you need to have played at least 10 years in the league. But… according to the the Hall, playing 1 game in the season counts as a year. So, realistically, Munson has played 11 years. Not to mention rules were made to give an exception to those who die during the season (Roberto Clemente). So, by technicality, every possible reason should have been inducted by the Hall of Fame already when he was still on the ballot. But, he isn’t. 

Modern Baseball Era committee, do the right thing. Induct Thurman Munson into the Hall of Fame.