Hello again readers, and welcome to this special edition post! Recently, it has come to my attention that there are people out there (particularly Mets fans) that truly believe that Jose Reyes is a better baseball player than Derek Jeter. Not only do people believe this, but they will argue it to the death. I contend that if Jose Reyes did not play for the Mets, (cross-town rival of the Yankees) that this argument would have never even been thought of. Can anyone honestly tell me that people would argue Reyes is better if he were playing SS for the Cincinnati Reds?
Answer: No. I believe that this argument is just a way for Mets fans to attempt to bring down the Yankees and their fans, as well as all the glory involved with loving the Bombers. It has nothing to do with shortstops, its quite simply Mets faithful finally having a great player and feeling the need to compare him to the best. The Mets fans that I have come across in my life (and that's quite a few seeing as I'm from NY) have always had some sort of complex about this rivalry. When Yankee fans think about an upcoming season, they wonder whether or not they'll get a parade when it's all said and done. Mets fans wonder if they'll beat the Yankees in inter-league play. Now keep in mind I'm making generalizations about Mets fans. There are some out there that actually know the game and take it for what it's worth, all bias aside. For those Met lovers, I can say they are true baseball fans. For the majority of them, however, Mets fans prove why their not the best baseball fans when they dream up comparisons like this.
Let's move on to the arguments I've heard about why Jose Reyes is better, shall we? First and foremost; Reyes has so much more speed than Jeter. Yes, you're right, Jose Reyes is one of the fastest baseball players I've ever seen. He can have 60 steals in his sleep. But does that mean we should call Ricky Henderson the best player to ever live? Of course not! Ricky has the most steals of all-time... unfortunately, this does not make him the best player of all time. I think we can all agree that speed is a vital part of being a great baseball player, but let's not kid ourselves. Hall of Fame voters don't just turn to the stolen base category to decide who gets in. There is so much more to a great baseball player than speed. Oh, and not to mention, Derek Jeter is not slow! In fact, he's pretty fast! I would say Jeter has above average speed, swiping anywhere from 15-30 bags in a season, only getting thrown out a handful of times. Jeter is also well-known for being very heads up when it comes to running the bases, making up for any speed he might give up to Reyes.
The second most popular reason for why Reyes is better than Jeter also deals with speed... imagine that. Anyone reading this who feels that Jose Reyes having more triples makes him a better ballplayer, please stop reading here. Triples are not that important in the grand scheme of things. If that were the case, then Curtis Granderson would have to be added to this discussion. Let's be serious, CG has no business being compared to the Yankee Captain, and quite frankly, I don't think Reyes does either. I will give credit where credit is due... I want to be fair to Reyes here. He's an electrifying player with great speed and a great arm. He plays solid D for the most part and is a great lead-off guy. I'll give him all that, its the truth, no doubt about it... but I won't call him a better player than Jeter. I think that's enough about my views on this though for now, let's just go to the facts. I've tried convincing everyone, now I'll just convey the evidence.
We'll start by looking at their 2007 stats, then go over career numbers. I promise, after reading these numbers, you'll have no choice but to face it... Derek Jeter is a better baseball player than Jose Reyes.
| 2007 Season Stats: JOSE REYES | ||||||||||||
| | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG |
| Season | 160 | 681 | 119 | 191 | 36 | 12 | 12 | 57 | 78 | .280 | .354 | .421 |
| Career | 596 | 2518 | 420 | 715 | 118 | 52 | 45 | 242 | 234 | .284 | .330 | .426 |
DJ's 1st 5: R 600 H 996 2B 149 3B 34 HR 78 RBI 407 SB 108 BA .322 OPB .395 SLG .865
| 2007 Season Stats: Derek Jeter | ||||||||||||
| | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BA | OBP | SLG |
| Season | 156 | 639 | 102 | 206 | 39 | 4 | 12 | 73 | 15 | .322 | .388 | .452 |
| Career | 1835 | 7429 | 1379 | 2356 | 386 | 54 | 195 | 933 | 264 | .317 | .388 | .462 |
Here it is folks! The brass tax... numbers can't lie, they don't know how. With these numbers, brought to us by http://espn.go.com/, it's clear that Jeter has the better numbers. In 2007, Jeter dominated the numbers comparison in offense. With the 2007 comparison out there in the open, lets discuss careers. Now Jeter has played 13 seasons to Reyes' 5, so we'll only compare through 5 years. For easy comparison, I've put the totals for Jeter right under the career line of Reyes. The numbers are there... take a look. Jeter through 5 years had a better offensive career by the numbers. In case any of you Mets fans out there are now turning to the, "Reyes is a better defensive SS than Jeter" I would like to point out that they have an identical fielding percentage at .975. Additionally, Derek Jeter has won 3 A.L. Gold Gloves at SS ('04, '05, '06). To my knowledge, Reyes can claim zero Gold Glove awards. On top of all that statistical evidence, Derek Jeter has 4 World Championship Rings, and a World Series MVP award.
That MVP in the World Series was in 2000... if you're a Met fan, you know all too well how great Jeter is in the clutch. This award brings me to my next, and perhaps the most important point I have on this topic. Jeter is one of, if not the best clutch performer in baseball/sports history. I understand that this is a bold claim, but I would put Jeter on the same plain as the great Michael Jordan. I think it's at least safe to say that there is no one Boston wants at the plate less in a big situation than the Captain... I would consider that the highest of compliments. Derek Jeter has something that can never be measured on paper like a batting average... intangibles. This is where he separates himself from everyone else in baseball, including Jose Reyes.
Not only is Derek Jeter the better player when it comes to the numbers, but he has something that can't be taught, and can't be learned. He has one of the best baseball mind's in the history of the game. He's a leader, a champion, and he's the most heads-up, clutch performer of his generation. There is no comparison here... Derek Jeter is a better baseball player than Jose Reyes.
3 comments:
Well, let me just start by saying that my vote is obviously for Jeter. That being said, I would not believe Jeter is the clear winner.
In terms of offense, everything Brad said is right. Jeter has had a consistent average over .300 for a while and his patience has given him a great OBP as well. Reyes, while he still is very young, hasn’t matched up to Jeter in either of these categories. But, another thing to consider is the role of plays for their respective batting lineups. Reyes uses his superior speed in the leadoff role. Jeter uses his BA and OBP set the table for the power behind him. So, it is tougher to compare these guys. If I had to, I would say Jeter does a better job in his hole than Reyes does. Reyes is still developing, but he needs a better OBP at the leadoff spot. (I’m pretty sure he has been their leadoff, but I’m not 100% sure). Anyway, point of story, Jeter is superior in offense.
In terms of defense, I think this is where we differ a little. Personally, I’ve never been a big supporter of how the Gold Gloves are voted by. To me, it seems like the most familiar names win them. Every year, ESPN analysts never like how the awards are given out and give out different players who they believe are more deserving. Anyway, I don’t think using Jeter’s Gold Glove history is as important in this argument as you think it is. Right now, I would give the slight edge to Reyes. Jeter’s defense is inconsistent. While he makes wild plays from time to time, I’m not big on his arm. Reyes has a cannon arm and is getting better at his accuracy. So, I would give the slight advantage to Reyes, but they are almost the same to me.
I think where Jeter distinguishes himself is the “other stuff” You asked, “Who is the better Baseball Player?” not “Who is the better Shortstop?”. While the race between Reyes and Jeter would be much closer if we were looking at them as shortstops, the “Baseball Player” aspect definitely gives clear advantage to Jeter. While recently he hasn’t done anything special in the playoffs, he has the track record. Most importantly, people rally around Jeter and play off his energy. People don’t do that for Reyes. David Wright is the guys the Mets rally around as well as Pedro and probably Santana this year. What makes the Yankees dangerous this year is that they are underdogs. They have a coach now who won’t just accommodate the power players, he is going to rattle the cages. Who is going to feed off that the most- Derek Jeter. When that happens, the rest of the team will follow. Is that not what you want out of a Baseball Player?
Bierman, thank you for the comments. I appreciate you reading the new posts.
I understand where you're coming from with all the defensive stuff. I know that the voting for Gold Gloves may not be up to snuff, but familiar names always get the advantage in everything. Be it HOF voting, Cy Youngs, or MVPs, someone always seems to have a problem with who actually wins. I know one thing for sure, Jeter could've won an MVP two years ago but didn't. There always seems to be "a better pick" for analysts, no matter what award. Also, I personally couldn't care any less about who Kruk and Steve Phillips choose for their GG winners. 9 times out of 10 I find them to be full of it anyway. Maybe the award is overrated, but I think there is something to be said for 3.
Moving on... yes Reyes has a cannon, no doubt about it. He has more range, quicker hands, and a better arm. I would only give him a very big advantage in the range category though. I know Jeter doesn't have the best range, but he makes up for that with his hands and his arm. Watch some clips of Jeter turning double plays... he throws pure smoke. Even if you aren't sold on Jeter defensively, he still has the same fielding percentage. For me, all of the physical advantages for Reyes fly right out the window if they have the same FP. So, no matter how inconsistent Jeter is, or if his range, arm, or hands are worse... he still makes the plays. At the same rate as Reyes at least.
Haha, I'll give you that. I've lost so much respect for ESPN lately that I don't know why I'd have their back.
I guess I was ahead of myself saying Reyes is ahead of Jeter in terms of fielding. What I was trying to say was because of his cannon arm and whatnot that he may eventually be a better fielder than Jeter. You're right though, I hadn't really thought of Jeter's double play turning ability. Jeter is automatic in that category.
Anyway, I guess I was thinking about Reye's potential too much in this debate in that category.
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