by AeroDave10 » Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:37 pm
[quote:79f56d3f47="Aray0113"]
Their 'statistics' can say whatever they want about the man, but the bottom line is he is a WINNER, plain and simple.
[/quote:79f56d3f47]
I don't think that position players in baseball can be labeled as "winners" because baseball really depends on so many individual efforts that one player (especially not the pitcher) controls so little of the game. That is evidenced by countless great players who have played on lousy teams and had very little or no playoff experience because the other guys on the team couldn't pull their weight. Along the same sentiments, successful baseball teams rely on the contributions of several individuals to winning championships.
Obviously Jeter performed well in the first 5 years of his career, and even performed well in the playoffs, but if the Yankees didn't get the same level of performance from guys like Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and others, Derek Jeter very well could have followed the path of his contemporary, Nomar Garciaparra, a great player on a good team that won never any championships.
If Jeter is a "winner", then what happened the last 8 years? Is it possible that not only have his skills eroded, but he has also been surrounded by players who were unable to perform when needed?