Is #2 The Greatest Yankee Ever?

Monday 9/7/09 - Len

In over 100 years of history, many of the greatest players in baseball history have donned the pinstripes. Lets go through a short list:

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, Jackson, .....Jeter?

When his career ends, Derek Jeter will go down as the Greatest Yankee of All-Time. It amazes me that I've been watching the Greatest Yankee ever, just because there have been so many in the past.

This conversation comes up now because Derek Jeter is on his way to being the All-Time Hits Leader in Yankee History. Currently Lou Gehig hold the record, knocking 2,721 hits in his illustrious career with the Yankees. Jeter is currently at 2,718 hits, and should be the record-holder by the end of the week.

In 2009, Derek Jeter also became the All-Time Hits Leader for the shortstop position, passing Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio.

Derek Jeter came up through the Yankee system and became an every day player for the Yanks in 1996. In his Yankee career, besides compiling those 2,718 hits, Jeter has won four World Series titles and won six pennants. His career batting average is .317. He's won three Gold Gloves and is a virtual mainstay at the shortstop position for the American League All-Star team, getting elected 10 times.

Many Yankees throughout the years have had nicknames that went with their persona. Some throughout the years have been "The Great Bambino", "The Iron Man", "Joltin' Joe", "Mr. October", and "Yogi." Jeter's nicknames are best known to be "The Captain", "Captain Clutch", or "Mr. November".

Now he can also be called "The Greatest".