This Post is About Derek Jeter (Right Until the Very End)

Derek Jeter has been an amazing baseball player for many, many years!  He has won five World Series rings, he won Rookie of the Year, he has been to 13 All Star Games, and he has ranked top-3 in MVP votes three times in his 19 year career.  He has done all of that while playing one of the toughest positions on the field (shortstop).  His nicknames were "Mr. November" and "Captain Clutch."  He had good postseason stats, for sure (career .838 OPS in postseason play).

Over the course of his career, Jeter has amassed a whopping 71.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).  What does that mean?  Well, instead of having Jeter SS, if the Yankees had run out any old replacement-level scrub (think solid AAA caliber player, or borderline major-leaguer), they would have won about 71 fewer ballgames over his 19-season career.  Derek Jeter has had 11,968 Plate Appearances in his career.  So, said another way, Jeter has been worth about 2.99 WAR per 500 Plate Appearances. 

500 Plate Appearances is approximately the quantity of playing time you expect from a full-time major-league regular.  And 2.99 is approximately 3.  So, Derek Jeter's spot in the lineup was worth about 3 incremental wins each year, on average, versus a garbage player.  Nice!!

2.99 is also an impressive number because it is 76% of an INSANELY impressive number, 3.94.

What is 3.94?  Well, it is 32% more than 2.99.

But it is also Edgar Martinez's career WAR per 500 PA's.

"So what, though??  Edgar Martinez's career was SO SHORT!!"  - Said Everyone Ever

Yes.  Edgar had 3,294 fewer Plate Appearances than Jeter has had to-date.  Yet, Edgar had 68.3 total WAR, just 3 shy of the 71.6 Jeter has amassed.......  in over 3,000 more PA's.  So, exactly what point is that argument trying to prove?  That Jeter basically had an Edgar Martinez-equivalent career, and then was barely above replacement-level for six more seasons (3,294 PA's)?  I don't follow argument and never will.

Do not get me wrong.  Derek Jeter unquestionably belongs in the Hall of Fame.  But our boy Edgar sure as hell does too.