New York Yankees: Derek Jeter Is Not Done Yet and Still Producing
April 16, 2012 · Matthew Cohen · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
It cracked off the bat and cut through the warm air on a Sunday night in the Bronx, sailing over the right field fence in Yankee Stadium before settling five rows deep in the stands.
Derek Jeter‘s three-run home run in the fourth inning of the New York Yankees’ 11-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Sunday night was classic “Jeterian.” An opposite-field shot that fans have seen time and again over the course of his now 18-year career.
Any Yankee fan (or baseball fan for that matter) who has watched the Yankees in the second part of last season and through nine games this season knows this: Jeter is not done. In fact, he is far from it. In 72 full games now since reaching the 3,0000 hit plateau mark last season, Jeter is hitting .330 with a .383 on base percentage and .438 slugging percentage. Jeter has also scored 40 runs and driven in 45 runners.
Jeter, without question, has lost a step or two in the field. He made eight errors in 2009 and only six in 2010. Last year in 2011, that total skyrocketed all the way to 12. The five-time Gold Glove winner may not have the range he once had, but he remains as sure-handed a shortstop as there is in the game.
His bat speed is a tick slower then it once was, but Jeter, who is now batting .366 this season, shows no signs of failing to contribute at the highest level. Jeter does not look 37. He looks closer to 27.
The detractors who have been calling Jeter overrated for years and years were quick to write off the Yankee captain last season as he ‘buckled’ under the pressure and scrutiny as he approached his 3,00th hit. Those same naysayers now have to bite their tongue for at least a while longer, as Jeter shows no signs of slowing down. He is not as crucial to the team’s success as a Robinson Cano or C.C Sabathia, but the Yankee Captain remains the heart and soul of the club.
The future Hall of Famer and current Yankee captain will continue to deliver for the Yankees as they go for a 28th World Series title. It’s what he’s done for his whole career. And he has the rings to prove it.
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