Voting for the 85th Major League Baseball All-Star game has begun. This year, the game will take place on Tuesday, July 15, in the Minnesota Twins’ Target Field. Fans get to vote both at the games and online — just as we do every year. As usual, the each team’s regular starter for each position appears on the ballot. This includes New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who is playing in his 20th and final Major League season, all with the Yankees.
The seemingly easy question has arisen. Should Derek Jeter make the American League All-Star team? While this answer may seem on the surface as a no-brainer, it depends on the voter’s perception of what constitutes an All-Star.
Some voters consider an All-Star as the best player at his position for the first half of the season. The official MLB.com online ballot reveals the statistics for all players up for fan selection. Jeter does not have the best numbers when considering the three Triple-Crown categories as play begins on May 12: .250, 1 HR, 7 RBI in 29 games. Statistically speaking, the White Sox’ Alexei Ramirez has the best record: .333, 5 HR, 26 RBI. Fans who vote on statistics only may lean toward voting for Ramirez for the American League’s starting shortstop. Obviously, numbers will definitely change and someone else could easily overtake Ramirez with the best statistics between now and July 3 when the voting closes.
Other voters try to get as many players as possible from their favorite team on the All-Star roster. This voting would allow someone with a batting average well below the Mendoza line to theoretically make the team. For example. the Chicago Cubs’ Darwin Barney is on the ballot for second base. While he is a defensive whiz and a player on my favorite National League team, I could not vote for Barney and his .153 average. At this point, I could make a case for first baseman Anthony Rizzo (.285, 7 HR, 18 RBI), but if he makes it at all, he would do so as a reserve and possibly the Cubs’ lone representative as he is the only Cubs player performing even close to All-Star levels.
Finally, some of us will find occasion to overlook first-half statistics or our favorite teams and vote for a true All-Star for his entire career. For this reason, Derek Jeter absolutely deserves All-Star selection. Jeter’s career speaks more than loudly enough for itself.
Jeter has made 13 A.L. All-Star teams. He has won five World Series and played in seven. He has won five A.L. Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers as a shortstop. He has 3,345 hits as of May 12, which leads the Yankees all-time — ALL TIME! That includes leading Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and even Don Mattingly. Besides, he is one of the classiest guys in the game during my lifetime and likely ever. If these attributes are good enough to put him in the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2020, then they are certainly more than good enough to give him the starting All-Star role in his final season — regardless of what numbers he has or has not put up in the first half of 2014.
Derek Jeter is a pure All-Star. Whether or not his season statistics match those of the other shortstops or how fans feel about the Yankees should have no bearing on the vote. Derek Jeter definitely deserves All-Star selection — and the honor of starting this year’s game.
[…] (Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez has), I pick Jeter for his entire career. Many disagree, but Jeter deserves to start the All-Star game in his final year. Otherwise, Ramirez would get my vote. Ramirez will make the […]