Derek Jeter, 36 years old, is just two years removed from one of his best seasons in his prolific career for the New York Yankees (he should have won the MVP that year!). After his media battle with the Yankees during the off season for a big money contract, which he won ($51 million over 3 years), Jeter is showing signs of slowing down… way down. In his first 34 at bats of the season, Jeter is hitting a paltry .206; that’s 7 total hits so far for those of you like me that can’t do quick math in your head. Of those 7 hits only one has been a line drive that has left the infield. What’s truly alarming about this stat is of the 29 balls he’s hit into play, 23 have been grounders. The lion’s share of his grounders are weak dribblers to the second baseman.
Some MLB players take a month or so to “warm up” at the plate. Why have Spring Training if it takes a player another month or so to start hitting? That’s an excellent question and the reasons have always eluded me. Back to the point; after a 100 regular season at bats one can gauge how that season will go for a hitter. Some guys are slow in the first half of the season and have a dynamic second half, making for a well rounded season. The unfortunate thing about second half dynamos as a fan, manager, or general manager is your season could be over by then. If you’re on a winning team and still in playoff contention then a hot hitter in the second half of the season is what you need to ride into the playoffs as everyone else is wearing down. What will Jeter’s story be this year?
After giving you the “its okay to start slow background” why am I possibly pulling the ripcord on Jeter so soon? This is what statistics can’t tell you. In the Yankees last series against the Red Sox, Jeter only saw fastballs and cutters, no breaking pitches. This means that other teams feel that Jeter’s bat speed is no longer quick enough to get around on 90 plus mile an hour pitches. When teams know how to pitch you, this makes you an easy out. Jeter has now become a liability hitting at the top of the order for the Yankees… with two years left on his contract!
Just to clarify, I hope Jeter can turn his season around at the plate. The Yankees need him if they are going to be serious contenders in the AL East and make a run in the playoffs. Will they drop him in the batting order? I doubt it. He is 67 hits shy of 3,000; a time honored benchmark for enshrinement in MLB’s Hall of Fame. Jeter will need to hit at the top of the order to get more at bats so he can reach 3,000 hits around the All-Star game. A marketing machine the Yankees can cash in on.
One more thing about his hitting troubles that worries me is MLB just had the Yankees stop their scouts sitting in the stands from making hand jesters to the players before and during their at bats. The scouts were using a radar gun and letting the hitters know how fast a pitcher is throwing and what type of pitches that have been thrown. The hitters still have to hit, but if one has a little more information on the pitcher they are facing in seconds time, that leads to an advantage for the hitter. Other teams complained that this was a form of cheating. So Jeter and company are no longer allowed to use their scout’s information. I’m not sure this is the reason why Jeter is struggling but it does raise another interesting question.
Maybe he should’ve signed that contract?
Albert Pujols is off to an even more troubling start to his season than Derek Jeter. Pujols is hitting .150 through 10 games and 40 at bats; that’s 6 hits on the year one being a home run. Conventional wisdom says that the 31 year old, career .330 hitter, will snap out of his slump before long. But what if the stress of not having a big money contract for next year is bothering him?
Before the age of vitamin supplements and other performing enhancing supplements, most MLB players had past their prime by their early 30’s. Is this the case for Pujols? Again, I doubt it. I hope he has another 4-5 good years left in him. But one has to wonder. I hate to be the one to say it, but not all power hitting Hispanic players have played the game cleanly in the last few years. For that matter, very few players have played the game cleanly over the past 20 years or so.
Anything you wish to clarify?
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