“Exhibit A – JJ Hardy unable to range to his right and throw out a speedy runner.
Exhibit B – Derek Jeter ranging to his right and throwing out a speedy runner.

Very similar balls in play, different outcomes.

The defense rests.”

So… which plays did you pick to exemplify this statement? My reply was simply to point out that your Exhibit A isn’t actually an exhibit at all – so no, it doesn’t make Jeter look any better, it makes your formula missing a point. Yes, you can say that you have Exhibit B and that’s legitimate with specifics which you didn’t supply.

Otherwise, your statement is completely baseless and doesn’t really help you in any way.

Eh, that’s half of what I was looking for, I will read into it the other half — that Jeter converted a difficult defensive play into an out last night.

“All that Yankee fans can say in response is, ‘we’ve watched him for years and we know what we see.’ OK, whatever.”

People who live in “we love Nick Punto” houses shouldn’t throw stones. We, as baseball fans, see things despite the metrics and stats sometimes. I can agree to disagree (as the above posts suggest) but certain metrics can’t replace what the eye can see and has seen for 15 years.

It was not the exact same play (I am fairly certain the two were not positioned in the exact same spot at the time the ball was hit, that the speed of the two different runners was not exactly equal, that the spin on the batted ball was not exactly the same, etc.). Similar plays, different results. To wit – a single point: Jeter’s defense is not as bad as people say it is.

Why is it so difficult to say that? You could even say something along the lines of “I still think Jeter’s a terrible defensive shortstop, but he sure didn’t look it on that play,” thereby admitting that at least that defensive play didn’t support the theory, but other evidence showed that that play was an anomoly. I would even accept that. Instead, I am met with sarcastic arguments like “To all Yankees fans, Jeter is a god” and “JJ Hardy’s range is amazing!”

Perhaps this is because my first post this morning didn’t clarify that I was continuing the Jeter’s defense isn’t as bad as they say he is” thread from the post above. For that confusion I apologize.

I’m not a stat person who is going to come out with zone ratings and UZR and WAR – but I will say flat out that RANGE is not one of JJ’s weaknesses. He has absolutely no issues moving to his right or left whatsoever and has actually been of great assistance to a rookie 3B who hits like crazy but is still learning big league defense. His weaknesses this year have been controlling his throws. Whether that has anything to do with his wrist issues or not, he has a cannon for an arm and started the season with lazer aim and now occasionally overthrows or misses the target.

I’m all for knowing the strength AND weaknesses of your own players but RANGE is not one of JJ’s weaknesses and it makes your assessment of your own player look a little suspect.

Jeter is not the #1 shortstop who ever lived. However, his defense is better than people give him credit for. Is that such a difficult proposition to admit?

Very similar balls in play, different outcomes.

The defense rests.

Jeter SUCKS!!!!!!!

With respect to Jeter’s fielding, the comparison between A-Rod and Jeter are irrelevant here. The question is whether Jeter’s fielding is as bad as people say it is. Having watched him for so long, I can tell he is slipping a little, but the theories and “proofs” that purport to show that Jeter’s fielding is sub-par are, in my opinion, inaccurate.

I recall when Rey Ordonez of the Mets was labeled the best defensive shortstop in baseball (really, there was a time when people thought this). Ordonez was the king of making routine plays worthy of the highlight reel, and everything else went by him. Jeter, on the other hand, gets to the balls that he should get to in three dimensions. I have seen him range far to his left, right, and jumped high for balls I didn’t think could be fielded. If I am to judge with my own two eyes, I would say that his fielding has slipped a little this year, but not enough to make him a defensive liability (yet).

I guess we will see whether Jeter doesn’t field certain grounders that “should” have been fielded starting tonight. I certainly will be on the lookout for them.

With respect to injuries, other than Pettitte, who is still “returning to form” following a stint on the DL, nothing comes to mind for me on the Yankee side.

JC already dealt with why we didn’t cover “intangibles” (please, for the love of sushi, let McCarver use the word in relation to Joe Mauer!!!) or the home field/stadium effects because of time/space constraints, but I am happy to continue the discussion…