Derek Jeter to retire; my thoughts

I am not going to sit here and write any old generic news article. Derek Jeter deserves more than that. He has been a fantastic baseball player. He has been a leader, on and off the field. He will be retiring in 2014. 

Jeter has made a fantastic impact on Major League Baseball. He is a patient leader, he is a fan favorite, and really everyone likes him around baseball, whether you are a Yankees fan, Cardinals fan, Phillies fan, and even, dare I say it, a Red Sox fan. Jeter announced his retirement from the Major Leagues with a statement on his Facebook page. 

Jeter was frustrated with his 2013 campaign. The 13-time All Star only played in 17 games with the Yankees in 2013, much because of his broken ankle suffered in the 2012 season. He couldn't have said it much better than this. 

"Last year was a tough one for me. As I suffered through a bunch of injuries, I realized that some of the things that always come easy to me and were always fun had started to become a struggle. The one thing I always said to myself was that when baseball started to feel more like a job, it was time to move forward."

I really have liked watching Derek Jeter play. He's played through my entire life, and honestly, I cannot imagine the shortstop position without him. But his retirement does make a lot of sense. He's on the decline and he has been injured. It's not much simpler than that. 

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I do hope, however, that Jeter remains in baseball following this season. He'd make a great coach, good executive, and just good all-around baseball guy. When you ask any non-baseball fan to name three current Major League players, I can nearly guarantee you they name Jeter. He's been absolutely awesome over his career playing for a large-market team in the Yankees. 

When the Yankees originally drafted Jeter with the 6th overall pick of the 1992 draft, they knew that Jeter would be good. No first-round pick ISN'T projected to be good at the time of the draft. But the Yankees received more than good. They received a Hall of Fame effort, Hall of Fame leadership, and a Hall of Fame career. 

I like statistics, but Derek Jeter doesn't need stats to show how good of a player he has been. Jeter has the awards and honors for that. He's a thirteen-time All Star, a two-time All Star MVP,  has five Gold Glove awards, has five Silver Sluggers, and is the active leader in at bats, plate appearances, and hits. He's third career ALL TIME in defensive games at shortstop.

Either way, Jeter has been fantastic statistically as well. He has a career triple-slash line of .312/.381/.446 with 256 home runs, 1,261 RBI, and 3,316 hits over his 19 years in the Major Leagues, all with the Yankees.

I am looking forward to Jeter's last season in 2014, and hope that he enjoys his retirement following the season. Congratulations, Derek Jeter, and may 2014 bring you good luck.

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