10-31-2004, 10:16 AM
Quote:Jeter's response to "Fielder's Choice"'s comment that he was the worst fielder in baseball (same source)
Quote
"I'm the worst?" Jeter said when confronted with the numbers. "I don't think I would say that. But I couldn't really care less what some mathematical equation comes out with." "How do you rank defensive shortstops?" Jeter said. "I don't see how a formula can evaluate how somebody plays." "You get a strikeout pitcher on the mound as opposed to a ground-ball pitcher, it's going to affect the statistics you use to evaluate defense. So I don't really think you can."
The book actually states that Jeter is a very good player and is probably on track to join the Hall of Fame some day. But that does not change the fact that when compared to his contemporaries, Derek is a poor fielder.
But it was not always that way. What has happened to Jeter over the past five seasons (1998 to 2002) is that his range factor (the number of balls he makes a play on) has gone dramatically downhill each year. And what about those "strikeout pitchers" that Derek refers to? It is true that if a shortstop gets fewer chances then it may look like he is getting to fewer balls. But, in Jeter's case, his team's strikeouts do not seem to be the problem.
In 1997 (before his decline), Derek Jeter led all shortstops in chances (assists plus putouts). His range compared to the other shortstops was a very good 39 points above the league average. That year the Yankee pitching staff struck out 1165 batters.
By 2002, Jeter's range had fallen to a disastrous 75 points below the league average - the worst in the major leagues. And the Yankee pitchers struck out 1135 batters - virtually the same as in 1997. So, it would appear that the number of strikeouts is not the answer to Derek Jeter's decline in range factor.
I completely agree with Jeter on the strikeout-groundout thing... except for the fact that they have had quite a few sinkerballers - Pettitte, Weaver, Cone, Rogers, Mendoza, Lieber, Brown, so it's not as if he's not had chances. The reason why Range Factor is such bullshit is because it doesn't take into account things that actually take place WITHIN the game that simply cannot be broken down mathematically. Say Jeter makes a diving stop to his right, throws to second to get a force out. He gets credited with an assist, right? But if he was positioned a step to his right to begin with, he doesn't need to dive, and they end up having time to turn a DP. Or say the 2B drops a perfectly good throw. Or on the other side of it, say he makes a diving stop with a runner on 3rd and prevents him from scoring. No out is recorded, but by just keeping the ball on the infield he prevented a run from scoring. Still a good play, though not statistically significant. Or say he makes a great play on a slow roller hit by Ichiro. Any other runner would be out, but with his speed he beats it out. No out is recorded, thus no assist, thus no stats. And finally there's the whole Jeremy Giambi play..
Quote:In 1997 (before his decline), Derek Jeter led all shortstops in chances (assists plus putouts). His range compared to the other shortstops was a very good 39 points above the league average. That year the Yankee pitching staff struck out 1165 batters.1997: Cone, Pettitte, Rogers, Mendoza, Mecir
By 2002, Jeter's range had fallen to a disastrous 75 points below the league average - the worst in the major leagues.
2002: Pettitte, Mendoza
point is:
-most stats are bullshit and usually completely meaningless
-Jeter is an above average defensive SS, period