Benevolent One
Team Owner
When you think about Derek Jeter's career in pinstripes, four-time World Series champion, World Series MVP, eight-time All-Star and captain are all labels that may come to mind immediately. But when several players in the majors thought about Jeter, they slapped him with another tag: Overrated.
In a Sports Illustrated survey of 495 Major League Baseball players in its June 23 issue, Jeter was voted the most overrated with 10% of the vote. Struggling Giants lefthander Barry Zito was second at 9%, while Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew were tied for third with 7%. Mets third baseman David Wright and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis tied for fourth at 4%.
Being named the most overrated player in baseball by some of his peers didn't stop Jeter from going 2-for-3 Thursday and scoring the decisive run in the Yankees' 2-1 win over the Padres, completing a three-game sweep and extending the Bombers' winning streak to seven.
When the Daily News informed Jeter of the survey results, he shunned it altogether.
"I don't want to hear about it," Jeter told The News. "I don't want to hear about it, I don't want to talk about it. All negative stuff I don't want to talk about.''
Source: New York Daily News
I'd have to say I agree with most of this list. Derek Jeter does have 4 rings, but he certainly didn't win them all by himself. I think of how many other shortstops would have won at least 4 rings with those teams and at least a half a dozen come to mind. He is also voted into the all-star team in large part due to name recognition and the fact that he plays in New York in front of millions of fans and the Yankees are on national TV constantly. On top of that, most all TV announcers seem to have some kind of man crush on Derek Jeter. Their constant praise has to effect how viewers feel about him in spite of what they actually see him do.
The only real problem I have with this list is Barry Zito being listed at #2. Barry Zito is by far the "most overpaid", but I don't know of anybody who would say he is even an average pitcher at this point. Therefore, no one really "overrates" him except the guy who signs his checks.
In a Sports Illustrated survey of 495 Major League Baseball players in its June 23 issue, Jeter was voted the most overrated with 10% of the vote. Struggling Giants lefthander Barry Zito was second at 9%, while Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew were tied for third with 7%. Mets third baseman David Wright and Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis tied for fourth at 4%.
Being named the most overrated player in baseball by some of his peers didn't stop Jeter from going 2-for-3 Thursday and scoring the decisive run in the Yankees' 2-1 win over the Padres, completing a three-game sweep and extending the Bombers' winning streak to seven.
When the Daily News informed Jeter of the survey results, he shunned it altogether.
"I don't want to hear about it," Jeter told The News. "I don't want to hear about it, I don't want to talk about it. All negative stuff I don't want to talk about.''
Source: New York Daily News
I'd have to say I agree with most of this list. Derek Jeter does have 4 rings, but he certainly didn't win them all by himself. I think of how many other shortstops would have won at least 4 rings with those teams and at least a half a dozen come to mind. He is also voted into the all-star team in large part due to name recognition and the fact that he plays in New York in front of millions of fans and the Yankees are on national TV constantly. On top of that, most all TV announcers seem to have some kind of man crush on Derek Jeter. Their constant praise has to effect how viewers feel about him in spite of what they actually see him do.
The only real problem I have with this list is Barry Zito being listed at #2. Barry Zito is by far the "most overpaid", but I don't know of anybody who would say he is even an average pitcher at this point. Therefore, no one really "overrates" him except the guy who signs his checks.