Will Derek Jeter be a unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame?
Mariano Rivera closed the door on so many Yankees wins. Now he’s opening one for Jeter.
Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports Q, our daily conversation, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, about a compelling topic in Boston sports. Here’s how it works: You submit questions to Chad through Twitter, Facebook, email, and any other outlet you prefer. He’ll pick one each weekday to answer, then we’ll take the discussion to the comments. Chad will stop by several times per day to navigate. But you drive the conversation.Now that Mariano Rivera is the first unanimous Hall of Famer, that probably opens the door for Derek Jeter to become the second next year, right? He was the face of the Yankees, not Rivera. – Rob C.
I fear it probably does, because as difficult as it is to get 500 people to agree on anything, baseball writers love Derek Jeter like he was Springsteen’s co-writer. If he’s not unanimous, he’s going to come close enough that those who leave him off the ballot will have to deal with the usual social media hive of angry bees. Better just to check the box for a player who is sixth all-time in hits, was central to a Yankees team that won a bunch of rings early in his career, and avoid the blowback.
Should he be unanimous? Nope. He’s an easy Hall of Famer and one of the most identifiable players of his generation. He also fell into the most fortuitous situation of any player in baseball history (the Yankees were loaded, and A-Rod was right all those years ago – he never had to carry the team), he won awards that he did not deserve (he’s a five-time Gold Glove winner, but the words “past a diving Jeter” should be on his plaque), never won an MVP (though he may have deserved it in 2006), is known for winning but claimed one championship in his last 14 seasons (and was captain of the Yankees team that finally lost to the Red Sox), and was regaled for being a great leader but refused to move from shortstop for the betterment of the team (even at age 40).
Jeter was a great player. He should sail in as a first-ballot selection. But he should not be unanimous. Especially since NOMAH IS BETTAH. (Still.)
But if I had to bet, I’d say he will be unanimous. After all, the people who mythologized him are now the ones voting. Rivera closed the door on so many Yankees wins. Now he’s opening one for Jeter.
But what does everyone else think? Will Derek Jeter be a unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame? I’ll hear you in the comments.
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