Derek Jeter gets 3,000th hit

[Nadroj 20]

On a home run in the bottom of the 3rd inning against the Rays. David Price gets the honor of giving it up

Congratulations to the captain! I've always been a Jeter fan and I'm very happy for him!

[steeldevil]

If he wasn't part of the evil empire then it would be cool, but he is a part of the evil empire. So....

[Nadroj 20]

I understand man, I hate the yankees too. But I liked Jeter when I was a lot younger before I knew the evil that was the new york yankees so it just stuck.

[oneforthetoe]

Hate the Yankees, but quite an accomplishment. So, congrats Jeter.

Least he could do is thank his hitting coach.

[venom]

[venom]

[venom]

Being a lifelong Yankee fan , it was great to see Jeter get his 3,000 hit today also with the game winning hit in the bottom of the 8th. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy . Gentleman on and off the field . Congrats Captain !!!

[venom]

[Count Steeler]

What I find amazing is he if the first Yankee to do it. I never would have guessed that. With all the Yankee greats through the years, Jeter is the first and only Yankee with 3000. Quite an accomplishment.

[polamalubeast]

I am a Red Sox fan, but I congratulate Jeter!

What a career!

[86WARD]

Did it in style too...

[HometownGal]

I can't stand the Yanks but I've always loved Jeter! Plus - he's damned HOT!

Congrats Derek!

[Count Steeler]

I love the fact that every time someone achieves this milestone, Roberto Clemente gets mentioned. Amazing that Roberto ended right on 3000, almost like he is St Peter to the hitter's heaven.

[suitanim]

Certainly can't hurt playing for a team usually filled with guys hitting .300 all around him.

[steelerdude15]

Congrats Derek. That's quite an accomplishment. Of course theres always Bobbies....

[Nadroj 20]

Certainly can't hurt playing for a team usually filled with guys hitting .300 all around him.

to be fair he is the leadoff hitter.

[suitanim]

That really only matters about 1 out of every 4-5 at-bats (first time up).

Yankees team batting average by year since 1995 (Jeter's rookie season)
2011- 8th
2010- 10th
2009- 2nd
2008- 6th
2007- 1st
2006- 2nd
2005- 2nd
2004- 15th
2003- 8th
2002- 3rd
2001- 10th
1999- 4th
1998- 3rd
1997- 3rd
1996- 3rd
1995- 7th

Average team batting avg. rank is 5.4th.

THAT makes a big difference.

[Nadroj 20]

That really only matters about 1 out of every 4-5 at-bats (first time up).

Yankees team batting average by year since 1995 (Jeter's rookie season)
2011- 8th
2010- 10th
2009- 2nd
2008- 6th
2007- 1st
2006- 2nd
2005- 2nd
2004- 15th
2003- 8th
2002- 3rd
2001- 10th
1999- 4th
1998- 3rd
1997- 3rd
1996- 3rd
1995- 7th

Average team batting avg. rank is 5.4th.

THAT makes a big difference.

He is the only yankee to do it.

He would have done it anywhere he played..hes a great hitter

[suitanim]

I'd guess he'd be short about 250 hits if he played on a team that had a batting average that was ranked 15th, and probably 350 hits short if he was on a team that was near the bottom.

Even the 9-hole hitter for the Yanks probably bats, on average, .40-.50 points higher than comparable players on teams in the bottom half of the league. He's protected on both sides...most years there is just no let-up top-to-bottom in the Yanks line-up. It makes it impossible to pitch to them...toss in a great hitter like Jeter in a line-up filled with really good (and a few other great) hitters, and it definitely has an impact on his ability to get better looks.

Look, I'll give him credit. He is a GREAT hitter, one of the best all-time. But you can't have an honest baseball discussion about the Yanks without mentioning the fact that they pay top-dollar year after year to make sure their line-up is stacked from top-to-bottom with solid hitters. There is also the fact that the umps favor the Yankees with a generous strike zone for their pitchers, and a smaller strike zone for their hitters. If you're Herm Schwartz, recently called up from AAA to play for the Royals, your strike zone is twice as big as Derek Jeter's, who will take a strike in a full count if it's not where he likes it and draw the walk 8 times out of ten.

[Count Steeler]

That really only matters about 1 out of every 4-5 at-bats (first time up).

Yankees team batting average by year since 1995 (Jeter's rookie season)
2011- 8th
2010- 10th
2009- 2nd
2008- 6th
2007- 1st
2006- 2nd
2005- 2nd
2004- 15th
2003- 8th
2002- 3rd
2001- 10th
1999- 4th
1998- 3rd
1997- 3rd
1996- 3rd
1995- 7th

Average team batting avg. rank is 5.4th.

THAT makes a big difference.

How much of a difference does he make to that? Would they be 7th without Jeter? Don't know, can't tell. How much does he help other players? Works both ways.

[suitanim]

If his average was 1.000, then it DOES matter...otherwise, not really. Watch Bull Durham. Kevin Costner's character Crash Davis explains hitting beautifully for average beautifully.

A single player is only going to lift an entire teams batting average a couple points at best. You're trying to wag the dog by his tail here...

[Count Steeler]

Does Ruth help Gehrig or does Gehrig help Ruth?

[suitanim]

I'm not sure I understand- are you suggesting that having good hitters around a good hitter doesn't help?

[Count Steeler]

I'm not sure I understand- are you suggesting that having good hitters around a good hitter doesn't help?

Works both ways. A good hitter can elevate those around him as much as those around him can elevate him. You are only presenting the one side of the equation.

[suitanim]

No, actually, you are leaving it out of YOUR calculations completely, not crediting the fact that Jeter ALWAYS has a superior hitter ahead of him (at least 3, actually, as #2 is a glorified lead-off man, your hitter with the 2nd best OBP, 3 hole is your best combo hitter [hitting for power and average], and 4th is your best power hitter...so the pitcher has nothing even approaching a break for 3-4 more batters). You can't JUST say "Jeter helps those around him". He may in fact help the #9 hitter a bit...maybe. But looking at their prevailing line-up last week, it was Jeter, Granderson (who's as hot as anybody in the league right now), Teixeira, A-Rod, and Cano (who just won the HR derby)...any one of those guys would be the best hitter on more than one team in MLB. He's got 4 of them hitting in front of him.

Furthermore, in the last couple seasons case at least, Jeter is aided by the fact that Brett Gardner, while not a dominant hitter, is a GREAT base stealer. The distraction of the pitcher having to pitch from the stretch whilst being distracted also aids Jeter in getting better looks. I'd also surmise that the Yanks, by way of being about the 5th best hitting team over the last 16 years, probably has had one of the better 9th batters in the league over that same stretch.

Look, I'm not detracting from Jeter's ability to hit, merely saying that it is advantageous to ANY player seeking to set or break records to do it in pinstripes.

[venom]

I can imagine what will happen when/if AROD gets his 3,000th hit next year ( if memory serves me right , he's around 2,700 hits )

[suitanim]

To be fair, A-Rod played more than half his career with Seattle and Texas. Neither team was stacked with hitters like NY is (and has been). It will be a more impressive feat for A-Rod if he manages it...

[Count Steeler]

No, actually, you are leaving it out of YOUR calculations completely, not crediting the fact that Jeter ALWAYS has a superior hitter ahead of him (at least 3, actually, as #2 is a glorified lead-off man, your hitter with the 2nd best OBP, 3 hole is your best combo hitter [hitting for power and average], and 4th is your best power hitter...so the pitcher has nothing even approaching a break for 3-4 more batters). You can't JUST say "Jeter helps those around him". He may in fact help the #9 hitter a bit...maybe. But looking at their prevailing line-up last week, it was Jeter, Granderson (who's as hot as anybody in the league right now), Teixeira, A-Rod, and Cano (who just won the HR derby)...any one of those guys would be the best hitter on more than one team in MLB. He's got 4 of them hitting in front of him.

Furthermore, in the last couple seasons case at least, Jeter is aided by the fact that Brett Gardner, while not a dominant hitter, is a GREAT base stealer. The distraction of the pitcher having to pitch from the stretch whilst being distracted also aids Jeter in getting better looks. I'd also surmise that the Yanks, by way of being about the 5th best hitting team over the last 16 years, probably has had one of the better 9th batters in the league over that same stretch.

Look, I'm not detracting from Jeter's ability to hit, merely saying that it is advantageous to ANY player seeking to set or break records to do it in pinstripes.

And how many Yankees have achieved 3000 hits?

[venom]

And how many Yankees have achieved 3000 hits?

You mean which Yankees achieved any total over 2721 ?

[suitanim]

There are only 28 people in the club, so it's not like this is a common occurrence. To keep things in perspective, the FIRST player to reach 3,000 hits did so in 1897. That's 114 years ago. I think most people are a bit surprised about Jeter being the first Yank...and one of the reasons for that is the fact that they have had so many formidable hitters on their roster over the years, and so may line-ups deep with solid hitters. Which is really just the point I am making...it's easier to get 3,000 hits with a help.