Quote of the day

OK, I lied. Meetings have beat the living crap out of me today. Just sucked out my soul and will to live. One meeting was even about having another meeting next week. I wish I was lying. I just need a beer or seven at this point. As such, anything else that happens today is going to be gravy. For now, a quote. It’s from Bill Simmons who, amazingly, has a written product today instead of a podcast. Take it away, Bill:

Q: . . . If Jeter were suddenly cut by Hank Steinbrenner, and was rumored to want to play for Boston as payback, would you be on board?
— Scott K., Fairborn, Ohio

SG: Of course! I’d absolutely want us to add a washed-up shortstop with no range. We could platoon him with Nick Green.


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Grant
14 years ago

I’m as big a Jeter hater as anybody, but dude is hitting .314/.394/.454, which is right in line with his career average. His career average is going to produce one of the best offensive shortstop careers in history. And his defense appears to have trended upwards in recent years.

Basically, this is one of the reasons I don’t like Simmons as a baseball writer all that much. It’s a funny enough line, I guess, but Jeter’s having a fine year.

TC
14 years ago

Grant—that’s true enough, but I do think the idea of Jeter playing for Boston and platooning with Nick Green would be surreal for a few million New Yorkers.

Crewd
14 years ago

Statistically, Jeter’s range seems to be larger this year than last.  He’s the best proven SS in the AL but virtually any measure.

Bill Simmons is part of an antiquated group of sports writers who seemingly can’t do math and update their worldview except when convenient for their hometown’s cause.

Nick Whitman
14 years ago

Come on, guys.  Simmons isn’t trying to make a serious statistical analysis of Jeter, he’s just riling up the Yankee fans.

Adam
14 years ago

Looking at fielding stats over on baseball reference. The only statistcal barometer that seems drastically improved is his number of errors. He has three this season all coming on throws. I don’t see the Yankees play on a daily basis, but I would think having Teixeira to throw too would reduce his throwing errors. As for no fielding errors again I don’t see the Yankees every day.

MJ
14 years ago

@ Nick Whitman

Unfortunately BS has shown a distinct lack of knowledge with most baseball statistics. see the FJM Post where they take him to task for admitting he doesn’t know what VORP is. 

Actually, check all the postsFJM makes fun of him for.  He constantly writes articles about “chemistry”, role players, intangibles, etc and how they are the reasons the Yanks have done poorly in October (hint, it’s pitching, not any of that crap).

He’s also the guy who lost two straight years to his wife in handicapping the NFL, and she picks her games based off uniform colors and mascots.

Kevin S.
14 years ago

@Adam: B-R is pretty poor in keeping up with fielding stats.  Use Litchman’s UZR (available at http://www.fangraphs.com ), or if you feel like splurging, figure out what you need to subscribe to in order to get Dewan’s +/-.  Essentially, both metrics and observations have indicated that Jeter’s improved his defense significantly this year.  Personally, I think his huge ego wanted to shut up all the people making jokes like “Jeter’s intangibles are ground balls to the glove side,” so he really put some extra work in on it.

Crewd
14 years ago

For those who are unlikely to actually go look through the stats themselves:

UZR = Ultimate Zone Rating in Runs Above Average (Arm+DPR+RngR+ErrR)

2008 UZR:  -0.7
2009 UZR:  1.4

@Adam I looked at his errors.  Last year 12, this year 3.  Where are you getting your numbers from, your dreams?

Rich
14 years ago

Yeah, not sure why you found that so exceptionally funny except in so far as Bill Simmons just made a clown of himself. “No, I don’t want the best shortstop in the AL for my team, especially when shortstop is my otherwise almost perfect team’s most glaring weakness.” Witness my wanking motion.

His podcast with Keith Law the other day was really good though. That said, Simmons is bizarre: a face made for print, and a voice … also made for print.

AZsaluki
14 years ago

I would trade Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, Brendan Ryan, Todd Wellemeyer, Hal McRae, and ‘Red’ Schoendienst for Derek Jeter.  I will not trade Jose Oquendo, “the secret weapon”.  Jeter is at the stage of his career when good players become hall of famers by donning the Birds-on-the-Bat.  Look it up.

Adam
14 years ago

I don’t know if my response got lost in the internet or not. But I said in my initial post that Jeter only had 3 throwing errors all season. And that those are his only errors this year. Where your thinking I posted he had more. I have no idea.

Joltinjoe
14 years ago

Jeter is and has been the best overall player in the American League for at least a decade.  Any team with him is better than without him.  Even the Red Sox.  Next question please.