Category: Baseball
No, Alan Trammell Isn’t In The Same Rarefied Air As Derek Jeter People
Ever since Derek Jeter announced that the 2014 season was going to be his last one in MLB we have been assured to two things.
A. The amount of hyperbole about to be thrown around about a player I consider to be one of the greatest Yankees of all-time was soon to hit incredible heights and B. the amount of writers who were going to do everything they could to diminish the level of his greatness was more than any of us could ever imagine.
Case in point, this piece by Joe Posanski at NBC’s Hardball Talk:
When Derek Jeter announced his retirement a couple of days ago, I wrote about how amazing it is — in these times of Twitter and 24-hour sports talk and mean-old defensive statistics and smark-aleck bloggers who invent words like Jeterate — that Derek Jeter will walk away from the game almost universally admired. It is a happy fate that eluded almost every great player of his time. Derek Jeter was a fantastic player, a sure Hall of Famer, a man who played hard every day. For the next six months, people will come to dedicate a portion of baseball immortality on him. It is altogether fitting and proper that they should do this.
He was a fantastic baseball player. But you know what? Alan Trammell was just about as good.
Here are Alan Trammell’s and Derek Jeter’s neutralized offensive numbers.
Trammell: .289/.357/.420
Jeter: .307/.375/..439Jeter was a better hitter. But it was closer than you might think. They had similar strengths offensively. At their best, they were .300 hitters with some power and some speed.
Wait, did he just try to compare the speed element of the game as if it was even close between these two?
Laughable.
Trammell didn’t even have a 2:1 SB-CS ratio while Jeter was nearly a 4:1 ratio.
Trammell had one season where he swiped 30 bags. Jeter had 4, and almost a 5th.
The years Jeter stole 30-35 he’d get caught 4-5 times. Trammell was caught 10 times is 30 SB season.
Me thinks the author is being disingenuous while trying to prove his own pre-determined narrative.
I think Trammell was indeed an incredible player, arguably a HoFer himself.
But 30 points difference in career AVG, OBP and OPS isn’t “close”. It’s on the outskirts of the neighborhood, but it isn’t “close”.
Neither provided a ton of pop, but then again their position isn’t one that is traditionally going to do that. That being said, the power numbers aren’t all that close either. If Jeter doesn’t hit another HR this season he’ll still have 70 more than Trammell (256-185) in the exact same number of seasons played.
Then there is the small matter of possessing over 1000 more hits…
…and the big post-season moments.
I know you can’t fault Trammell for not having been to the playoffs more than once, but you also cannot deny the fact that it’s a whole lot easier to have one great post-season run on a “hot team” than it is to maintain a .308/.374/.465/.838 slash line over 158 games, 700 PA’s in the post-season.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Against only the best pitching, the best teams for what equals an entire season’s worth of at-bats Derek Jeter put up the following line:
.308 AVG, .374 OBP, .465 SLG, .838 OPS with 20 HRs 111 R’s 61 RBI’s 200 H’s 32 Doubles 5 Triples 18 SB/5 CS and a bevy of heart-stopping moments.
That is the stuff of legend.
So sorry. Trammell was an incredible player, himself worthy of at the very least HoF discussion and maybe even a bronze plaque of his own.
But to say he is in the some rarefied air as Jeter is almost comcially incorrect.
Holy Hyperbole Batman
Once Derek Jeter announced he is retiring after the 2014 MLB season, it came as no great surprise that MLB players flocked to social media like Twitter to heap high praise upon “The Captain”.
And man did they heap some praise.
Some were simple & elegant:
— Jim Henderson (@JimHenderson29) February 12, 2014
Some heaped some “heavenly” praise:
Pujols on Jeter: “On and off field, he’s the way you want your kids to grow up, Only Jesus is perfect, but he’s pretty close to that guy.”
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) February 13, 2014
Some were downright funny (seriously, look at the last line before the hastags lol):
Some were a brief remider of how these players we idolize are human beings, just like the rest of us:
Might cry when Jeter plays his last game favorite player growing up…did it the right way
— Christian Yelich (@ChristianYelich) February 12, 2014
Some simply reiterated what many of us have already said:
All the best to Derek in his final season. He’s been Nothing but class and I wish him health and much success this year.
— Chris Dickerson (@CDickerson_PFTP) February 12, 2014
Derek Jeter is my idol, and will always be the example that I strive to follow. It’s been an honor to share a diamond with The Captain #2
— Hanley Ramirez (@HanleyRamirez) February 12, 2014
Derek Jeter was my first wow moment on field my first year. Came up to me and patted me on the back & said “welcome and congrats” #rolemodel
— Josh Reddick (@joshreddick16) February 12, 2014
The 1st time I talked to Derek Jeter at 2b he acted like he knew me forever. I wear #2 because of the person he is on and off the field.
— BJ Upton (@BJUPTON2) February 12, 2014
The game wont be the same without him. I wish him nothing but the best.
— BJ Upton (@BJUPTON2) February 12, 2014
Some of them represented MLB’s new guard paying homage to a man they strive to be:
Grew up watching Jeter play. Always aspired to be the player he was on and off the field. #TheCaptain
— Mike Trout (@Trouty20) February 13, 2014
#TheCaptain Derek Jeter will be missed…Won’t find a better person on and off the field! One of the greatest ever! pic.twitter.com/alqU2C4u56
— Bryce Harper (@Bharper3407) February 13, 2014
Some of them came from young players who knew Jeter on a very personal level:
Derek Jeter is my hero. Always has been, and always will be. He is the reason I wanted to play baseball. pic.twitter.com/Tumplbq12Q
— Preston Mattingly (@Pmattingly30) February 12, 2014
Derek Jeter caught my first Major league out, then came up to me in the dugout and gave me some words of confidence that I’ll never forget..
— George Kontos (@G_Kontos) February 12, 2014
… Jete, thanks for being the leader that this game needed for a long time. It’s a pleasure to have shared the field with you.. #Legend
— George Kontos (@G_Kontos) February 12, 2014