Last offseason, the University of Pennsylvania pored over piles of data and hoards of information, and concluded that Derek Jeter was one of, if not THE worst fielding shortstop in baseball. Of course, the New York media and Jeter's teammates immediately jumped to his defense (pun intended), and tried (unsuccessfully) to refute the facts.

This year, it's happening all over again. Nothing has changed, and the beloved Yankees captain is still the worst shortstop in baseball. But this year, he holds the ignominious distinction of being not only the worst shortstop in the league, he has also claimed the title of worst FIELDER in all of baseball.

Much like last year, Jeter's media groupies in the New York Post have jumped in with their ridiculously biased and subjective opinions that fly in the face of all facts and research. Last year, Jeter blamed the results not on his horrendous range, but on a computer glitch. This year, Justin Terranova of the New York Post reported the story with a bit of an incredulous tone.

The best part, however, isn't in the article. The even better part is in the comments, where desperate Yankees fans try to cling on to the false fantasies that their mancrush is still a competent fielder. Some mention the rings that the Yankees won 8+ years ago. Others bring up the gold gloves that Jeter won, without noting that he only won them after the Yankees mistakenly moved Alex Rodriguez, a far superior fielder, to third base to allow Jeter to remain in the position that he fields with such consistent mediocrity. Or the fact that Rafael Palmeiro won a gold glove in 1999, when he played only 28 games at first base, which shows how much of a crock the gold glove voting process really is.

It's also hilarious to hear people who say they've seen every single Yankees game, and that qualifies them to judge Jeter's defensive prowess compared to the rest of the league, completely discarding the fact that these researchers looked at EVERY SINGLE batted ball in the major leagues this year. I'm sure that these "unbiased" folks who just HAPPENED to catch every single Yankees game are more qualified to compare Jeter to the guys who spent months breaking down every single play for every team, based on every possible measurable stat. Ridiculous.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Derek Jeter is the most overrated player in baseball. And now the proof is in the numbers.


'Worst' Fielder In Majors [Ny Post]