Alex Rodriguez vs Derek Jeter: Who wins the New York Yankees' greatest of all-time honors?
The New York Yankees are the most successful American sports franchise of all-time and, arguably, one of the most successful sports franchises in the world.
Donning 27 World Series titles, no team can compare to the level of dominance the franchise has had. However, behind every all-time Yankees team is a set of star players that helped build their team into a dynasty.
The New York Yankees featured some of the greatest pairings in American sports: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Roger Marris. In this century, the pairing the Yankees trotted out for more than a decade was Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.
Who is the better New York Yankees player? Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez?
Although the two players had different paths to the Bronx and pinstripes, they each hold a mythical status in Yankees lore.
Derek Jeter
Selected as the sixth overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft by the Yankees, Jeter was destined to be one of the greatest Yankees that ever played the game.
He swept the voting for 1996 American League Rookie of the Year after hitting .314 and scoring 110 runs out of the shortstop position.
For the remainder of the millenium, Jeter established himself as one of the premier players in the game with his consistent excellence at the plate. This was highlighted by his ability to maintain that excellence in the postseason where he earned the nickname "Mr. November."
Jeter would go on to collect 3,465 hits in his Major League Baseball career to go along with 200 career hits over a 158 game playoff span. This helped him win 5 World Series Championships, all with the New York Yankees.
He was one vote shy of being unanimously elected into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, as he holds the Yankees record for doubles.
Derek Jeter's 3,465 hits is 6th most all-time.
There is nothing "over-rated" about being 6th in the 3,000-hit-club* (only 32 MLB players)
He also won 5 World Series rings.
That's 2 more than any player ahead of him on the 3,000 hit list.
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Alex Rodriguez
The man lovingly referred to as A-Rod found a far different path to New York. After being drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners, Rodriguez immediately set the baseball world on fire.
He was leading the league in batting average and total bases at the precocious age of 20 in 1996. He departed Seattle to sign the richest contract in Major League Baseball history with the Texas Rangers, where he mashed 153 homeruns in 3 seasons.
After a trade with the Boston Red Sox fell through, Rodriguez was sent to the Yankees where he shifted over to third base. Rodriguez mashed 173 home runs in his first five years as a Yankee, winning two American League Most Valuable Player awards.
Jeter never won the award in his two decades with the New York Yankees. Though he struggled at times in the playoffs, Rodriguez did bring a title to the Yankees. However, injuries and suspensions would go on to taint his career.
Alex Rodriguez says on the Kay Rod Cast that he had multiple teams interested in him at the time of his retirement. One team included the Marlins and one in the middle of the country. Chose to retire and stay loyal to the Yankees & the Steinbrenner Family.
In terms of clutch, consistency, and integrity, Jeter walks away victorious in this matchup. However, if Rodriguez was able to spend more of his prime in pinstripes, the scales may tip toward A-Rod.