“Derek Jeter didn't deserve any Gold Glove” - When former Astros star Carlos Correa aimed dig at Yankees icon's defensive achievements

Derek Jeter is one of the most decorated baseball players of all time. Not many have five championship rings to their name and a Hall of Fame plaque. He also has a few Gold Glove awards on his mantelpiece, but those have become a bit controversial.

A few years ago, Carlos Correa signaled out Jeter's Gold Glove awards and made a bold claim. According to Correa, not one of Jeter's five awards was deserved.

On the "Me Gustan Los Deportes" podcast in 2021, Correa said:

"Derek Jeter, how many Gold Gloves did he win? Five, I think he won. ... Derek Jeter didn't deserve any."

Jeter, who took home the award in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, didn't respond to the dig.

Nevertheless, New York Yankees fans took umbrage with it. They believe Jeter's awards showcased how impactful a defender he was, and his career highlights (the jump throw, the flip, the crash into the stands) justify the awards.

Analyzing Derek Jeter's Gold Glove awards

In the age of advanced analytics, old narratives are often taken down. They provide the ability to look back and see just how good (or not good) someone was despite what their traditional stats might have said.

Derek Jeter is a prime example of this. He was heralded as a defensive star who could make big plays. Was that true? The metrics seem to suggest the opposite. In fact, they suggest that he was one of the worst defenders ever.

No one started tracking defensive runs saved (DRS) until 2002, so there are a few years unchecked for Jeter. Despite that, he amassed a startling -162 DRS for his career. From 2002 to 2014, he cost the Yankees 162 runs on defense.

In his Gold Glove years, things do not look good:

2004, -13 DRS
2005, -27 DRS
2006, -16 DRS
2009, 3 DRS
2010, -5 DRS

For comparison, Anthony Volpe just won a Gold Glove for his performance at shortstop in 2023. He had 15 defensive runs saved.