2012 Derek Jeter Performance Thread

[justtxyank]

Nettles appeared in the top ten of home runs in the league 5 times. He finished first once and second once.

If you limit it to AL, yes. I was using all of MLB on Henderson. If we want to expand it to simply "his league" Henderson appeared 16 times on the OBP list, more than 3 times as many as Nettles.

Henderson's final 8 seasons...from age 37 forward (roughly where Jeter is now), his obp was .388 in 889 games. Prior to that, his obp was .406 in 2192 games. the weighted effect of those final years was .005 on his career obp (he ended up at .401), so really the finals years did not have a huge effect.

On the top "obp" list it did. It was more than 10 spots. .05 points in OBP jumps him into the top 40 or so.

[YankeeFan1421]

If you limit it to AL, yes. I was using all of MLB on Henderson. If we want to expand it to simply "his league" Henderson appeared 16 times on the OBP list, more than 3 times as many as Nettles.



On the top "obp" list it did. It was more than 10 spots. .05 points in OBP jumps him into the top 40 or so.

Okay, so he would have been 40 instead of 55 or whatever. Of course, if we do the same with a bunch of other players it would effect the rankings too. It is what it is...no, I don't consider 55th, or 40th on the all time list of anything to be really 'elite'. It doesn't really matter anyway. We agree he was 55th and that he was a top ten finisher a bunch of times (I think you said 10 or 11).

He is clearly better than the 55th best position player of all time, so his ranking on the obp list doesn't help his standing anyway, the way Nettles' ranking on the home run list is the best thing you can say about him, at least statistically.

[YankeeFan1421]

By the way, where does everybody here rank Jim Thome in comparison to Henderson?

[justtxyank]

Okay, so he would have been 40 instead of 55 or whatever. Of course, if we do the same with a bunch of other players it would effect the rankings too. It is what it is...no, I don't consider 55th, or 40th on the all time list of anything to be really 'elite'. It doesn't really matter anyway. We agree he was 55th and that he was a top ten finisher a bunch of times (I think you said 10 or 11).

Do you even read my posts? Unlike the homerun lists, the OBP list is full of guys (over 20) who had careers significantly shorter than Henderson. It's like k/9 vs total strikeouts. A guy like Moyer can be in the top 40 all time in strikeouts. Not elite because it is a counting stat and his longevity helps him. On k/9? He's in the 300s somewhere.

He is clearly better than the 55th best position player of all time, so his ranking on the obp list doesn't help his standing anyway,

It actually does but you don't understand why

[YankeeFan1421]

Do you even read my posts? Unlike the homerun lists, the OBP list is full of guys (over 20) who had careers significantly shorter than Henderson. It's like k/9 vs total strikeouts. A guy like Moyer can be in the top 40 all time in strikeouts. Not elite because it is a counting stat and his longevity helps him. On k/9? He's in the 300s somewhere.



It actually does but you don't understand why

No, it doesn't. Not taken by itself it doesn't. it does in conjunction with all of the other things he did.

So, jump Rickey ahead of those 20 players who had signfiicantly shorter careers. Now he's 35th on the list. dude, an "elite" something is somebody in the top 10 or whatever. He's not. Now, we can argue that it's insignificant whether you're 55th or 10th...that I see the point on. But because it's statisicially insignificant doesn't change the fact that he's not an elite obp guy.

[justtxyank]

No, it doesn't. Not taken by itself it doesn't. it does in conjunction with all of the other things he did.

So, jump Rickey ahead of those 20 players who had signfiicantly shorter careers. Now he's 35th on the list. dude, an "elite" something is somebody in the top 10 or whatever. He's not. Now, we can argue that it's insignificant whether you're 55th or 10th...that I see the point on. But because it's statisicially insignificant doesn't change the fact that he's not an elite obp guy.

We could do a full statistical breakdown using standard deviations and everything to demonstrate why Henderson being where he is on the career OBP is elite and I don't think you'd agree. Do you realize how many players qualify all time for the OBP list?

Edit: Was Jason Giambi an elite slugger? Because he is 55th on the all time slg% list. Ken Griffey Jr is 39th. Frank Robinson 40. Sammy Sosa 42. Mike Schmidt 52. Were these guys not elite sluggers?

Edit 2: Was Reggie Jackson an elite homerun hitter? Because he is 60th on the homeruns per at bat list! Jeff Bagwell 54th! Russell Branyan is 16th! I list Branyan to give you an example of why rate stat all time lists can be skewed.

Here's some other all time lists that use counting stats (so it is more apples to apples with homeruns for you)

Times on base: Henderson ranks 4th
Career Walks: Henderson ranks 2nd
Runs Created: Henderson ranks 10th
Hits: Henderson ranks 22nd

Are those more "elite" numbers for you? Do those look like stats for someone who was elite at getting on base?

[YankeeFan1421]

We could do a full statistical breakdown using standard deviations and everything to demonstrate why Henderson being where he is on the career OBP is elite and I don't think you'd agree. Do you realize how many players qualify all time for the OBP list?

It's sort of pointless as all we're really debating is the definition of the word 'elite'. It doesn't matter.

Where would you rank Jim Thome as a player in relation to Henderson?

[False1]

No, it doesn't. Not taken by itself it doesn't. it does in conjunction with all of the other things he did.

So, jump Rickey ahead of those 20 players who had signfiicantly shorter careers. Now he's 35th on the list. dude, an "elite" something is somebody in the top 10 or whatever. He's not. Now, we can argue that it's insignificant whether you're 55th or 10th...that I see the point on. But because it's statisicially insignificant doesn't change the fact that he's not an elite obp guy.

So to be elite in a category you have to be one of the 10 best in the history of the game? Regardless of when you played? Maybe that's the issue. Your use of the adjectives "slight" and "elite" are probably different than most.

Henderson is 16th all time in WAR. Here is the list of the folks in front of him:

• Babe Ruth
• Barry Bonds
• Ty Cobb
• Willie Mays
• Hank Aaron
• Tris Speaker
• Ted Williams
• Stan Musial
• Honus Wagner
• Rogers Hornsby
• Eddie Collins
• Lou Gehrig
• Mickey Mantle
• Frank Robinson
• Mel Ott

Jeter, bless him, would need to have another six 1999 seasons to pass him. He'd need close to twenty 2011 seasons to pass him. I'm using WAR because it takes into account positional value, which you've been highlighting.

[False1]

Where would you rank Jim Thome as a player in relation to Henderson?

I know you're baiting with this, but I'll bite. Thome was exceptional at avoiding outs, and exceptional at slugging, but Henderson was the better player by a good margin.

[Big_E]

I'm using WAR because it takes into account positional value, which you've been highlighting.

But it doesn't take into account "intangibles"

[teknetic]

You really have to dimension the statement that "it's a lot easier to hit homers than it is to get on base 40% of the time". I don't understand what that means.

There's currently 23 guys with 300+ HR's and 35 over 250. There's a handful of guys on that list that were just compilers -- never anyone that you'd label as franchise players or even mention in the same breath as the all-time greats. The list of guys with a .400+ OBP is short in large part due to how difficult it is to do.

Where would you rank Jim Thome as a player in relation to Henderson?

Odd comp, but Thome was an absolute monster during his prime.

[YankeeFan1421]

I know you're baiting with this, but I'll bite. Thome was exceptional at avoiding outs, and exceptional at slugging, but Henderson was the better player by a good margin.

Thome's OPS+ was 147 compared to Henderson's 127. If the evidence earlier is that Henderson's OPS+ was 127 to Jeter's 118, what does this say about Thome? I realize a point is not a point on OPS+, and I actually AGREE that Henderson was the better overall player, but statistically Thome is far better than Henderson.

They had virtually the same obp (thome's two points higher, but has played 'only' 22 years), but Thome has over 300 more home runs in three fewer seasons. 300 home runs, I think we'd all agree, are worth more than 1400 stolen bases (that go along with 335 cs).

[YankeeFan1421]

So to be elite in a category you have to be one of the 10 best in the history of the game? Regardless of when you played? Maybe that's the issue. Your use of the adjectives "slight" and "elite" are probably different than most.

Henderson is 16th all time in WAR. Here is the list of the folks in front of him:

• Babe Ruth
• Barry Bonds
• Ty Cobb
• Willie Mays
• Hank Aaron
• Tris Speaker
• Ted Williams
• Stan Musial
• Honus Wagner
• Rogers Hornsby
• Eddie Collins
• Lou Gehrig
• Mickey Mantle
• Frank Robinson
• Mel Ott

Jeter, bless him, would need to have another six 1999 seasons to pass him. He'd need close to twenty 2011 seasons to pass him. I'm using WAR because it takes into account positional value, which you've been highlighting.

Okay, so by WAR, Henderson is worth about a half a win more per year than Jeter. I think this is within the margin of error for WAR, though valid point I agree.

[YankeeFan1421]

But it doesn't take into account "intangibles"

We can laugh all we want about the "i" word when it comes to Jeter, but I'll never be convinced that a player's value is completely and totally explained by statistics. If intangibles count for anything, Derek Jeter is a winning player. Henderson was often lazy and totally unfocused during the season. You cannot truly track the impact of jogging after balls and letting an extra base, or not busting it to force an error. I don't suggest that this would all totally change the conversation, but the way Jeter goes about his business can only help set a tone.

[False1]

Thome's OPS+ was 147 compared to Henderson's 127. If the evidence earlier is that Henderson's OPS+ was 127 to Jeter's 118, what does this say about Thome? I realize a point is not a point on OPS+, and I actually AGREE that Henderson was the better overall player, but statistically Thome is far better than Henderson.

They had virtually the same obp (thome's two points higher, but has played 'only' 22 years), but Thome has over 300 more home runs in three fewer seasons. 300 home runs, I think we'd all agree, are worth more than 1400 stolen bases (that go along with 335 cs).

I didn't use OPS+ to my recollection, thought I used wRC+. That still gives a slight edge to Thome (145 to 141), but as you've been apt to point out positional value makes a huge difference here, as Thome wasn't a good 1B/3B and played around half his games at DH.

It's not necessarily correct to say Thome was "statistically" better than Henderson. WAR for example gives Henderson an enormous edge.

[False1]

300 home runs, I think we'd all agree, are worth more than 1400 stolen bases (that go along with 335 cs).

You have to consider that the 300 HR came in the steroid era, which OPS+ and (preferably) wRC+ account for. Just looking at their offensive value yes Thome has a slight edge, but you said "player" not "hitter".

It's odd that you've been championing positional value in the Henderson/Jeter comp and then bring up a guy who is really a DH in a comp with Henderson

[YankeeFan1421]

You have to consider that the 300 HR came in the steroid era, which OPS+ and (preferably) wRC+ account for. Just looking at their offensive value yes Thome has a slight edge, but you said "player" not "hitter".

It's odd that you've been championing positional value in the Henderson/Jeter comp and then bring up a guy who is really a DH in a comp with Henderson

Uh, no, it's not odd. It's my whole point.

[justtxyank]

You have to consider that the 300 HR came in the steroid era, which OPS+ and (preferably) wRC+ account for. Just looking at their offensive value yes Thome has a slight edge, but you said "player" not "hitter".

It's odd that you've been championing positional value in the Henderson/Jeter comp and then bring up a guy who is really a DH in a comp with Henderson

He's trying to make the Jeter is to Henderson as Henderson is to Thome comp.

[False1]

Uh, no, it's not odd. It's my whole point.

He's trying to make the Jeter is to Henderson as Henderson is to Thome comp.

But WAR doesn't care about that. WAR accounts for positional value, and Henderson far exceeds Thome in that regard and at this point it is highly unlikely (though I'd love to see it) that Jeter eclipses him either.

[justtxyank]

But WAR doesn't care about that. WAR accounts for positional value, and Henderson far exceeds Thome in that regard and at this point it is highly unlikely (though I'd love to see it) that Jeter eclipses him either.

I understand that, but he isn't going to go by WAR, obviously.

[False1]

I understand that, but he isn't going to go by WAR, obviously.

I know you do, and knew you weren't endorsing the comp. I actually didn't mean to quote you in that response.

[snapple]

Derek Jeter is being discussed in the same breath as some of these players? I'll take it.

[False1]

Okay, so by WAR, Henderson is worth about a half a win more per year than Jeter. I think this is within the margin of error for WAR, though valid point I agree.

I'd go by games played, since WAR is a counting stat and "years" aren't equal given time lost to injuries, and in particular Henderson's last few years where he should have retired.

So Jeter's WAR per game played is .0309. Henderson's WAR per game played is .0370. Henderson has a 20% advantage there, even though Jeter hasn't (and hopefully never does) hit a period like Henderson did at the end.

If you just look performance for Henderson up to his age 37 season, which is where Jeter finished up last year, it's .0451 - or 46% better.

[False1]

It is amazing that Jeter is already at 1.2 WAR on 4/25, given that he totaled 5.0 WAR over the last two seasons combined.

Dude is a freight train right now!

[Mr Coffee]

Jeter? You KNOW he has an Edge.