Derek Jeter Not Being Unanimous Is Meaningless
If you’ve been to Cooperstown, you’ve assuredly seen the plaques of the players inducted into the Hall of Fame. When you look at them, you’ll see how they’re arranged – chronologically.
Tom Seaver isn’t next to other pitching greats like Walter Johnson or Greg Maddux.
The Hall of Fame also didn’t create a special wing for Seaver, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mariano Rivera for the players inducted with the highest percent of the vote.
Seaver isn’t also kept in a different area than Mike Piazza, Joe DiMaggio, or any other player who was not a first ballot Hall of Famer. No, Hall of Famers are all the same spot, and as noted above, their plaques are only sorted chronologically.
In the end, that’s why it doesn’t matter that one voter withheld a vote from Derek Jeter.
Jeter being unanimous would have been an interesting footnote albeit one which is not mentioned on a Hall of Fame plaque. You could also be a positive step towards stepping away from this first ballot Hall of Famer nonsense.
To that point, it’s quite fitting Jeter’s plaque will be next to Larry Walker‘s. For his part, Walker was elected on his final year on the ballot, and he cleared the 75% hurdle by just six votes.
As an aside, Jeter falling one vote shy could be reason for a renewed call for public voting. After all, if you feel that strong about bucking the general consensus, you should state your case. No, not explain yourself, but let us know what we’re all missing.
More to that point, writers demand accountability from players, and when a player ducks the press, we hear about it, and that player is chastised. The same people who do that should be accountable when it is their turn.
However, that’s besides the point. Whether Jeter was one vote short of being unanimous or his having 90 fewer votes, the end result is the same.
Jeter is a Hall of Famer just like Walker, and when all is said and done, that’s all that matters.
This is easy. If your name is not Babe Ruth than you are one of the rest and its not even close. (Apologies to Mays, Gehrig, Wagner, Williams and Cobb) I am the biggest Yankee hater ever born but lets put that away for a second and review the following list;
Ruth
Geherig
Berra
Mantle
DiMaggio
Is Jeter better than any of those guys?
How about this list?
Mays
Williams
Wagner
Cobb
Hornsby
Speaker
Foxx
Ott
Aaron
Musial
I didnt name any pitchers nor did I bring up Bonds, Jackson, Griffey, Bench, F Robinson, J Robinson, Morgan, Schmidt…. would you take Jeter before any of these guys?
Jeter was a great post-season player. Was he Berra or Mantle or Jackson? Not even close.
To me, you’re a Hall of Famer, or you’re not. For his part, even with Jeter falling far short of that group, he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
If no one until Mariano Rivera was a unanimous selection, including players with twice Jeter’s win contribution to his teams, it can’t be a significant issue that Jeter didn’t get every vote. He was a 1bman playing SS. He insisted on playing short even though when Rodriguez arrived in NY Rodriguez was far better at the position. Jeter also used his leverage to hang around, and hurt several of his teams as a result. He wasn’t worth a starting slot in 2010 and 2011 despite making $37m. He was barely worth a starting gig in 2012 ($16m), and he was replacement level in 2013 and 2014 ($29m, total).
He’s entitled to whatever he can negotiate, but the idea that Jeter was a selfless icon of purity and probity is absurd.
Jeter was clearly a HOFer, a first ballot guy, to be sure, but would someone in favor of it tell me why he *deserved* a unanimous vote, and that it’s somehow beyond the pale that, in order to make a point, a voter would omit Jeter from his ballot?
I don’t think it’s beyond the pale a voter didn’t vote for Jeter so long as it was done on a good faith basis, and I do think there’s things you can point towards to do that.