What is the big deal with Derek Jeter batting second? Why are the media and some Yankee fans up in arms over this?
How many games has Jeter batted second in his Yankee career? Care to take a guess? Out of his 2,295 games as a Yankee, he's batted second 1,270 times.
What is the goal of a leadoff hitter? To get on base, see a lot of pitches and steal bases.
Is Jeter the best at those things on the Yankees? No. That honor goes to Brett Gardner, who last season had an OBP of .383, stole 47 bases and saw a league-best 4.61 pitches per at-bat.
My only concern with Jeter batting second would be if he continues to hit ground balls like he did last year. Hitting a lot of ground balls as the No. 2 hitter equals a lot of double plays.
By batting Jeter second, they also would move Nick Swisher down in the order, probably to sixth, which would provide protection to Robinson Cano. I personally think Cano should be batting third, but that's another story for another day.
Yes, the leadoff hitter is only guaranteed to lead off once per game and the rest of the game is just another hitter (and why Gardner normally batted ninth so they could get two "leadoff" hitters back-to-back).
In my opinion, the most dangerous Yankee lineup is one with Gardner leading off, followed by Jeter and then Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.
While Derek Jeter has been a great Yankee, no one is bigger than the team. If the Yankees would do better with someone else batting leadoff and Jeter batting somewhere else (this includes dropping him to the bottom of the order if he repeats his 2010 season), that's what needs to happen.
The goal of every Yankee team is to win the World Series, and a lineup with Gardner leading off is the best bet for that to happen.
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