Derek Jeter “All-Star”
Derek Jeter reached his 3,000th hit in July. This is a remarkable achievement
that primarily came in a span of 16 seasons. While Jeter’s production has
started to decline, he still carries a career batting average of .312 with an
on base percentage of .383.
Jeter was never a homerun hitter of any consequence although his longevity has
enabled him to hit his 237 homeruns. He has an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .831.
Even more remarkable, Jeter has participated in 147 post season games and continues to maintain a .309 batting average. He is a sure-fire hall-of-famer.
Jeter has signed player contracts totalling $205 million to date, which I believe
does not include his $16 million salary for 2012 and $17 million salary for
2013. After accepting the well-deserved accolades of his momentous feat, Jeter
decided to beg off attending the All Star game, even though he only made the
team because other, more worthy, players decided not to go, either through
injury or a decision to take a rest. Jeter had a $500,000 bonus that kicked in
for making the All Star team. Apparently you don’t have to play in the game to
collect the bonus.
So what did Jeter do? The rumour in the New York papers is that he spent his resting period signing “3000th-hit” baseballs, probably at $100 a crack in
order to take advantage of his new celebrity.
One can legitimately question Jeter’s priorities but I guess they don’t pay enough to
appear in the All-Star game. Is this another case of the “fans be damned?”
