Derek Jeter

I’m not the biggest Derek Jeter fan, I’ll be honest. I think his pride hurts him at times — perhaps he tries too hard to fit into the “Yankee mold,” so to speak. He’s certainly not a power hitter, and he’s certainly not the best defensively. But put that aside, and how can you not be impressed by the guy? Sure, many view him as being overrated, but anyone making that type of money is going to be deemed overrated.

Derek is on the threshold of reaching a rather significant milestone — 2,500 hits. He had 3 hits last night against Toronto, which put him at 2,498 hits. Derek needs 2 hits to reach 2,500. If he doesn’t do it tonight, then perhaps tomorrow (Friday) night in Baltimore.

Take a look at the all-time hit list below, and look how many at-bats, and seasons, it took for the players around him to accomplish that level.

All Time Career Hits Leaders

Derek Jeter even has the capability to crack into the top 5, too. He averages just over 200 hits per season. Lets just say Jeter, who is 34 years old, can, and wants to, play for another ten years. Lets also say he can continue putting up similar hit numbers. That’s an additional 2000 hits — putting him at 4,498. 4,498 is about 200 more hits than the current leader, Pete Rose.

Now, of course, Derek is getting older. I’m sure his numbers are going to dip, but even so, he has the potential to definitely make his way into the top 5 of all time. How incredible is that? Imagine if he stays healthy and his age doesn’t decrease his numbers dramatically? We’re witnessing incredible history here.

And without going into too much about Alex Rodriguez, he’s going to be in the running to pass Barry Bonds in the all time career home run total, too. How amazing is it going to be for us fans to witness possibly two great records be broken by two players on possibly the same team?

Update: Derek Jeter is now at 2,499 career hits.