Derek Jeter and the Hall of Fame: The prototypical Hall of Famer

Instead of asking should Derek Jeter be inducted into the Hall of Fame – only a moron would say no – let’s use the Yankees shorstop to show what makes a Hall of Famer.
Jeter’s happens to be a very good baseline candidate to describe what a historical Hall of Famer* is.
We all know Jeter was an exceptional player, who also happened to be very famous. While Jeter wouldn’t fall into the category of a fringe Hall of Famer no one would ever argue he’s one of the 10 best players of all time, either. He was so good, and it’s so obvious he belongs in Cooperstown, that no one on their right mind would deny him eligibility on the first ballot.
So he’s the perfect baseline candidate for looking how we define a Hall of Famer

So let’s use Bill James’ Keltner list to show why.
A quick word on the Keltner list. James is one of the best historical analysts of all time. Many years ago, in his brilliant book “The Politics of Glory,” he used a list of questions to analyze if someone is a Hall of Famer.
We’re piggy backing on that list because there’s really no better barometer. We will, however, reference JAWS, Jay Jaffe’s fantastic statistical analysis of Hall of Fame numbers.
Without further adieu, Derek Jeter’s smooth trek through the Keltner list.

1. Was Derek Jeter ever considered the best player in the game?
No, and this isn’t a knock on The Captain. He was clearly the face of baseball during the late 1990s and throughout the first decade of the 21st century. While he was regularly considered an MVP candidate, he got a lot of bonus points for his intangibles. But the best player mantel usually went to Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez.
2. Was he the best player on his team?
Yes. Maybe not every year, but on a regular basis during a 12-15-year run, he was often the best player on the New York Yankees, especially during the 1998, 2006 and 2009 seasons.
3. Was he the best player in baseball at his position? The best player in his league.
This is a tough one. He was clearly one of the top three, despite being not being as great a defensive player as his reputation claimed. Jeter had limits in the field, but his offense was – aside from when Alex Rodriguez, (who was chemically-aided at times) and a couple of years when Nomar Garciaparra and Miguel Tejada, where at the tops of their games – so great he was probably the best shortstop in baseball several times.
4. Did he have an impact on a number of Pennant Races?
Another lay-up. Jeter helped the Yankees win seven pennants and five World Series. He was regularly clutch during those times.
5. Was he a good enough player to play regularly after his prime?
Yes. He did.
6. Is he the very best player in history who is not in the Hall of Fame?
No. Pete Rose, Barry Bonds (pre-roids), Joe Jackson and others were better.
7. Are most players who have comparable stats in the Hall of Fame?
Here’s is Bill James’ ten most similar scores, according to Baseball-Reference.
1. Craig Biggio
2. Paul Molitor
3. Roberto Alomar
4. Robin Yount
5. Charlie Gehringer
6. Johnny Damon
7. Ivan Rodriguez.
8. Joe Morgan.
9. Ted Simmons.
10. Frankie Frisch
So you have six current Hall of Famers, one guy who is most likely getting in during the next three years (Biggio), a criminally underrated catcher who belongs in Cooperstown (Simmons), another who could be inducted (Simmons) and Johnny Damon.
8. Do the players numbers meet Hall of Fame standards?
Exhibit A. Every player with 3,000 hits not associated with steroids or gambling standards is in Cooperstown except Biggio.
Exhibit B. Hall of Fame monitor of 334 is 11th all time, behind Barry Bonds and ahead of Honus Wagner. It helps that he was a shortstop on five world champions.
Exhibit C. Aside from Pete Rose, every player who is the leader for hits of every franchise that started before the 1990s is in Cooperstown. Jeter is the Yankees’ all-time leader.
Exhibit D. According to JAWs analysis, he is the 12th greatest shortstop of all time. All but two of the players listed ahead of him – Bill Dahlen and Allen Trammel – are in. Seven of the next eight – Barry Larkin, Bobby Wallace, Lou Boudreau, Joe Cronin, Pee Wee Reese and Joe Sewell – are in.
9. Is there any evidence to suggest the player was significantly better or worse than his stats?
Clearly, he wasn’t worse than his stats, which are of Hall of Fame caliber. Whether or not he was better than them is up for debate.
10. Is he the best player at his position who is eligible who is not in?
He’s not eligible yet, but he would be.
11. How many MVP-type seasons did he have? Did he win? Was he close?
He was in the top 3 three times.
12. How many All-Star caliber seasons did he have? How many games did he play in? Do players with that many appearances get in?
He was a 13-time All-Star, which is a fair number for his career. Most players with that many get in.
13. If this man were the best player on his team, could that team win the pennant?
Yes. The evidence is above.
14. What impact did this player have?
This doesn’t mean stats or championships. But it’s about things like Jack Robinson breaking the color barrier, Cal Ripken Jr. redefining the shortstop position.
Jeter was extremely popular, but that doesn’t guarantee induction. Steve Garvey was one of the most popular players of the 70s and 80s. He’s not in Cooperstown.
15. Did the player uphold the standards of sportsmanship declared by the Hall of Fame?
Clearly he did.

So based on the answers to the Keltner list, Jeter is clearly a Hall of Famer.
Of course, he’ll sail into Cooperstown.
He’s one of a handful of guys who would deserve unanimous induction. Like Babe Ruth, Tom Seaver and Greg Maddux, he won’t get it.

*Look, everyone’s definition of a Hall of Famer differs somewhat. There are those who want only the elite of the elite in there. Basically a list of about 70 guys. But that’s not what we’re discussing here. We’re looking at what actually defines a Hall of Famer. There are more than 200 inductees, so we have can look at all of them and come up with a general idea of what makes a Hall of Famer.

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