A Quick Comparison

            If I were to give the career numbers of 2 players would you be able to separate whom they are?  Today I wanted to point out a few things about a player that we all should know very well and a player that you wouldn’t expect to be so close to him.

	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO
Player A	8.6%	14.6%	.309	.377	.439	.817	.130
Player B	9.3%	14.0%	.281	.363	.433	.796	.152

BABIP	R	RBI	wSB	HR	wOBA	wRC	WAR
.350	1922	1307	24.2	260	.360	119	73.5
.311	1844	1175	28.5	291	.352	115	65.1

            Many of the differences between these two players are very small in the grand scale of their careers and both really play out as the same type of player at least in the numbers.  The 2 biggest differences between the 2 players seems to be the batting average by 28 points and the BABIP at 39.  While the AVG one is a gap its closed very quickly seeing the OBP is very close together at only a 14 point difference, nothing in the grand scheme of things.  Player A’s BABIP is really impressive considering the league average BABIP in 2014 sits around .300.  In the end Player A is better in all but 5 categories listed above and really is the better player between the two.

            So who are these players?  Well considering the timing of this article and the fact we’re talking career numbers it’s pretty easy to see that player A is obviously Derek Jeter.  Jeter really has had an amazing career and as a fan of sabermetrics the numbers are just a wonder to look at.  In a 20-year career he has amassed some great counting numbers and is defiantly a first ballot hall of famer, and if he isn’t the first player in the history to get 100% of the vote no one ever will.  Off and on the field he was the pinnacle of what players strive to be.  I could go on and on about his numbers but it really comes down to a simple statement.  Derek Jeter is REALLY good.

            So who’s player B?  Who is this player that actually compares to Jeter fairly well in the numbers game?  Well player B had also played for 20 years before he decided to retire in 2007 and went down as one of the best second baseman in baseball history.  Not only that he played multiple positions in his career including: C, LF, CF, RF, and 2B.  Player B is one of my personal favorite players of all time Craig Biggio.

            Now before all you Yankee fans come upon me with the pitchforks and torches let me explain the point of this article.  Biggio is not Jeter and I am not saying he is but looking at the numbers he is pretty comparable to him.  As fans we have to make sure we don’t lose focus on all the players and focus it on just one.  Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, and Bobby Abreu are all players that are retiring this year and I bet half of the people reading this had no clue that they were retiring or even still playing considering the fanfare going on for Jeter.  Again Jeter deserves every bit of this praise and I love Jeter just as much as any baseball fan should but we also need to remember that as amazing as he was there are players out there that were just as good.  So let us celebrate not just Jeter, let us celebrate all the greats and enjoy what they gave us.  For the record yes Jeter is still one of the best in the game ever and would be on my Mount Rushmore of players.  All I want to do is show a little perspective.