Stories Of Derek Jeter's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

A lot has made of Derek Jeter and his recent hot streak as it is of a ridiculous nature. Over his past 19 games Jeter has hit an absurd .468. During this streak he has had 13 multi-hit games and of those, seven have been for at least three hits. Jeter has pretty much done everything one can do with the bat during the streak, even hitting for power with five home runs, three of which came on the road for those who think his power comes solely from the new Yankee Stadium.

But the point is that Jeter is far from the end of his career. During the off-season it was noted several times by many pundits that Jeter was finally slowing down with the bat. Coupled with his obvious defensive deficiencies many were wondering how the Yankees would deal with their aging and declining super star as he neared the end of his huge 10 year contract.

Many were right to question Jeter's ability. On the outside, using just his numbers, Jeter was clearly moving past his prime. After his MVP-like 2006 campaign his numbers began to drop. The problem was that Jeter's dropped subtly as he often played through injuries. This lead to the look of a steady decline and not just a down year. Last year it was a strained calf and a bruised hand after Daniel Cabrera put a 95-MPH fastball up in on him.

Jeter didn't sit out a game after the Cabrera HBP, but the effects lingered and it showed. Over his next 24 games Jeter's average plummeted from .312 to a season-low .270. Where the injury really showed was in Jeter's slugging percentage. Suddenly Jeter couldn't drive the ball anymore. His slugging dropped to a career low .408.

This season Jeter has been able to stay healthy and avoid any lingering injuries. This has led to one of his best seasons with the bat, rivaling perhaps 2006 and 1999. Aside from his rejuvenated bat Jeter has showed improved range in the field. This is mostly due to better positioning when out in the field, leading to fewer "past a diving Jeter" calls from John Sterling and Michael Kay on ground balls up the middle.

Joe Mauer is likely the unamimous MVP selection this season and you can't argue with his numbers, but Derek Jeter should get some consideration when the final numbers get matched up. He is definitely the MVP for the Yankees so far in 2009.