Does Jeter deserve to be unanimous Hall of Famer?

Derek Jeter is no doubt a Hall of Famer. He is one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history and an all-time Yankee. With his longtime teammate Mariano Rivera going in as the first unanimous Hall of Famer of all time, there’s a bit of a debate on whether Jeter deserves the same honor.

Unfortunately, the answer is no. While Jeter is certainly an all-time great and obviously will be a first ballot Hall of Famer, he isn’t in the same category as Mariano Rivera, or Babe Ruth, or Ty Cobb.

Jeter has fantastic stats but never had outrageous numbers like some other members of the Hall of Fame did. He was never the greatest at his position in any one category, and although he was remarkably consistent in the playoffs, you can ask Bernie Williams whether clutch gets you in the Hall of Fame.

Jeter is perhaps the greatest shortstop of all time, but to be unanimous, there can’t even be a debate. Ozzie Smith was much better defensively and Cal Ripken Jr. was better offensively. Alex Rodriguez has much better numbers but he’ll never get it. Jeter is one of the best but he is not to shortstop what Mariano Rivera was to relief pitching.

Derek Sanderson Jeter is one of the all time greats but the honor bestowed upon Mariano Rivera as a unanimous Hall of Famer shouldn’t be duplicated anytime soon. If Jeter is unanimous, does this open the door for other players who don’t really deserve it? It’s a slippery slope but it should start and stop with Mo.