Where does Derek Jeter rank among all-time shortstops?

Derek Jeter is synonymous with New York Yankees baseball, and associated with New York Yankees baseball is success. Jeter won five World Series titles with the franchise, including a three-peat from 1998 to 2000.

Jeter was the face of a generation of shortstops and has inspired many to pick up a bat and a glove and chase their dreams. Names like the great Troy Tulowitzki, Andrelton Simmons, and even current Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts all cited Jeter as their inspiration to play the position.

The biggest question is, how does Derek Jeter compare to the all-time great shortstops? Names like Honus Wagner, Ernie Banks, Cal Ripken Jr., and even his old teammate Alex Rodriguez have made a case for themselves to be in the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) category.

Let's see how he stacks up against the all-time greats. Captain Clutch, known for his heroics in the postseason, never played in a losing season for the Yankees. This is a testament to his leadership and the Yankees' pedigree as a club.

Derek Jeter has a career slash line of .310/.377/.440 with an OPS of .817. He has 260 home runs and 1,311 RBIs and is the only New York Yankee to have at least 3,000 hits for the club with 3,465 hits. Here are his numbers compared to other all-time greats.

	Slash line	Hits	Home Runs	RBI	Accolades
Honus Wagner	.328/.391/.476	3,420	101	1,732	World Series title (1909), Hall of Fame (1936)
Alex Rodriguez	.295/.380/.550	3,115	696	2,086	World Series title (2008), MVP (2003, 2005, 2007), 10 Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, 14 All-Star team selections
Ernie Banks	.274/.330/.500	2,583	512	1,636	MVP (1958-59), Gold Glove, 14 All-Star team selections, Hall of Fame (1977)
Cal Ripken Jr.	.276/.340/.447	3,184	431	1,695	World Series title (1983), MVP (1983, 1991), All-Star MVP (1991, 2001), Rookie of the Year (1982), eight Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, 19 All-Star team selections, Hall of Fame (2007)
Derek Jeter	.310/.377/.440	3,465	260	1,311	Five World Series titles (1996, 1998-2000, 2009), World Series MVP (2000), All-Star MVP (2000), Rookie of the Year (1996), five Silver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves, 14 All-Star team selections

Looking at the table above, it can be immediately observed that Jeter was more prolific in his batting averages but lagged behind in terms of power. He was known to be a contact hitter during the span of his career.

In terms of accolades, he has the most World Series titles, being a part of the juggernaut New York Yankees teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He certainly has fewer individual accolades than some of the others on the list.

In terms of WAR, Hall of Famer Honus Wagner pulls away from the competition with 130.9. The next closest WAR to him is Alex Rodriguez's at 117.5. Pundits and experts still argue to this day if Wagner is the greatest baseball player of all time. After all, he had the same number of votes as Babe Ruth during the first Hall of Fame induction.

Derek Jeter was one of the best shortstops to play the game

It can be comfortably said that he is among the top 10 best shortstops of all time and can be argued to be in the top five. With his sheer leadership and delivery in clutch situations, he deservedly takes a place with the elite.

Taking into account the inspiration he continues to provide and the class act that he was on and off the field — and for being the face of the MLB for a good decade or two — he deserves a place in the top five greatest shortstops of all time.