I’m going to give you two current players statistics to look over. Can you guess who they belong to?
Stat Line A: .389 BA, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 21 Hits, 1.089 OPS, .404 OBP
Stat Line B: .300 BA, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1.025 OPS, .375 OBP
Did you guess Matt Kemp? Prince Fielder? Ryan Braun?
Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. The first are the statistics of the one and only Derek Jeter. I’ll allow those of you who didn’t know how he was doing to this point to take a breath in admiration (or dread depending on your allegiance).
“The Captain” is off to a fantastic start which, for those of us who have been watching since the epic 3,000 game, shouldn’t be surprised about. Last season Jeter, who turns 38 in June, hit .327 last year in the second half of the season including a cool .387 in August. He’s been able to turn that into an impressive April start that has many who were vocal about his contract unable to be found at this point in time.
While no one knows if this will continue it is something to be admired. Jeter is a no-doubt-about-it first ballot Hall of Fame guy and to see him get off to a start like this allows many of us (Yankees fans and otherwise) to appreciate his unbelievable ability.
Meanwhile in Atlanta another no-doubt-about-it first ballot Hall of Famer has turned head to start his 19th (and final) season. Chipper Jones, in only six games, is showing he still has something left in the tank. While the injury bug has bit him a bit to start the season, Atlanta’s success after an awful 0-4 start could be attributed to Jones coming off the disabled list and giving the Braves a much-needed boost.
Jones, who turns 40 in April, is another we may want to appreciate while we can. He’s playing good baseball when he’s out there and that isn’t something anyone is going to want to miss.
