Derek Jeter to Retire after 2014 Season

The Core Four after the 2009 World Series

Derek Jeter has annouced that he will retire after the 2014 season marking the end of a dynasty. In 1995 Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and the Captain Derek Jeter were called up together. They would play together through 2011  observing each others accomplishments: Jeter's 3000th hit, Posada's clutch hits, Rivera's 600th save, Pettitte's 250th win, and of course 5 World Series Championships. Posada retired after the 2011 season, Pettitte retired once after the 2010 season and again after the 2013 season, Rivera retired after the 2013 season, and now the final member, and possibly the most loved member will retire after the 2014 season.

Twas the 90s

I and so many others watched Derek Jeter his entire career, we know nothing but Derek Jeter. Those who watched Yankee games before Jeter would say no one would ever be like Don Mattingly, but then came the skinny kid from Kalamazoo. There are many significant moments in his career, such as the flip play against Oakland, his 3000th hit being a home run off David Price, the Mr. November home run, and the dive into the stands, or as my Met fan friend likes to say "The I couldn't stop my momentum play." Derek Jeter has definitely never been short of exciting to watch.

He is a 5 time Gold Glove award winner, a 13 time All Star, 5 time Silver Slugger, 5 time World Series Champion, and a first ballot Hall of Famer. Derek Jeter will follow a parade of celebration for his illustrious career through the 2014 season. Although he will enjoy every moment of it, he will say that the goal is to win the World Series. Derek Jeter is a special kind of player, and irreplaceable
to the world of baseball.

Hall of Fame Inductees

This year's Hall of Fame ballot was jam packed with All Stars, MVPs, Cy Young Award winners, Gold Glovers, and five tool players, but only three players made the hall this year.

Left to Right: Larussa, Torre, Cox

Three inductees made it in as managers, they were the leaders of dynasties: Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, and Tony Larussa. Toree led the Yankees through some of their most successful seasons winning 4 World Series titles in a 5 year period. Bobby Cox managed the Braves through the years and led the team to a World Series in 1995, but has the 4th most wins as a manager in history. Tony Larussa is known for being the manager of the Cardinals and leading them to World Series victories in 2006 and 2011. All three managers are well respected and definitely deserve their position in the Hall of Fame.  

Now for the reveal of this years Hall of Fame inductees. With 75% of the total vote three players made it in to they Hall of Fame. These greats are Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas.

Tom Glavine (left) and Greg Maddux (Right)

Maddux's 355 career wins, 3.16 ERA, 3371 strikeouts, 4 consecutive Cy Young Awards, and his overall greatness make him not only the best pitcher of generation, but perhaps one of the greatest pitchers of all time, and one of the best in the Hall of Fame. He deserves his position in the Hall of Fame.

Glavine was a teammate of Maddux for 10 seasons and they were one of the most devastating duo's for those 10 years. His 305 wins, 2607 strikeouts, 2 Cy Young Awards, and career 3.54 are absolutley fantastic, but Glavine really shined when it meant most. 14 post season wins with a 3.30 ERA in the clutch probably sealed the deal for Glavine to get in on his first ballot. It is only appropriate that he and Maddux are entered along with Bobby Cox.

Frank Thomas

Spending 16 seasons with the Chicago White Sox Frank Thomas, also known as The Big Hurt, put him ridiculous numbers. The two time MVP posted 521 home runs over the course of his career, along with .301 batting average and a staggering .419 on base percentage. Thomas struck not only the ball but fear into the pitchers that faced him.

As for Jack Morris, he has failed to get into the Hall of Fame, but will probably be considered by the veterans committee. Craig Biggio missed being inducted by less than 1%, so he and his 3000 hits will have to wait, he will almost certainly be inducted next season. Mike Piazza improved on his percentage, but he may take more than one more season to make the Hall of Fame.

Mariano Rivera and Jim Thome

In 2011 Mariano Rivera and Jim Thome both reached career milestones. The number 600 will both be unique to Jim Thome and Mariano Rivera because Thome hit his 600th home run in 2011 and Rivera recorded his 600th save. In yesterday's article I discussed two young players making their debut season. Today i'll discuss two of the game's most established veterans of which 2012 may be their last season.

Thome played with The Indians, White Sox, Phillies, Twins and The Dodgers in his 21 year career. Thome hit 604 home runs in his career and had 12 seasons in which he hit 30 or more home runs. People often forget about Thome's 2287 career hits and a .403 on base percentage. Thome has a career 147 OPS+. Although Jim Thome lacks a victory in the World Series he is still ticketed for the Hall of Fame.

Mariano Rivera has played his entire 17 year career with The Yankees. He is respected in New York and everywhere he goes. He is without a doubt the greatest reliever ever. In 2011 he recorded his 600th save and has 603 for his career. He also has a 2.21 career ERA and 5 World Series victories. A career 206 OPS+ also shows Rivera's dominance among the other pitchers in his era.

Rivera and Thome may be embarking on their last season in The MLB. Thome will play with The Phillies and Rivera will play with The Yankees in 2012. Not only are they great baseball players they are great people. Ask anyone who has met one of them and they will say Jim Thome or Mariano Rivera is the nicest guy you can meet. If 2012 is their last season seeing these two legends stand next to each other in Cooperstown in the future will be a great sight.

Don Mattingly for The Hall of Fame

Mattingly was one of those players that everyone loved. If you were a baseball fan during the years 1984-1995 you knew who Don Mattingly was. Mattingly has been eligible for The Hall of Fame for 10 years now but has not received enough votes to be inducted.

The average batting for a player in The Hall of Fame is 211 home runs, 2399 hits, and 1213 RBI's. Barry Larkin was inducted in the 2012 class and has very similar numbers to Don Mattingly. Larkin has 198 home runs, 2340 hits, and 960 RBI's. Larkin played 19 seasons and had 12 all star appearances, 3 gold gloves, 10 silver sluggers, and 1 MVP award. While Don Mattingly has 14 MLB seasons, 222 home runs, 2153 hits, and 1099 RBI's. Mattingly has 12 all star appearances, 9 gold glove awards, 8 silver sluggers, and 1 MVP award in that period.

Barry Larkin and Don Mattingly played in the same era, but Larkin played 5 more seasons and they still have similar stats. Mattingly was one of the dominant players in his period but isn't recognized because he never won a World Series. Larkin was part of the 1990 World Series win with the Reds, but that was his only one. What if there was no strike in 1994 and The Yankees would have went on to win the World Series? Would Mattingly have to wait so long, he would be in the same position as Barry Larkin. The Yankees were having a great season in 1994 with a 70-43 record before the strike and Mattingly was one of the leaders on the team with a .397 on base percentage.

Mattingly's WAR over his career is 39.8 which means he directly was responsible for almost 40 wins over his career. Over a 14 year career that translates to a WAR of  2.85 a year. Just for the record Mattingly played 5 games in the post season and had 10 hits, 1 home run, 6 RBI's, a .440 on base percentage and a .708 slugging percentage. The Yankees would lose that series to The Mariners, but Mattingly showed what he can do in the post season. Vote for Donnie Baseball!

Rest in Peace Gary Carter

One of baseball's greats passed away today at the age of 57. Gary Carter was a hall of famer, an all-star, a champion, a friend of many, and had a love for the game. He played baseball like a kid, earning him his nick-name "The Kid."

Starting his Career in 1974 he would play 19 seasons, mostly with The Expos and The Mets. He would hit 324 home runs and get 2092 hits. He never had a .300 batting average, but that never mattered to Gary. He was happy to just play the game.

After 11 all-star games, 3 gold glove awards, 5 silver slugger awards and a world championship Carter would retire at the age of 38. In his last game he hit a go ahead double to give The Expos the lead. That was his last at bat and he made the most of, taking in his last moment of the thing he loved the most.



His infectious smile will resonate through the mind of baseball fans forever. We remember Gary Carter on the day he puts his cleats away forever.  

So Long Posada

Drafted in the 24th round of the 1990 draft by the New York Yankees, Jorge Posada Retires at the age of 40. Jorge was called up to the MLB in late 1995, but he wouldn't look back. He would go on to play 17 seasons and 1829 games all with the New York Yankees. He will be remembered for his part in the 5 world series champion ships and being one of the best offensive catchers in his era.

Some of his achievements are being a five time all star and five time silver slugger award winner. The Yankees will probably retire his number and soon the Hall of Fame will be calling.

So long to Jorge Posada.

Possible Hall of Fame Inductees in the Near Future

The 2012 Hall of Fame class consisted of one person, Barry Larkin, but in the near future some big names are coming up, with a lot of controversy.

Frank Thomas (The Big Hurt)- Thomas played 19 seasons, 16 of them with the Chicago White Sox. over those 19 seasons he posted a .301 batting average, .419 on base percentage, 521 home runs, and a .555 slugging. I think there will be some controversy, because he was convicted of steroid use in his career. This is one of the many problems of the steroid era.  All in all Thomas will get inducted within 5 years of eligibility.

Greg Maddux- Without a doubt Maddux will be inducted on his first ballot. He dominated the 1990's and 2000's pitching 23 total seasons mostly with the Braves (11 seasons) and the Cubs (10 Seasons), but pitched 2 seasons each with the Dodgers and Padres. 355 wins is a ridiculous number, I don't think we will see a player hit 350 wins for another 20 years or so if that. A lifetime 3.16 era and 3371 strikeouts. His best season was 1996 when he held a 1.63 era, 209.2 innings pitched, and 181 strikeouts with just 28 walks.

Mike Mussina (Moose) - Mussina pitched 18 seasons, 10 with the Orioles and 8 with the Yankees. He collected 270 wins, a 3.68 era, 2813 strikeouts, and 6 gold gloves. He may not make it in the first ballot, but he will absolutely make in by 2017. He is a fan favorite, getting his first 20 win season in his final season was something really magical. He was known for his durability and incredible fielding.

Roger Clemens (The Rocket) - 24 seasons, 13 with the Red Sox, 6 with the Yankees, 2 with the Blue Jays, and 3 with the Astros.  354 wins, 3.12 era, 4672 strikeouts, and 7 cy young awards will not get Clemens into the hall of fame for a long time. Until he admits that he took steroids, he will not be admitted. Once he admits it, then I will give him 10 years to get admitted, just because there is no on better to admit that year.

Barry Bonds- Bonds played 22 seasons in the MLB, 15 for the Giants and 7 for the Pirates. Being known as possibly the best hitter all time, The son off Bobby Bonds and godson of Say Hey Kid (Willie Mays) Barry posted 762 home runs (The most all time) a .444 on base percentage, a .298 batting average, .607 slugging, 1996 rbis, and 2558 walks. Barry Bonds will never get into the hall of fame. His constant denial of steroid usage will keep him out. All he would have to do is apologize and he would be admitted.

Pete Rose (Charlie Hustle) - Pete has been eligible for 21 years for hall of fame induction, but he was denied again and again, for gambling on games he took part in as a manager and a player. he has 4256 career hits. Come on Pete, just apologize. The same would go for Shoeless Joe Jackson, although he is deceased taking part in the Chicago Black Sox scandal withheld him from the Hall of Fame.

Hello Hall of Fame

Barry Larkin was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame today. Remembered as one of the most consistent and best players of his time (1986-2004).

Called up to the MLB in 1986 Barry Larkin was just 22, he played a total of 2180 games all for the Cincinnati Reds. Playing shortstop he received 3 gold glove awards, received the national league MVP in 1995, nine silver slugger awards, and had a .371 OBP over his 19 seasons.

His career stats are as follows,  2340 hits over 7937 at bats, forming a .295 batting average. 198 home runs and 960 RBI's. Also speed was a big part of his game stealing 379 bases and hitting 76 triples. His on base percentage was previously mentioned at .371.

Once again Congratulations to Barry Larkin.