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Along with catcher, shortstop is arguably one of the most important positions in baseball, so much so that teams are willing to sacrifice offense for superior defense. Thus, when a team comes across a unicorn shortstop that excels with both the bat and the glove, that player can serve as a franchise centerpiece; in fact, looking through the history of baseball, many of the game’s greatest shortstops have spent their entire careers with one franchise, e.g. Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs, Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers, Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds, Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers, etc. At the top of this list are Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken Jr. – both spent their entire careers spanning 20+ years with one team, compiled over 3,000 career hits, won World Series titles, and were inducted into the Hall of Fame, leading to the inevitable question:
Who was better – Derek Jeter or Cal Ripken Jr.?
The Beginning
Jeter and Ripken both grew up around baseball and were almost destined to become stars from a young age – upon being called up to the majors, each won Rookie of the Year honors as a springboard to their long and distinguished MLB careers.
Growing up in a baseball family, first in New Jersey and later in Michigan, Jeter was a Yankees fan since childhood from attending games with his grandparents. A three-sport high school star in baseball, basketball, and cross-country, his baseball accolades included 1992 Gatorade High School Player of the Year and USA Today High School Player of the Year; though he received a baseball scholarship to the University of Michigan, Jeter was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft and chose to go pro. Following four seasons in the minor leagues and a brief 15-game stint with the big league club in 1995, he opened the 1996 season as the Yankees’ starting shortstop and proceeded to be unanimous AL Rookie of the Year, hitting .314 with 10 home runs, 78 runs batted in, 104 runs scored, a .370 on-base percentage, and a .430 slugging percentage, good for a 101 OPS+ (which measures on-base percentage plus slugging vs. a league-wide average set at 100).
As for Ripken, he was born and grew up in Maryland, with father Cal Sr. being a coach and later manager for the Baltimore Orioles. Naturally, Cal Jr. picked up baseball as a youngster and grew up around the team; originally a second basemen before making the move to shortstop, he was county MVP for his high school and led them to a state championship before being drafted 48th overall in the second round of the 1978 MLB Draft by the hometown Orioles. After making his major league debut late in the 1981 season, Ripken became a starter in 1982, first at third base before shifting permanently to shortstop, and hit .264 with 28 home runs, 93 runs batted in, 90 runs scored, a .317 on-base percentage, and a .475 slugging percentage (115 OPS+) to capture AL Rookie of the Year honors.
Career Comparison
From their Rookie of the Year seasons, Jeter and Ripken each became All-Star stalwarts for the next two decades, in the process racking up hits, Silver Sluggers, Gold Gloves, MVPs, and World Series titles while cementing their legacies on the way to Cooperstown.
After following up on his strong rookie season with a similar sophomore campaign, Jeter earned the first of 14 All-Star selections and finished third for AL MVP in 1998 by hitting .324 with 19 home runs, 84 runs batted in, a league-high 127 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, a .370 on-base percentage, and a .405 slugging percentage (good for a 127 OPS+). This marked the beginning of five consecutive All-Star appearances and four straight years finishing top 10 for MVP, including a 1999 season that saw him achieve a number of career-highs: a .349 batting average with a league-leading 219 hits, 24 home runs, 102 runs batted in, 134 runs scored, a .438 on-base percentage, and a .552 slugging percentage (153 OPS+). Though Jeter only played 119 games in 2003 and broke a streak of seven straight seasons with 100+ runs scored, he still hit .324 and became the first Yankees captain since Don Mattingly retired in 1995, a title he would hold for a dozen years until his retirement.
Jeter returned to the All-Star Game in 2004 and also won the first of three straight Gold Gloves (and five overall), hitting .292 with 23 home runs, 78 runs batted in, 111 runs scored, a .352 on-base percentage, and a .471 slugging percentage (114 OPS+). A couple of years later, he had his highest career MVP finish in 2006 (second behind Justin Morneau) on the strength of a .343 batting average with 14 home runs, 97 runs batted in, 118 runs scored, a career-high 34 stolen bases, a .417 on-base percentage, and a .483 slugging percentage (132 OPS+); additionally, after alternating between All-Star and non-All-Star seasons, this marked the first of seven straight All-Star campaigns, another Gold Glove, and the first of four straight Silver Sluggers (5x overall). Following a string of strong seasons, Jeter had another third-place MVP finish in 2009 while earning both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger: .334 batting average with 18 home runs, 66 runs batted in, 107 runs scored, a .406 on-base percentage, and a .465 slugging percentage (125 OPS+).
During the 2011 season, Jeter became the first player to reach 3,000 career hits in a Yankees uniform, the second shortstop to achieve the feat (after Honus Wagner), and the fourth-youngest ever behind Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, and aforementioned Yount. His last great season came in 2012, as he hit .316 with a league-high 215 hits, 15 home runs, 58 runs batted in, a .362 on-base percentage, and a . 429 slugging percentage (114 OPS+), good for a final Silver Slugger and a seventh-place MVP finish. After only playing in 17 games in 2013 due to injuries, Jeter returned in 2014, but hit just .256 in his final season and retired at age 40, having spent his entire career with the Yankees and holding numerous franchise records, including games played, plate appearances, at-bats, hits, doubles, and stolen bases; moreover, he is sixth all-time on the career hits list and #1 for shortstops.
As an encore to his rookie season, Ripken hit .318 in 1983 with a league-leading 211 hits and 47 doubles, 27 home runs, 102 runs batted in, a league-high and career-high 121 runs scored, a .371 on-base percentage, and a .517 slugging percentage (144 OPS+) to earn the first of 19 straight All-Star selections, the first of four consecutive Silver Sluggers (8x overall), and AL MVP honors; in doing so, he became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons. Over the course of his first decade in MLB, Ripken was one of the premier hitting shortstops in baseball, racking up at least 20 home runs and 80 runs batted in each season. Another 25-100-100 season ensued in 1985, as he hit .282 with 26 home runs, 110 runs batted in, 116 runs scored, a .347 on-base percentage, and a .469 slugging percentage, good for a 124 OPS+.
Following strong seasons in 1986 and 1987 by Cal Jr., Cal Sr. became the Orioles manager in 1987 and penciled in both Cal Jr. and his brother Billy into the Baltimore starting lineup. Cal Jr. won another Silver Slugger in 1989 and finished third for AL MVP: .257 batting average with 21 home runs, 93 runs batted in, 80 runs scored, a .317 on-base percentage, and a .401 slugging percentage (105 OPS+). Despite dipping to a then-career-low .250 batting average in 1990, he bounced back in 1991 with arguably the best season of his career – in hitting .323 with a career-high 34 home runs and 114 runs batted in, 99 runs scored, a .374 on-base percentage, and a .556 slugging percentage (162 OPS+), Ripken won his second MVP award, his first Gold Glove, and another Silver Slugger. Though he regressed in 1992, he posted consecutive Silver Slugger seasons in 1993 and 1994; moreover, in 1993, he surpassed Ernie Banks for the most career home runs at shortstop.
1995 was a solid statistical season for Ripken (.262 batting average with 17 home runs, 88 runs batted in, 71 runs scored, a .324 on-base percentage, and a .459 slugging percentage, equating to a 107 OPS+); however, the highlight came on September 6, 1995 vs. the then-California Angels when Ripken played in his 2,131st consecutive MLB game to break Lou Gehrig’s 56-year old record of 2,130 consecutive games played. After a final 20-100 season in 1996, Ripken moved to third base for the last five years of his career and remained a solid player, even hitting a career-high .340 in 1999, but was no longer the superstar of his prime; notably, he ended his consecutive game streak at 2,632 games in 1998 and reached 3,000 career hits in April of 2000 vs. the Minnesota Twins. Ahead of the 2001 season, Ripken announced that he would retire at season’s end – statistically, 2001 would be one of his worst seasons, but he was nevertheless voted an All-Star starter at third base and in a fitting tribute, starting AL shortstop Alex Rodriguez switched positions with him to start the game; overall, Ripken holds a slew of Orioles career records, among them games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, home runs, runs scored, etc.
Both Jeter and Ripken spent 20+ years playing for one franchise – though Ripken has the benefit of an additional season and nearly 250 extra games, the two have a similar number of career at-bats due to Jeter hitting at the top of the Yankees order and consistently being among the annual leaders for at-bats. Statistically, it is a split decision: Jeter accumulated more hits, runs scored, and stolen bases, and had a better batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS+, while Ripken hit more home runs, drove in more runs, walked more, and had a higher slugging percentage. This dichotomy is similarly reflected in “great” seasons – Jeter had more .300+ seasons (12 vs. 5), 200+ hit seasons (8 vs. 2), and 100+ runs scored seasons (13 vs. 3) vs. Ripken having more 20+ home run years (12 vs. 3) and years with 100+ runs batted in (4 vs. 1). On the whole, Ripken was a bit more decorated – more All-Star selections (19 to 14), Silver Sluggers (8 to 5), and MVPs (2 to 0), but Jeter (surprisingly) has more Gold Gloves (5 vs. 2) and both were Rookie of the Year. Encapsulating all of this into one number, Ripken has a sizable edge in career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 95.9 vs. 72.4 for Jeter. Nevertheless, both players were first-ballot Hall of Famers, Ripken in 2007 followed by Jeter in 2020; with 99.7% of votes (he was only left off of one ballot), Jeter has the second highest selection percentage in Hall of Fame history behind only teammate Mariano Rivera and the highest-ever for a position player.
Regular Season Statistics
| Derek Jeter | Player | Cal Ripken Jr. |
| 20 (1995-2014) | Seasons | 21 (1981-2001) |
| 2,747 | Games Played | 3,001 |
| 11,195 | At-Bats | 11,551 |
| 3,465 | Hits | 3,184 |
| 1,923 | Runs | 1,647 |
| 260 | Home Runs | 431 |
| 1,311 | Runs Batted In | 1,695 |
| 1,082 | Walks | 1,129 |
| 358 | Stolen Bases | 36 |
| .310 | Batting Average | .276 |
| .377 | On-Base Percentage | .340 |
| .440 | Slugging Percentage | .447 |
| 115 | OPS+ | 112 |
| 72.4 | Wins Above Replacement | 95.9 |
| 14x | All-Star Games | 19x |
| – | MVP | 2x |
| 5x | World Series Titles | 1x |
| 5x Silver Slugger, 5x Gold Glove, 1x World Series MVP, Rookie of the Year | Other Awards | 8x Silver Slugger, 2x Gold Glove, 2x ML POY, Rookie of the Year |
| 2020 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2007 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Like many Yankees legends before him (Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, etc.), Jeter was a cornerstone of multiple championship teams; in contrast, Ripken only made it to the playoffs a few times in his career, but managed to come away with a title as well.
During his two decades in MLB, Jeter appeared in the postseason a whopping 16x and played in the World Series 7x, coming away with five titles (1996, a three-peat from 1998-2000, 2009). Notably, he won the Willie Mays World Series MVP in 2000 vs. Mike Piazza and the crosstown Mets – in a five-game Subway Series, Jeter hit .409 (9 hits in 22 at-bats) with a pair of solo home runs and 6 runs scored. For his career, he hit a strong .343 in the ALDS, though dropped to .257 in the ALCS, and then improved again to .321 in the World Series.
Meanwhile, Ripken made a grand total of three playoff trips in his career; during his 1983 MVP season, the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS to advance to the World Series vs. a Philadelphia Phillies team led by the likes of Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, and Steve Carlton – though Baltimore prevailed in five games, Ripken followed up on a .400 ALCS by only batting .167 in the World Series. Later on towards the twilight of his career, he would make back-to-back playoff appearances in 1996 and 1997, but the Orioles would fall in the ALCS both times.
Playoff Statistics
| Derek Jeter | Player | Cal Ripken Jr. |
| 158 | Games Played | 28 |
| 650 | At-Bats | 110 |
| 200 | Hits | 37 |
| 111 | Runs | 14 |
| 20 | Home Runs | 1 |
| 61 | Runs Batted In | 8 |
| 66 | Walks | 12 |
| 18 | Stolen Bases | – |
| .308 | Batting Average | .336 |
| .374 | On-Base Percentage | .411 |
| .465 | Slugging Percentage | .455 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; despite being superstars for well over a decade each, Jeter and Ripken both inevitably declined into their late 30s as they approached retirement, though were still great clubhouse leaders. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Derek Jeter | Player | Cal Ripken Jr. |
| 1998-2001, 2004-2007, 2009, 2012 | Decade of Dominance | 1982-1991 |
| 1,540 | Games Played | 1,615 |
| 6,336 | At-Bats | 6,266 |
| 2,052 | Hits | 1,757 |
| 1,149 | Runs | 969 |
| 180 | Home Runs | 259 |
| 775 | Runs Batted In | 942 |
| 637 | Walks | 687 |
| 223 | Stolen Bases | 28 |
| .324 | Batting Average | .280 |
| .393 | On-Base Percentage | .350 |
| .474 | Slugging Percentage | .469 |
| 50.5 | Wins Above Replacement | 69.9 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
The numbers across their decades of dominance match their overall career trends – Jeter amassed more hits, runs, and stolen bases with better ratios, while Ripken had more power and run-producing ability, and played better defense, thus leading to nearly 20 additional WAR over this timeframe.
My Thoughts
When it comes to Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken Jr., we are talking about not just two of the greatest shortstops ever, but perhaps two of the most iconic players in baseball history. On one hand, you have Jeter’s table-setting offensive greatness, leadership, and postseason success; on the other hand, with Ripken, you get his iron man consistency, slugging ability, and defensive greatness at a premium position. Outside of power and driving in runs, Jeter was a little bit better offensively, but does that and his championship pedigree with the Yankees outweigh Ripken’s significantly better defense? I do not think so – despite his five Gold Gloves, Jeter is objectively rated as a below average defender by most metrics, whereas Ripken is fourth all-time in career defensive WAR (35.7, behind only Ozzie Smith, Mark Belanger, and Brooks Robinson); Ripken was certainly no slouch at the plate either, as evidenced by his MVP awards, 3,000+ career hits, and 400+ career home runs, making him the better overall player in my opinion.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Cal Ripken Jr.
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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