Derek Jeter passes Willie Mays

[Jim Colyer]

Derek Jeter passed Willie Mays in number of career hits. At this moment Jeter has 3285. Mays finished with 3283. Jeter's lifetime batting average is .314. Mays' average was .302.

Jeter http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/stor...th-hit-no-3284

[Darth Kenshin]

I always found Jeter to be an interesting case. He's been so consistent and clutch, but at the same time, never truly dominant. I mean, at his best, he was putting up the same numbers as Nomar. His peak never comes close to Ripken or A-Rod. However, the longevity and consistency make his place in history very interesting.

One reason I never debate a "who's the best ever?" topic is because it's such a vague definition. Jeter might end up having a better career than any other shortstop. However, was he ever CLEARLY the best shortstop in the league? His peak comes nowhere near what other guys did. He's like the Tim Brown of baseball but in a bigger market.

Tim Brown was a consistently very good wide receiver. But there was never a time where opposing coaches thought Tim Brown was the most dangerous receiver in the game. Same with Jeter. He was never the most feared player in baseball. But he will be a first ballot HOFer (obviously) and as the numbers keep piling up, you can make an interesting case for him having the best CAREER of any shortstop in history.

[Erroneous]

In the last 15 plus years, Jeter has put up with and beat every current and next super star SS.

A Rod
Miguel Tejada
Normar
Elvis Andrus
Troy Tulowitzki
Jimmy Rollins
Hanley Ramirez
Jose Reyes
Rafael Furcal
Edgar Renteria
Omar Vizquel
Angel Berroa
Julio Lugo
Neifi Perez
Erick Aybar
Asdrubal Cabrera