He did it. He finally did it. And by reaching the 3000 hit plateau, Derek Jeter officially enters a conversation that few players even try to dream of: being considered the greatest all-time player at your position. For Jeter, the longtime New York Yankee shortstop certainly must be considered for the argument for the best shortstop ever to play the game. One look at his numbers and it's clear that Jeter has accomplished more than most players could ever hope in considerably less amounts of time on the world's greatest stage and spotlight. How much more proof will people need?
At the very least, Jeter is a first ballot Hall of Fame entrant and a closer look at the numbers might surprise you just how much he's quietly accomplished on such a prominent team. The only shortstops with 3,000 hits in their career are Robin Yount and Cal Ripken, but both needed 1,500 more at-bats to achieve that. Ripken is the leader with 3,184 to date in 3001 games played (compared to Jeter's 2361). It's conceivable that Jeter will smash all-time shortstop records when all is said and done.
Jeter already has more runs scored than any of the 21 shortstops in the Hall of Fame with 1,727 -- one hundred more than his nearest competition (Ripken). His 231 home runs place him third among shortstops all time behind Yount and Ripken -- the latter of which he will not catch (431). He ranks fifth all-time among shortstops in doubles and RBI and sixth in stolen bases. All of those rankings will go up before it's over. He's also tied for third all-time in career batting average.
In short, Jeter has been nothing short of phenomenal on the field with career-leading numbers across the board, and he's still going well into his late-thirties. Match this statistical performance with his Rookie of the Year Award, numerous Top 10 MVP appearances, 11 All-Star appearances (not including this year) and five Gold Glove Awards and you have a surefire Hall of Famer. Add numerous championship rings and a World Series MVP to boot and you have the single greatest shortstop in MLB history.