Good v Great

Although there are a lot of Yankee haters out there, most baseball fans would concede that Derek Jeter has been a great player.  His longevity and career stats prove it.  But what makes him great?  Does he have a great arm?  No.  He has a good arm.  Does he have great speed?  No. He has good speed.  Does he have great range?  No.  He has good range.   Take any area of his game and you could make the case that other shorstops in the Major Leagues have better skills.  Derek Jeter proves that you don’t have to be a great player to make it to the Major Leagues and stay there.  So why do most people continue to say that Jeter should be in the category of great players? 

There have been many players who have come and gone in the Major Leagues since Jeter broke in as a rookie.  The difference between these players, some of which had great talent, is that Jeter brings his good skills every day.  Great talents every once in a while will dazzle the highlight shows with a 500 foot home run, a 100mph fast ball, or a diving play in the hole.  But the next few games you may not even know they are on the field.  In other words, their skills don't show up every day.  They lack consistency.  Their performance occurs in waves – big ups and big downs.  In Jeter's case, and other players like him, hardly a game goes by where you don’t know that Derek Jeter is playing.  He shows up every day and has an impact on the game, usually in a positive way.  What takes Jeter to an even higher level is that when the Yankees have needed him the most - "Mr. November" - he has shown up.   

You don’t have to be great to play in the Major Leagues but you do need to be good every day, especially when your team needs you the most.

GOOD  +  EVERY DAY  =  GREAT