Yankee Fans Unite

It's rather interesting reading these old posts at this point in the season.

First, Jeter's defense has actually improved this season. Who could have imagined that?

Second, both Gardner and Melky have played really well. Sure, Gardner got off to a slow start, which meant he was replaced as the starting CF by Melky. But lately, he's been on a roll. Melky has fallen off a bit, but he still has decent numbers.

Third, Ramiro Peña has gotten some time on the big league level and has been impressive. Not only has he played good defense, but he has also done some things with the bat. The question is, will he be kept around long enough to become Jeter's replacement, or will Jeter's longevity at SS cause the Yankees to have to trade Peña away because they don't have a place for him to play everyday? Only time will tell.

Jeter's defensive improvement--which I have been able to notice easily in the few games I've seen on TV--is remarkable. It's a testament to him, and his ability to recognize the critics and silence them. He's not leaving SS anytime soon.

As for Pena, I'm afraid he'll have to wait. And I'm not ready to annoint him Jeter's successor until I've seen a bit more of him.

As much as you gotta love Pena's glove I'm not sure we're ready for a weak hitting SS to replace Jeter - there's such a major drop off.

SS has usually been a relatively weak spot for hitting. Jeter is an aberration. If we are waiting for another player like him to come along, we're in for a long wait.

Just look at the Red S*x. They haven't been happy with a SS since Nomar got hurt and disappeared.

Sadly, they have also won 2x WS post-Nomar

Well for the most part, yes, and historically yes, but Jeter isn't even one of the big hitters anyway. The drop off from Jeter to Pena is quite major though, and not only with the bat but with leadership and championship pedigree. There'd have to be more than one guy on this team to take that bull by the horns. Do we have at least one in our midst?

What about Tex? Cerveli?

It's way too early to tell who among the young players might be a leader. Jeter certainly wasn't when he came up. And an all-star shortstop is not an integral part of the Yankee formula (we've only had two, and yes, they were integral to championships, but the Yankees have won quite a few championships without an all-star shortstop),

The key consistent position for Yankee championships? Catcher.