Derek Jeter (credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images), Pete Rose (credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (WFAN) – Derek Jeter has become the 28th player in MLB history to record 3,000 career hits.
With hit No. 2,722 in September 2009, Jeter surpassed Lou Gehrig as the Yankees’ all-time hits leader. Now the question is: how far can the captain climb Major League Baseball’s list?
Could he possibly surpass Pete Rose at No. 1?
Compare these numbers we dug up from baseball-almanac.com on Rose’s 3,000th hit:
| Jeter vs. Rose: Hit No. 3,000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Games | At Bats | |
| Pete Rose | 37 | 2,370 | 9,690 |
| Derek Jeter | 37 | 2,362 | 9,604 |
The kid from Kalamazoo is barely ahead of Rose’s pace, and the comparisons don’t end there. Rose wasn’t one month separated from his April 14, 1941 birthday when he collected the milestone hit on May 5, 1978.
Jeter’s birthday? June 26, 1974. The Yankees captain is only a couple weeks past 37.
For now it’s a tight race, but Jeter is on the decline with over 1,200 hits to go. If the Yankees move him down in the batting order, he’ll undoubtedly have fewer at-bats — which means less hits.
Jeter averaged just .270 in 2010, his worst statistical season so far, and still managed to record 179 hits. He might not even grasp that total this season.
Though Jeter would never admit it, could you blame him for hanging around past his due date if Rose’s 4,256 is within reach?
And let’s be real, wouldn’t it be nice for baseball to have a hits leader that isn’t banned for life?
Does Jeter have a shot at Rose? Sound off in the comments below…
