Arguments for and Against New York Yankee Shortstop Derek Jeter Winning the 2012 Batting Title: A Fan's Take

Derek Jeter currently sits in third place as far as his batting average goes in the American League, meaning the possibility exists that he could win a batting title. If he does, it would be the first of his distinguished career.

Arguments for and against this transpiring exist, with the logic on both sides of the debate solid.

1. Age

Among the most compelling logic against Jeter collecting his first batting crown is his age, as he will turn 38 years old on June 26. The demand on his body of playing shortstop and batting leadoff for the Yankees could be too much, causing him to wear down as the summer progresses. His averages the past two seasons were both below .300. However, the two players now ahead of Jeter, Paul Konerko of the White Sox and Josh Hamilton of the Rangers, are both over 30. Konerko, leading the AL with his .366 average, is 36.

2. Past Performance

Jeter has a history of hitting well over .300, as evidenced by his lifetime average of .313. Konerko has never hit higher than .313, while Hamilton has a batting title on his resume, hitting .359 in 2010. Mark Trumbo of the Angels, now in fourth at .324, has too small a sample to really know what he is capable of doing. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder of the Tigers are hitting .318 and .319, respectively, with Cabrera the reigning batting champion. In his previous seven campaigns, Fielder has never hit over .300.

3. Speed

Jeter definitely has one thing in his favor -- his speed and hustle. This could and does translate into infield hits, meaning he does not have to make great contact to muster a base hit. Jeter hits the ball on the ground the vast majority of the time, enabling the New York shortstop to use his quickness to garner cheap hits. This is not the strong suit of players such as Konerko, Hamilton, Cabrera or Fielder; they are all middle of the batting order sluggers paid to drive in runs with their power.

4. X Factors

Hamilton is the logical choice to win the batting crown, which more than likely would give him the Triple Crown, since he has huge leads in both home runs and runs batted in. But there has not been a Triple Crown winner since 1967, so the pressure on Hamilton would increase as the season wore on. Hamilton has to stay healthy to get enough at-bats to qualify for a title, something which has been difficult for him in the past, as he has played in more than 133 games just once in his six years. Jeter does not walk a lot, meaning he will have more official at-bats, which then means he will need more hits to keep his average up. Hamilton plays in a great hitters' park in Texas, while Fielder and Cabrera bat half the time in spacious Comerica Park in Detroit, with plenty of room for hits to fall in.

I have been a fan of the New York Yankees since the middle of the 1960s.

Source:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/2012-batting-leaders.shtml