Why Jeter's defense doesn't need defending

The flip play. The dive into the stands. The jump throw.

No highlight reel of Derek Jeter’s career would be complete without these iconic images from the Hall of Famer’s career, so why was the Yankees shortstop routinely criticized for his perceived shortcomings in the field?

“I prided myself on being consistent and, when a play needed to be made, I felt as though I was going to make it,” Jeter said. “I’d argue that my teammates had confidence in me making the plays as well. I don't really pay much attention to it, because I don't think it's possible to have that much success as a team if you had someone that was just so poor defensively.”

Jeter will be welcomed into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. MLB Network will have live coverage of the event beginning at 11 a.m. ET, with the ceremony beginning at 1:30 p.m. MLB Network Radio will also broadcast the event, and MLB.com will have a live simulcast of the ceremony.

When Jeter is inducted, the image of him backhanding a ball from the first-base line to catcher Jorge Posada in a win-or-go-home situation against the Athletics in the 2001 American League Division Series will be easy to find. So will his all-out effort to catch a pop fly against the Red Sox in 2004, one which carried him into the stands, where he emerged from with a bloody face -- and the ball.

Yet when people rattle off the list of accomplishments that made Jeter a landslide first-ballot Hall of Famer, it’s his 3,465 hits, five World Series rings and 14 All-Star selections that will garner most of the attention.

Jeter doesn’t spend much time thinking about his defensive reputation -- “I'm not playing anymore, so I don’t think it really makes a difference,” he said -- but despite what the analytics may have said about his work at shortstop, the lifelong Yankee believes he did what was necessary in the field throughout his career to help his team thrive.

“I get analytics entered the game a little bit more toward the end of my career,” Jeter said. “As you get older -- I played my first game in New York when I was 20, and I played my last when I was 40 -- you probably slow down a little bit towards the end of your career. I think that's what's supposed to happen. I prided myself on being consistent. Is it fair to say my last year wasn't as good as the middle of my career? I’m sure it's fair to say that. My job was to be consistent and, day-in and day-out, be accountable.”

Jeter’s 3,000th hit -- a home run against David Price -- is a memorable highlight from his legendary career, but it’s not nearly as unforgettable as The Flip.

The Yankees were facing elimination after dropping the first two games to Oakland in the Bronx, and with Mike Mussina clinging to a 1-0 lead and Jeremy Giambi standing on first base with two out in the seventh inning, Terrence Long hit a double to right field. Giambi was waved home as Shane Spencer’s throw sailed over the cutoff man, but Jeter -- who was inexplicably standing on the first-base line not too far from the plate -- fielded the errant throw and threw a backhand shovel pass to Posada, who swiped a tag on Giambi’s leg as he tried to score standing up.

The play may have saved the Yankees’ season, but in the bigger picture, it created an everlasting reputation for Jeter as always being in the right place at the right time.

“It's probably the one play I get asked about the most; it's the one play I see the most,” Jeter said. “I was where I was supposed to be; I tell people that all the time. That’s something that we worked on in Spring Training, so that’s where I was supposed to be. Flipping it to home is not part of that, but I sort of improvised at the end. Fortunately, everything worked out for us. I've been asked about Jeremy Giambi: If he would have slid, would he have been safe? Probably, but he didn't.”

Many speculated during the second half of Jeter’s career that he would eventually switch positions; perhaps he would finish his career at third base, or even in the outfield. Jeter never considered such a move. All he ever wanted since he was a child was to play shortstop, the same position his father, Charles, had played at Fisk University in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

“When I was younger, I pitched a little bit, but I wanted to be an everyday player,” Jeter said. “I never entertained playing another position. I remember being very young and telling my dad I thought it was easy to play outfield, and he put me in the outfield and hit me some fly balls and I wasn't very good. That was the end of the experiment.”

Jeter didn’t just play shortstop; he has more hits and runs scored than anyone who has ever played the position, and he played more games at shortstop than anyone in history other than Omar Vizquel. Even his 260 career home runs are third-most of any shortstop, trailing only Ernie Banks and Cal Ripken Jr.

While Jeter’s defense was a popular sports radio topic during the second half of his career, his work ethic and approach to the game was never in question. Jeter is routinely used as the example of how to go about your business on and off the field, something he takes great pride in -- especially in his second career as the CEO of the Marlins.

“I tried to play the game the right way,” Jeter said. “I tried to play hard every single day; I felt as though that was my responsibility. Anytime you have someone mention your name with playing the game the right way, that makes you feel good. It's humbling. A lot of organizations, I tried my best to try to beat them throughout the years. For them to have respect for how you played the game, it makes you feel really good.”