THE CONFLICT between baseball’s analytical hive mind and its hopeless romantics is best captured in, or by, the Rawlings GG Gamer 11.5-inch glove of one Derek Jeter, the Hall of Fame shortstop for the New York Yankees. Over the early years of his career especially, Jeter was considered a superlative shortstop. In the seven seasons between 2004 and 2010, Jeter won five Gold Gloves, the award given each year to the player deemed the best at his position. During the 2010 season, his fielding percentage—the traditional defensive metric—was .989, better than every other shortstop in baseball. He committed only six errors. By those numbers, at least, he was easily tops.
He also had a knack for making spectacular plays when his team needed him to perform miracles. If clutch hitters no longer existed, Jeter made it to nab Jeremy Giambi at the plate, is considered one of the greatest defensive plays ever made.
