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How do we feel about where they ranked Derek Jeter?

Because there’s nothing to talk about in baseball right now because of the lockout, ESPN is ranking the top 100 baseball players of all-time.

On Tuesday, they dropped nos. 26-50 on their list. A few Yankees appeared in this list, with one specifically driving some conversation and debate on social media.

As you’ll undoubtedly guess, the New York Yankees are incredibly well represented on the list. Even players who only appeared in the pinstripes for a short amount of time are noted for being a Yankee on their resume.

Here’s where players who appeared for the Yankees have appeared on the list thus far:

  • 99. Phil Niekro
  • 90. Ivan Rodriguez
  • 60. Whitey Ford
  • 56. Dave Winfield
  • 55. Reggie Jackson
  • 46. Ichiro Suzuki
  • 45. Wade Boggs
  • 39. Yogi Berra
  • 31. Mariano Rivera
  • 26. Alex Rodriguez

Ranked at No. 28 — Derek Jeter.

Overrated?

Of course, those who aren’t Yankees fans are chiming in that Jeter is overrated. Here’s what David Schoenfield, who wrote about Jeter’s ranking, had to say about his accomplishments:

What he’s best known for: The Yankees won the World Series in Jeter’s rookie season of 1996 — the first time they’d been there since 1981 — and nearly every October for almost two decades after that, we invited Jeter into our living rooms and watched him deliver clutch hits and iconic moments and pump his fist from the top step of the dugout. Yankees fans loved him; non-Yankees fans grew to resent not only his success, but the idolatry directed his way. Jeter seemed only concerned with winning. Overrated or not, you can’t deny the five World Series rings.

A few of the names on the most recent list (26-50) that fans are taking issue with being ranked lower than Jeter are Joe Morgan (37), Josh Gibson (35), Pete Rose (34), Bob Gibson (33), Sandy Koufax (32) and, most notably, Albert Pujols (30). Johnny Bench (29) also raised a few eyebrows.

Pujols is the highest-ranked active player on the list thus far. Nos. 1-25 will be released on Thursday, Feb. 3.

Not to mention ARod being ranked higher than all of these players — and Jeter — was cause for a stir as well.

Clearly there are a few all-time great Yankees names missing from the list who will rank in the top 25 on ESPN’s list. But how do we feel about where they ranked Jeter? Let us know on Twitter! 

Tab has written about MLB, the NHL and the NFL for more than a decade for publications including The Fourth Period, Bleacher Report and La Vida Baseball. He is the author of two books about the Chicago Blackhawks and has been credentialed for the MLB All-Star Game and postseason and multiple Stanley Cup Finals. He is the co-host of the Line Drive Radio podcast.