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Fantasy baseball owners know what to expect from New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter by this point. He has hit at least 10 home runs in all but one season since 1996 (his first full major league season), along with a batting average above .290 in all but one season (2010) over that span. 2012 was also the first time in his 17 full big league seasons that he did not reach double-digits in stolen bases, as he only had nine.
Jeter led the majors in hits last season with 216, which is the second highest hit total of his career and his first season with over 200 hits since 2009. But he dealt with a left ankle injury late in the regular season and into the postseason, eventually breaking the ankle in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers. The injury required surgery to repair, but all indications are Jeter is making the expected progress in his recovery and is on track to be ready for Opening Day.
Assuming he remains on track to be ready for the start of the season, what can fantasy owners expect from Jeter in 2013?
Jeter will turn 39 in in June, so there are durability concerns for fantasy owners even without considering his recovery from ankle surgery. Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi has already said he plans use Jeter as a designated hitter at times against left-handed starters this season, which should help him stay on the field and ease some of those injury concerns. Regardless, it’s clear Jeter will do whatever it takes to stay in the lineup every day, which minimizes some of the risk for missed games.
The Yankees have some questions throughout their lineup right now, due predominantly to injuries and age, but there is still more than enough talent in place to give Jeter plenty of opportunities to score runs from his typical spot atop the lineup.
Jeter’s best contribution for fantasy baseball owners will come in batting average and runs scored, but he can still be a solid contributor in all five standard categories. His career-low in stolen bases and attempts (13) in 2012 is worthy of concern for continued decline in that category, but owners that don’t expect a steal total from his prime should not be disappointed.
Here is my projection for Jeter in 2013:
Batting Average- .295
Home Runs- 11
RBI- 57
Stolen Bases- 10
Runs Scored- 90
Jeter still has the makings of a solid starting shortstop in mixed leagues, and one that may come at a discount on draft day to boot. Those that draft him should have some sort of backup plan in place though, just in case he is not ready to go on Opening Day.
Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
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