In Jeter's absence, baseball hunts for a new face
Derek Jeter is gone, and we need to accept that.
It's a bitter pill to swallow, I know. Who will we turn to for a casual smirk, or a romance with a starlet, or an inability to hit or field? It's a void baseball will work long and hard to fill, because the game needs a face.
And so, when spring returns and the world thaws and the Cardinals begin their next turn to win the NL pennant, who will be our champion? Who will we use to explain to other people, "See? Baseball is cool. Just look at [player now expected to fill the shoes of Derek Jeter and answer to the intense, childlike scrutiny of baseball writers for all eternity]."
According to now multiple writers, it will be Giants catcher Buster Posey.
"So ... do you think Derek Jeter is starting to get jealous of Buster Posey?
He probably should be. Because if you just substitute wholesome family dude for cool bachelor dude who dates supermodels, Buster Posey is pretty much leading Derek Jeter's life -- from a decade and a half ago."
"Shouldn't Buster Posey be the face of this game? Is there anyone more — forgive the term — Jeter-ian than him?"
Oh, lord. Don't act like you're ashamed to whip out a term like "Jeter-ian." You've been holstering that gem for years now, clearly.
So, yeah, sure. Posey is a good choice. Stark notes that he has made the Giants into perennial contenders since being called up as a rookie, which is true. His actions seem to be dictated largely by baseball and the playing of it. Also, he's very good, a team leader, and plays the hardest position on the diamond. Mediocre hurlers have a way of improving when Posey is on the other end.
Pedro Martinez isn't sold on Posey, though, and tweeted a list of possible candidates to fill the role, including Clayton Kershaw, Albert Pujols, Robinson Cano and Mike Trout.
But let's take a step back here and acknowledge that this is in no way a formal role. Jeter never had to attend meetings as the Face of the Game, traveling with a small entourage of priests emitting plumes of incense to signal his arrival. It's just a silly thing for people to debate during the offseason; or during the World Series, I guess. That's right, the World Series hasn't even started yet.
Basically, the writers who all kissed Jeter's ring for so long have to figure out who their new favorite player is. And for some reason, it's not Mike Trout.
The last few years of MVP balloting have indicated that baseball writers, who decide way too much already, just aren't as impressed by Trout's all-around talent as they are with Miguel Cabrera's ability to sock dingers.
He's led the league in plenty of categories (runs, walks, stolen bases, touched bases, RBI, OPS+), and has had the common courtesy to not tell writers and analysts to shut the hell up about Miguel Cabrera, which really speaks to his class and character.
He beat out Clayton Kershaw for the highest single contribution of WAR this year (7.87) as he did last year (9.23), and the year before (10.9). That's all three of the full seasons he's played in the majors, because oh yeah, he's only 23. Think about how long it will be before MLB has to orchestrate a tearful, self-indulgent, season-long farewell tour! At least 15-20 years, depending on how stubborn or in denial he is!
On top of that, few players have had the president cite them in comparison to the versatility of a farm bill. Which bill was Buster Posey compared to, Jayson Stark? Hmm? Yeah. Nothing.
Even if this isn't entirely about stats, Trout seems to embody the very intangibles of the sport that experts use to evaluate something like the Face of Baseball. Does Trout hit home runs? Yes. Does he do so with grace and dignity? Yes. Does he love America? We have no evidence that suggests otherwise. Does he look good on a poster? Unarguably. Does he have a face? You tell me:
Maybe Trout, as a once-in-a-generation talent, seems too obvious a pick. I don't know. Of course, if they did heap endless praise on Trout, I'd be the guy complaining about that, so take this all with a grain of salt. I also reserve the right to retract all of this should Trout end up on the Yankees.