Is Derek Jeter The Last of The Cooperstown One-Teamers?

If you choose to believe the utterances of a few baseball analysts, last Monday may have signaled the recognition of a crossroads in the game. On this evening, soon-to-retire Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter passed Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski for seventh place on the all-time hits list. In true Jeter fashion, the Captain needed two hits going into the contest against the Texas Rangers and belted out three against Yu Darvish to tie, then break Yaz’s standard of 3,419.

Although Boston’s Number Eight won baseball’s Triple Crown in 1967, neither player is viewed as a stat monster, but rather as models of consistency for their respective organizations. Despite their high career ranking on the hit parade, neither Jeter nor Yastrzemski is the greatest ballplayer in their franchise’s history. Yaz takes second place to Ted Williams, while a strong argument can be made that Jeter is only the fifth greatest Yankee to wear the pinstripes, unless one truly believes that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle were lesser talents.

So why were the talking heads of the diamond rumbling on Tuesday morning? Because, the case is being made that Jeter, along with Robin Yount, George Brett and Cal Ripken Jr., are the last of a dying breed – players who cobbled out a Hall of Fame career without ever switching team uniforms.

After Albert Pujois chose to forego an offer from his St. Louis Cardinals several years ago, and take the money hiding in the shadow of Disneyland with the Anaheim Angels, several assumed that it would be a long time before any star player spent his whole career with the same team.

I hope they’re wrong, and would like to introduce several potential Hall of Famers as examples of the new wave of one team – one career.

The first one is Pujois’ teammate with the Angels, Mike Trout. Even at 21, Trout has become not just the game’s most dominant young player, but one of its most dominant overall. His team has already taken notice, signing the outfielder to a six year, $144.5 million deal, which keeps Trout near L.A. until 2019. Given his employer’s initial show of good faith, there’s a good chance that he will stay in sunny Southern California for the duration.

Close by, the Dodgers inked two-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw for seven years for $180 million. Given that his predecessors at Chavez Ravine include Hall of Famers such as Koufax and Drysdale, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the young fireballer stay near the fun and sun while earning his way to Cooperstown.

It’s not just a West Coast thing. In New York, the Mets recently signed David Wright to a long term deal (with $19.3 million in 2014) in the hopes of developing a face for their franchise. While Wright’s numbers may elude HoF status, especially with the recent decision to reduce Hall eligibility to ten years, with a .299 career batting average, 1,668 hits and 230 home runs at age 31, he’s still capable of making the cut.

Heading toward the Nation’s Capital, the O’s of Baltimore may have found its Ripken incarnate in the form of young Manny Machado. The early returns are optimistic for the third baseman, still just 22 years old. But the Birds are getting only spending $519,000 for Machado’s services this season, and will have to buckle down (and pay up) to keep his talent within the confines of Camden Yards.

Finally, from the banks of the Anacostia River, the Washington Nationals have a trio of ballplayers who could fit the Old Faithful Mold for Old DC. One, Ryan Zimmerman, has already been identified as the future of Nats baseball. While a cursory look at his stats so far (184 HR, over 700 RBI at age 29) doesn’t say Hall of Fame, one could argue that 6-8 consecutive seasons of 25 HR, 90 RBI starting in 2015 could have Zimm in sight of 400 homers and 1500 ribbies by age 35 – much more respectable in the eyes of Hall voters. But he'll have to at least beat Ron Santo’s career numbers (342 HR, 1331 RBI) to have any shot.

The other two candidates should come as no surprise – Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Both entered the show with high hopes and a mountain of press clippings. The Nationals are spending a shade over $6 million to keep both players. The reasonable assumption is that one will eventually be traded, and with “only” 36 wins (against 28 losses) at age 25, plus previous Tommy John surgery, my guess would be that Strasburg will be dealt after his current contract expires. The trade wheels could start turning following his likely arbitration hearing after this season.

Why keep Harper? Aside from putting butts in the seats, he’s still a major talent waiting to happen. If not for Trout, and now Machado, Harper would continue to be considered the game’s next bright light. And last night, he became the eighth youngest player in MLB history to record 300 hits. We tend to forget that he’s still only 21.