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It was only a couple seasons ago that New York Yankees SS Derek Jeter was one of the premier players in all of fantasy baseball. He has been elected to 13 All-Star games and has become a fixture in the heart of fantasy lineups.
Unfortunately, Jeter broke his ankle during the 2012 postseason and simply hasn’t been the same since. He rushed rehab and came back far too soon, further injuring it last season. Jeter played a meager 17 games and ended the season the disabled list for the first time in his career.
As a result of the Jeter’s injury-plagued 2013 season, the veteran was widely ignored in fantasy drafts this spring. The 39-year-old is actually owned in under 50% (41.3) of ESPN leagues right now and has surprisingly been able to be found as a backup shortstop in nearly every format this month.
However, Jeter isn’t done yet and he can still be an useful fantasy option. He played 18 games this spring, and while he posted a lackluster .137 batting average, it was still extremely promising to see him get that many at-bats in the spring. He finally looks to be over that pesky ankle injury.
Jeter has a lifetime .312 batting average and is one of the best hitters of all time. He hardly ever strikes out and should easily be able to turn things around at the plate. DJ should post an average of .280 or better when it is all said and done.
Additionally, New York spent a ton of money to improve the offense this off-season, as they brought in bats like Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, and Brian McCann. The team will be scoring at will, and considering Jeter will be sitting in the two-hole, he stands to score a ton of runs in 2014 as well.
Jeter won’t put up All-Star numbers this fantasy season, but Captain America can still be a serviceable fantasy option. Make sure not to count him during his farewell tour.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
