Settling the Debate- Jeter vs. Reyes

Granted this is my opinion, but I think it's safe to say that most sports fans agree -- if you can't perform in the postseason, you're not a truly "great" player. How many times have mediocre players risen to the occassion in the playoffs to become fan favorites and legends? Former Yankees 3B Scott Brosius is a career .257 hitter, but a couple clutch HRs in the postseason has made him part of Yankees lore. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez for his career is 70-49 (.588) with an ERA of 4.11. He has pitched over 200 innings in a season only once, in 1999. Yet in the postseason he boasts a 9-3 record with a 2.55 ERA, and he's 2-1 with a 2.20 in the World Series.

Conversely, first-ballot Hall of Famer Barry Bonds, before his 2002 postseason tear, was notorious for his power outage in October. And is he truly one of the game's all-time greats without a Word Series ring?

What I'm arguing here is this -- Derek Jeter and Jose Reyes are each great players with great strengths and minimal weaknesses. However, let's all see how Reyes performs in the postseason before we pick him as the best shortstop in New York. Jeter has collected a record number of hits in the playoffs (142 in 115 games, good for a .307 average), along with four rings.

Why do you think every expert and every fan beats to death the fact that Jeter's value is evident in his intangibles and performance in the clutch? It's not to annoy the haters -- it's because it's TRUE! Reyes, on the other hand, has yet to truly prove himself. I'll take Jeter, and you should, too. So let's not jump the gun and name Reyes as the King of New York shortstops. Because he's not.