Hall of Famer. World Series champion. Gold Glove winner. Silver Slugger. All-Star. Does a résumé get any better than this? Derek Jeter spent two decades in the major leagues and did it all while earning the love and respect of baseball fans all over the world. Yet one debate has followed him throughout almost his entire career. Many have considered him one of the most overrated players in the sport, and the conversation resurfaced when a podcast asked fans the same question.

“Fans of all 30 MLB teams name the most overrated player of all time,” Talkin’ Baseball shared a 42-second clip on X. 

The video features one fan from each major league team, and they all participated in the poll. Their responses ranged from Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s biggest superstar, to Anthony Rendon, the Los Angeles Angels’ $245 million investment who never lived up to expectations. In the survey, Barry Bonds and Nolan Ryan tied for third place with two votes each. Alex Rodriguez beat them to second place with one additional vote. But the top spot? The fans named Derek Jeter 10 times.

The Yankees legend won the World Series in 1996, 1998-2000, and again in 2009. He also earned 5 Gold Glove awards and 5 Silver Slugger awards. Jeter was a 14-time AL All-Star. He played 2,747 regular-season games, recording 3,465 hits and 1,923 runs in his career. The 52-year-old has also played 158 postseason games and holds the record for the highest number of postseason hits with 200. 

All this earned him induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote in the Class of 2020.

Despite the incredible portfolio, fans have often considered him a poor shortstop. Advanced defensive metrics suggest that Jeter had a low range, and some have even argued that his 5 Gold Glove wins don’t reflect his true defensive range and accuracy. Rather, they are the results of his reputation and flashy jump-throws. 

Some critics also point out that his impressive numbers were made possible because of his long career. Derek Jeter mostly stayed healthy during his 20-season tenure with the Yankees, but critics argue that he lacked peak performance on a year-to-year basis. Notably, Jeter’s average of 173 hits per season is still elite, but 13 home runs or 66 RBIs per season might not look particularly impressive today.

However, that hardly justifies a third of the survey samples voting him as the most overrated player. True, playing with the Yankees did amplify his profile, but staying healthy and performing on a regular basis also makes him a great athlete.

Back in 2008, there was another survey, a much bigger one with 495 MLB players. Derek Jeter still managed to top the list as the most overrated player, with 10% of the votes. While that debate has continued over the years, it’s important to understand that calling him overrated doesn’t mean calling him a bad player. His overall stats and defensive value are still incredible.

The New York Yankees have retired his jersey, and the fans continue to respect him for his two-decade-long career. However, the debate isn’t going anywhere.