David Ortiz: Derek Jeter is the 'one guy that the baseball game is going to miss'
David Ortiz said he gets goose bumps whenever he watches Derek Jeter play. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Despite the historic rivalry between Boston and New York, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz took a step back this week to reflect on the career of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who announced this year that he will retire after the upcoming season.
Big Papi told MLB Network Radio that Jeter is the one player that baseball will miss the most when he retires, and that the five-time World Series champion and 13-time All-Star "pretty much his whole career has done everything perfectly right."
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"If there’s one guy that the baseball game is gonna miss once he’s retired, it’s Derek."
"Derek is very professional; that’s a guy that is all about the game, all about the business. He is one of the baseball players that I can tell you that pretty much his whole career has done everything perfectly right. And when I watch him play I get goose bumps. You know what I’m saying? That’s one of the players that everybody wants to come and see. . . . That’s a player that definitely we’re all gonna miss after he’s done with baseball."
(h/t New York Post for the transcription)
The comments come weeks after another likely Hall of Famer, Albert Pujols, told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Timesthat Jeter is "pretty close" to Jesus.
The 39-year-old Yankee, who made his MLB debut with the Yankees in May 1995, said at the time of his retirement announcement this past February that he had made the decision months ago and “could not be more sure” that it’s the right time to leave the game. In November, New York announced it had a reached a one-year, $12 million deal with its longtime shortstop. In his 19 years with the Yankees — 2,602 games played — he has 3,316 hits, 256 home runs, 1,261 RBIs and a batting average of .312.
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