14 things to watch for in 2014, a season of change for baseball

Jeter surely will not change his mind. One of the most amazing statistics in a boatload of amazing statistics about Jeter is that he has played in 2,602

Tom Verducci | Mar 25, 2014

14 things to watch for in 2014, a season of change for baseball /

Derek Jeter's last season in Yankees pinstripes will be one of the year's biggest stories. — Derek Jeter's last season in Yankees pinstripes will be one of the year's biggest stories :: Derek Jeter/Getty Images

Mike Scioscia (left) could be in trouble as Angels manager if Albert Pujols (middle) and Josh Hamilton don't return to form. — Mike Scioscia (left) could be in trouble as Angels manager if Albert Pujols (middle) and Josh Hamilton don't return to form :: Jae C. Hong/AP

Jeter surely will not change his mind. One of the most amazing statistics in a boatload of amazing statistics about Jeter is that he has played in 2,602 games with the Yankees and only one of them was a meaningless game in which his team was mathematically eliminated. Will he go out in a meaningful game or, as Mariano Rivera did, in a rare meaningless one? The answer may be the biggest story of '14.

Published Mar 25, 2014

TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.