Derek Jeter is overrated.

He’s an overrated hitter. His career numbers, by and large, barely stack up to other players at his position, let alone the future Hall of Fame company he will soon be keeping. Granted, he has well over 3,000 hits – but that took him a really, really long time to obtain.

He’s an overrated defender. Sure, he made a few clutch playoff outs that will forever be etched in our minds. Statistically speaking, though, he’s nowhere near the Ozzie Smiths and Honus Wagners of the world. Only five Gold Gloves? Come on.

He’s an overrated winner. Yes, the Yankees captured six World championships with Jeter on the field, but only one in his last 14 seasons. The pinstripe dynasty is a thing of the past, and has been for years. What have you done for ’em lately?

He’s an overrated person. True, he keeps a relatively low profile, and he was never in trouble off the field or linked to steroid use during the drug’s heyday. Is this the low standard we’re judging our professional athletes by these days? They’re idols because they follow the rules of their profession and haven’t served jail time? On second thought, maybe we need to scratch that question.

He’s overrated because he’s a Yankee. If Jeter played in Minnesota or Kansas City, we wouldn’t be force-fed coverage of his never-ending retirement tour from the biased East coast media. OK, so he’s dealt with the added pressures of performing under the New York City microscope for two full decades, which can chew up and spit out the most talented athletes. Big deal.

He’s overrated as a Yankee. Give me a break: Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, even Mariano Rivera ring a bell? Jeter doesn’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as these icons. The list may thin out considerably from there, but he isn’t on their Mount Rushmore. No way.

So we’ve established, almost incontrovertably, that Jeter isn’t the best at the plate. Or in the field. Or at winning titles. Or being a role model. Or because of where he plays. Or relative to who he’s constantly being compared to among the all-time greats.

Hold on for a second, though. What, exactly, is the anti-Jeter crowd saying as the career of ”The Captain” winds down? That he doesn’t rank off the charts in any one particular category? Fair enough. That his actions and statistics don’t justify the grandiose reputation, the commercials, the endorsements, the media and Major League Baseball love-fest as he rides off into the sunset this weekend? On paper, maybe.

Rather than ranting from their soap boxes this week, the critics and cynics should take a step back and ask themselves why Jeter is so respected by nearly all walks of baseball fandom. Just because his image as an elite hitter, or fielder, or champion, or citizen, or Yankee may be inflated, doesn’t mean each piece of the puzzle is even remotely dismissible. Far from it.

Jeter is appreciated by older fans who long for the ballplayers of yesteryear, because he was one of the few to help cleanly bridge the gap and honor the game as an up-and-coming star in the 1990s. Jeter is also admired by the younger generation, which identifies him as an established, hard-working veteran in a sports world nearly void of them.

Jeter isn’t ”the greatest” anything. So what? That doesn’t mean his overall body of work doesn’t deserve a proper send-off. The vocal minority may argue otherwise, but most baseball fans identify Jeter by the myriad accomplishments rather than quibbling over his shortcomings.

Quick: name another modern player that would even rank in all of the aforementioned categories. Better yet, take your time and come up with one. I’ll wait.

Jeter is ”overrated” only because he isn’t perfect. His whole is measurably greater than the sum of his parts.

The equation isn’t difficult to comprehend. Complain about the pageantry if you must, but given the climate and absence of loyalty in today’s professional landscape, we won’t see a total package like this again for quite some time.

Salute the big picture, rather than falling victim to the devilish details that, if overanalyzed enough, can ruin any legacy worth preserving.

Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. He may be reached afternoons and evenings at 1-800-622-6613, or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net