Never thought I'd wonder if Jeter is loafing (or just not concentrating)...until tonight's game at the Metrodome.
With the Yanks leading 4-2 in the 6th, two outs and a man on first and third, Craig Monroe came to the plate against Andy Pettitte. He hit a chopper over Pettitte's head, to the left of second, but out of Jeter's reach, which isn't really saying much. I like Jeter, but he doesn't have any range. Cano comes out of nowhere, crosses to the SS side of the bag, and fields the grounder. Cano tosses it to Jeter and Jeter is nowhere near the bag. He flails at it with his foot, and the runner is safe. Run scores.
Cano's toss wasn't beautiful, but it was adequate. The problem is that Jeter was out of position. He wasn't standing at 2b, where he should have been. When he saw that he couldn't reach the chopper, he gave up on it. In his defense, he probably did not expect Cano to be closer to a ball on the SS-side of the bag, when the shortstop himself couldn't get it. Still, it is Little League 101 that you run to the base if you can't field it. Jeter gave up on it, and then just sort of watched Cano field it. He was surprised by the throw, and when he got it, realized he couldn't find the bag.
Later, with the score tied, Jeter hit a sharp single to right field. He slowed a little bit coming around first, and then watching the play in RF, decided to head for second. He was gunned down at the bag. The broadcast team said "he was thinking double all the way" but that simply is not true. He let up around first, and then decided to kick it into gear. That let up cost him the double, because it was a pretty close play.
Maybe he wasn't loafing. Maybe he simply wasn't concentrating. They were mental errors too. Apart from slowing up around first, it was a mental error to try for second at all. The Twins have Michael Cuddyer in right field, with a cannon. He had 19 assists last year, which led the major leagues.
Jeter must not be alone. You don't get 19 assists unless people try to run on you. That makes me wonder if Cuddyer is good at baiting the runners into seeking the extra base. Maybe that "bait" is what Jeter saw as he slowed up at first; then he took the bait and tried for second. He was, after all, looking at right field the entire time. He saw something that indicated he should run, and it wasn't a bobble.
