Should The Yankees Bench The Captain?

May 5, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; New York Yankees shortstop

(2) follows through on a double in the seventh inning as Los Angeles Angels catcher

(17) and home plate umpire Laz Diaz (63) watch at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The true Yankee fan inside of me says the Bronx Bombers should never bench this man. Jeter has been the face of the New York Yankees since his first full season in the majors. However, the aging star has lost a lot of his luster and ability as a player. The 39-year-old has struggled early in the season. Has it been health problems? Nope. Well what about not enough days of rest? Not that either. It is simply the fact that he is reaching his limit of play at his age. This slow start now makes Yankees’ fans wonder if Jeter should be starting.

Jeter has always been a team-first guy. If he believes he is hurting the team, he will say something. However, he is not a player who will quit on his teammates. Jeter will do whatever it takes to win. The Yankees have been sliding downhill the past couple of series and many critics believe Jeter is a huge reason why. Well I’m here to tell you that Jeter is not the main reason why the Yankees are struggling.

Now could Jeter’s .250 batting average be better? Yes, but for a 39-year-old veteran that actually is not that bad. The main problem for the Yankees right now is their pitching. The Yankees have faced injury problems in the pitching department since I was born. That always seems to be this team’s Achilles heel. So before you put all the blame on the captain, look at the team around him first.

I argue that once Brendan Ryan comes back healthy, Jeter will have more days to rest, and hopefully produce more with those extra rest days. The problem is no one is sure when Ryan will be one-hundred percent again. This will put more pressure on Jeter, but the captain usually does well under pressure. The Yankees should not focus on whether to bench Jeter or not, and instead focus on injuries and pitching woes more.