What Strat-o-Matic Had To Say About Jeter’s Defense
- Paul Semendinger
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Paul Semendinger
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Note - The following was written for, and published by, the IBWAA in their newsletter Here's The Pitch on August 8, 2026.
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One of the best Christmas presents I ever received came in 1981 when my grandmother gave me the Strat-o-Matic Baseball board game. From that point forward, on and off, I have played Strat-o-Matic. It is my favorite board game of all time. When I need to relax, Strat-o-Matic is always there for me.
I sometimes like to look back at baseball history by looking at Strat-o-Matic cards. One can see Babe Ruth in his prime as well as his decline years by looking and comparing his Strat cards from, for example, 1927 and 1934. One can compare Ichiro Suzuki’s greatest seasons with those of Ty Cobb or Tris Speaker. The game allows fans to understand baseball history and baseball strategy on a deep level.
As a Yankees fan, I remember all the hype about Derek Jeter’s fielding. Some said he was elite. Others said he was over-rated.
As I pondered this question recently, I wondered what my Strat cards said about Jeter’s defense.
The following are Derek Jeter’s Fielding Ratings at shortstop for his career:
(A quick note, as a shortstop, the best fielding rating a player can get is a 1. The best players, the ones with the most range, earn a 1. The worse fielders are a 4 or a 5.)
1995: ss-4
1996-97: ss-2
1998-2000: ss-1
2001-02: ss-2
2003: ss-3
2004-05: ss-2
2006: ss-1
2007-09: ss-2
2010-12: ss-3
2013-14: ss-4
Strat-o-Matic has a formula (I assume it is a secret formula) to determine the ratings for the players. To me, the numbers seem to reflect Jeter’s career.
When he was at his best, he covered a lot of ground. He was a top shortstop. During the years of the Yankees three consecutive World Championships, he was a 1 (which, if you play the game) is very necessary in order to win against the best teams.
Still, as Jeter’s career progressed, some baseball fans and experts noted his defensive shortcomings. Strat-o-Matic seemed to have that covered as well. As his career progressed, his field ratings got worse.
Board games are not real life, of course, but, in this Strat-o-Matic seems to have done an excellent job reflecting Derek Jeter’s defensive prowess across his career.
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Paul Semendinger is award-winning author. His novel, Scattering the Ashes, is available as an audio book and is featured on Spotify.
That's interesting. I wonder if Strat-o-Matic actually does use a detailed formula, or whether (particularly in the '90s) it was basically comparing fielding percentage with an eye test. DRS did not become a stat until 2003. For those 12 years, he was about -220 DRS, and only in 2009 was it >0 (and then only +3). Total Zone Runs Above Average was calculated for his whole career and came out to -186. He always looked great in the field, but the reality is that he had no range.