He's overrated? Really? Sounds more like jealousy.

It’s election season, and the polls are stirring up quite a bit of controversy. No, I’m not talking about John McCain and Barack Obama. This poll was conducted by Sports Illustrated and appears in the June 23rd issue. 495 major league players were asked to identify the most overrated ballplayers. Yankees icon Derek Jeter was the “winner” eliciting howls of outrage from New York sports radio.  Is it jealousy? Could be. There is a prevalence of Yankees and Red Sox players on the list and not a Mariner in sight. Players could not vote for a teammate.

So can a four-time World Series winner and an eight-time All-Star be overrated? Yankees fans would argue that Jeter’s intangibles and leadership are not measurable. However, the intangibles that Jeter brings are just that – intangible. They have value in real life, but in fantasy they're not worth didly. Fantasy is all about measurable statistics. In the world of measurable statistics, Jeter is good, but he does not compare to the legend of Derek Jeter. 

Here are the top vote getters in the most overrated poll, served up with a fantasy spin. “For better” means that he has more value in fantasy. “For worse” means that he is a lesser player in fantasy.

1. For Worse - Derek Jeter, Shortstop, New York Yankees: Jeter will be 34 on June 26, and he showing his age. He will never again reach the MVP numbers of 2006. Though his average of .279 can creep back up to .300, the RBI, home runs, and stolen bases will not compare to the elite fantasy shortstops. In fantasy the elite shortstops are Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Jimmie Rollins. Jeter occupies the second tier of shortstops, along with Houston’s Miguel Tejada and Rangers’ shortstop Michael Young. Young is the alternate universe Jeter, with nearly identical stats the past few seasons.

2. For Worse - Barry Zito, Starting Pitcher, San Francisco Giants: Zito finished second in the poll to Jeter. The millionaire lefty is owned in 6% of fantasy leagues. What are they thinking? Even in NL-only leagues it is hard to justify a 6.32 ERA and having more walks (48) than strikeouts (40). Zito is on pace to lose 23 games in 2008. As bad as he is for the Giants, Zito is actually worse in fantasy. Zito will kill your ERA and WHIP numbers.

3. For Better - Alex Rodriguez, Third Base, New York Yankees: Jeter’s good buddy finished in a tie for third place in the vote. This vote is pure envy. The only other explanation would be factoring in his difficult personality and post-season ineptitude. That’s what makes the fantasy A-Rod better. He gives you .300-40-100-100-20 numbers and when he chokes in October, your fantasy season is over. Rodriguez is a .159 hitter with only two extra-base hits in his last three post-seasons.

3. Tie - J.D. Drew, Outfield, Boston Red Sox: Drew tied A-Rod for third in the poll. This one is hard to justify. Maybe some MLB players drafted Drew last season in their fantasy leagues and are still mad at him. Drew did have a nice post-season, taking the edge off his unproductive regular season. Last season he hit .270 with only 11 home runs and 64 RBI. He couldn’t touch lefties, hitting only .224 with a .353 slugging percentage. This year the difference has been dramatic — Drew is hitting .289 with a .500 slugging against southpaws. Drew has already surpassed his home run total of last season is on pace for a .311-31-100-120 season. The real Drew and the fantasy Drew have both been great. Call this one a tie, and call the MLB players out of touch.

5. For Worse - Kevin Youkilis, First Base / Third Base, Boston Red Sox: Youkilis is very intense and that can rub competitors the wrong way. That had something to do with him finishing in a tie for fifth in the poll. Youkilis tends to fade in the second half, making him a sell-high on the fantasy trade market. He will miss a couple of games with an eye injury, but it’s not a major concern. The real Youkilis, like the real Jeter, has intangibles that don’t translate to fantasy.

5. Tie - David Wright, Third Base, New York Mets: Wright, a fan-favorite, ties Youkilis for fifth place on the overrated poll. Wright is only hitting .272, which is well below his career average of .306. The rest of his numbers are pretty good. He is on pace for 26 home runs, 121 RBI, and 95 runs scored, consistent with his prior seasons. This is a great year for National League third basemen. Chipper Jones and Aramis Ramirez have been outstanding. Does that make Wright overrated? No, I’m not buying that. It’s tempting to make analogies to Jeter, given that he and Wright play in the same city and are the most popular players on their teams.  The difference is that Wright, 25, is getting better and will be a dominant player in MLB and in fantasy for years to come. Jeter’s best days are behind him. Call it a tie between the fantasy Wright and the real Wright. Cite his competitors for a wee bit of envy.

Conclusion

It is hard for competitors to set aside their feelings. So it’s not surprising that participants in the MLB poll let their petty side get the better of them. If you had an anonymous poll at your work place, you can imagine the same petty feelings surfacing. That’s why some of the picks don’t pass the smell test. A-Rod overrated? Don’t think so. As for Jeter, the fantasy version certainly is overrated.