The Pick 13 Plan

It's on the radio, it's in the newspapers, and it's available on cubs.com for a minimum of around $200.  It's the Pick 13 Plan, the latest ticketing package introduced by the Cubs- something the Cubs don't do many of.  The advertisements for the plan feature a potential shortstop battle between Starlin Castro and Derek Jeter when the Yankees come to Wrigley Field in June for the first time since 2003.  Castro is not a household shortstop name in the Major Leagues like a Hanley Ramirez or somebody, so this whole shortstop showdown thing is probably premature.  The Cubs, however, don't have anyone else who resembles a franchise player any more than Castro and the Cubs Marketing wants to capitalize on the fact that he was just a rookie and has not shown us his full potential yet.  Basically, a player in the Minors on Opening Day 2010 is now the face of the Chicago Cubs.  Or that what the Cubs are making him look like at least.  But the 'battle' between Castro and Jeter may be significant for another reason this summer.

Castro, 21 in 2011, made his Major League debut in 2010.  Although he showed that there are areas of his game, like fielding, where he needs work, and that he was probably rushed to the Majors, he was an exciting player to watch down the stretch.  If for no other reason, he broke the monotonous rhythm of the 2010 Cubs season.  The Cubs were the 12th oldest team in MLB in 2010, but unlike most of the other veteran teams like Texas and Philadelphia, they weren't winning.  Castro was a new, young spark and although he didn't exactly ignite the team with his play, he suggested he may do so in the future.  Castro is most likely a face that Cub fans will be seeing for at least a few more years and possibly more, if he lives up to his hype.

Jeter, 37 in 2011, made his Major League debut in 1995, just five years after Castro was born.  Jeter was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1996, and has been an All-Star 11 times since, finishing the top 10 in MVP voting seven times.  Jeter was the best shortstop of the 2000s and will most likely eclipse 3000 career hits during the 2011 season.  Clearly, Jeter has accomplished much more in MLB.  He's signed with the Yankees through 2013 with a player option for the following year, but that will probably be the end of his career.  2010 was one of Jeter's worst seasons and didn't deserve to be an All-Star, a pattern that could continue as Jeter continues to age.  He hit just .270, his worst average ever in a full season.  One stat summed up his poor season; his WAR was just 1.3, after 6.5 in 2009 and 68.8 in his career before that.

The significance of this upcoming Yankees-Cubs series, I think, is this could be the changing of the guard for elite shortstops in baseball.  The odds that Castro will repeat Jeter's career are highly unlikely, but nonetheless, Castro will be a great shortstop for some time and Jeter will retain popularity but fade in importance to the Yankees and drift off to Cooperstown in probably eight years, as Jeter will be a first ballot Hall of Famer for sure.  Castro could be the face of the Cubs in the 2010s, and Jeter definitely won't for the Yankees.  After the series is over, the two will head in opposite directions.  So when all anybody is talking about on ESPN is the Yankees and Cubs this June, take a moment to observe the past  and the future.