IS DEREK JETER TURNING INTO JIM RICE?
Not really. Like Jeter, Jim Rice was a great hitter who grounded into a great many double plays. He led the American League every year from 1982 to 1985, setting records with three seasons of over 30 twin killings, peaking at 36 in 1984. The numbers look terrible, but the offensive cost was less than you would expect, just a few runs a year, and the blame had to be shared. The Red Sox had a lineup of slow guys that were always on base hitting into a double play is as much a matter of opportunity as batter fault. In 1984, Ralph Houk’s lineup had Wade Boggs leading off, Dwight Evans batting second, and Rice hitting third. This was probably the smartest move of Houk’s entire managerial career, as it put the team’s two .400 on-base percentages at the top of the order, but the tradeoff for all those RBI opportunities for Rice was that no one was ever going to get to second base in time to take out the pivot man, and Rice wasn’t going to get to first in time to beat out the throw. Rice’s GDP
