The era of Derek Jeter as the New York Yankees shortstop is officially over as they formally introduce their new shortstop Didi Gregorius. It was almost two decades that Jeter dawned the Yanks' uniform on a daily basis but now it is different. For the first time in 19 years, there will be a new man there. Now, the hype around Didi is, well, as expected, a bit over the top but that is normal and is very common.
Last week the Yankees filled the hole at shortstop with a three-team trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Detroit Tigers. The deal sent Shane Greene to the Tigers and Gregorius to the Yankees. Yes, Didi will have some major league shoes to fill out in the Bronx, but expect him to do just that. Will he be a Hall of Fame caliber player like Jeter? Maybe not. Is it possible? Absolutely.
"Jeter is still Jeter," Gregorius said during his introductory press conference. Gregorius will be the full time man at shortstop but he will be splitting time with Brendan Ryan as well. Gregorius will likely be on the bench when the Yankees face left-handers this season. However, during spring training Gregorius said he will be working very hard to improve every aspect of his game and grow as a everyday shortstop.
Oh, and by the way, you will call Didi Gregorius, sir. Well, that is according to his Twitter handle anyway which is "Sir Didi Gregorius." Well, to be called "sir" in New York wearing those pinstripes, you have to earn every bit of that. You can bet your entire weekly earning that most fans will not call Didi sir until he earns it. Think of it as Pedro Martinez, he earned the role of "Who's your daddy?" chants.
Regardless of Gregorius's role in the Bronx, he is ready and is up for the task and will be the new man in 2015. It will be hard not see Jeter dawn those stripes for another year, but in '15 it is a new year, and a new era at shortstop and it begins with Sir Didi.