By the time Derek Jeter retired after the 2014 season, he was everywhere. The classic, white, pinstriped No. 2 Yankees jersey he made famous was the best-selling jersey in all of MLB Jerseys Cheap .
One prominent baseball merchandiser told ESPN that Jeter’s shirt was in fact the best-selling MLB jersey of all time. The love of Jeter didn’t end when he stopped playing, either, as he remained atop most lists of baseball’s most recognizable stars for years after he retired.
All of that barely scratches the surface when it comes to putting the influence of No. 2 into context. Over the course of his unparalleled 20-year career with the Yankees, Jeter accumulated 3,465 hits, 14 All-Star appearances, five World Series titles and legions of fans of all ages. Some of those Captain fans are now outstanding MLB players themselves.
Using data gathered from baseball-reference.com and MLB.com, ESPN evaluated the WAR (wins above replacement) of every MLB player from 2005 (halfway through Jeter’s career) to 2021 to determine which jersey numbers were most productive.
Below ESPN tells the stories of those No. 2s and of the players who currently wear the only other four numbers to rank in the top 10 of average and total WAR and be worn by at least 100 players from 2005 to 2021.
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