Remember when Derek Jeter vs. Nomar Garciaparra was a legitimate knock-'em-down-drag-'em-out argument?
They were two of the game's signature stars, born roughly a year apart, both immersed in a major media market and playing a premium position. The crazy thing, in retrospect, is that until Spring Training 2004, there was little statistical question (beyond World Series ring count) that "Nomah" was the superior shortstop:
Garciaparra (1996-2003): .323 AVG, .370 OBP, .555 SLG, 173 HR, 272 2B, 47 3B, 669 RBIs in 928 games
Jeter (1995-2003): .317 AVG, .389 OBP, .462 SLG, 127 HR, 239 2B, 41 3B, 615 RBIs in 1,212 games
Garciaparra made a bigger impact despite a later start to his career.