Yankees manager Joe Girardi has come out in defense of shortstop Derek Jeter, who he says will remain the team's leadoff hitter going forward. On Saturday, Jeter joined the 3,000 hit club with a 5-for-5 performance against the Rays. "Is he hitting .320 like he did in 2009? No, he's not," Girardi said. "But are you convinced that he can't hit .320 in the second half? That would be my question to everyone in here." "I think that sometimes people are quick to judge on players, and don't always understand what a player's necessarily going through," Girardi added. "None of us understand what it's like to be pursuing 3,000 hits. I think it was George Brett who said, 'The hardest one to get to is 3,000.' And once he got his 3,000th hit, it didn't take him long to get to 3,003. "I think he's done a decent job in the leadoff position. I would be careful how quick you are to judge him and doubt that he can still do it because of the way he goes about his business." Jeter entered Sunday's game hitting .270.