Marlins CEO, ex-Yankees star Derek Jeter one vote shy of unanimous Hall of Fame selection
Derek Jeter was already joining an exclusive club Tuesday when he was a first-ballot selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The way he was voted in? Almost perfect.
Jeter, the former star shortstop for the New York Yankees and the current CEO of the Miami Marlins, received votes on 99.7% of the ballots — 396 of 397 — by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He was one vote away from joining teammate Mariano Rivera as the only players unanimously voted into the hall.
Only Rivera, Jeter, and Ken Griffey Jr (99.32%) have ever received more than 99% approval.
“I look at all the votes that I got,” Jeter said in a conference call about an hour after finding out he was elected. “It takes a lot of votes to get elected into the Hall of Fame. Trying to get that many people to agree on something is pretty difficult to do.”
Jeter will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 26 at a ceremony at the hall in Cooperstown, New York. Larry Walker also made the cut, earning votes on 76.6% of ballots, just above the 75% minimum required.
The result seemed inevitable when Jeter’s name landed on the ballot.
Don’t tell Jeter that, though.
“Everyone told me it was a foregone conclusion. I didn’t buy it,” Jeter said. “It was not a relaxing day. There was a lot of anxiety. I was nervous sitting around for a phone call for something that was completely out of your control.
“Once you get the phone call, I don’t even know if I said anything for a while. It’s the ultimate honor and a very humbling experience. To be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame is truly a dream come true.”
Rivera would have had no qualms if his time as the only player with 100% support lasted just one year.
“It’s going to be a very special day standing next to Derek in Cooperstown this summer. He had such a deep desire to win, and that singular commitment to his team is what made him so special,” Rivera said in a statement. “Derek prided himself on being a consistent presence. No moment was too big. He was fearless, and he was the type of leader we knew we could count on year after year. I feel so fortunate that he was a teammate and friend for my entire career, and I congratulate him on this great honor.”
Jeter, 45, played all 20 of his MLB seasons with the Yankees.
And from his debut on May 29, 1995, to his final at-bat on Sept. 28, 2014, he played his way into the sport’s elite.
The raw numbers alone are solid: a career .310 batting average, 3,465 hits, 260 home runs, and 1,311 RBI. He had at least a .300 batting average and 10 home runs in 12 seasons.
The accolades piled in as a result.
A 14-time All-Star.
A five-time World Series champion, with World Series MVP honors in 2000.
A five-time Gold Glove Award winner.
A five-time Silver Slugger.
His 72.4 wins above replacement are the third most in MLB history for a player who spent at least 75% of his career as a shortstop. That number trails just Cal Ripken (95.9) and Ozzie Smith (76.9).
“Derek has done everything that a baseball player should do,” Jorge Posada, Jeter’s teammate with the Yankees from 1995-2011 and now a special advisor to Jeter with the Marlins, said. “He played the game the right way. He played the game to win. He played the game with no excuses. I saw it from day one — I thought he would be a Hall of Famer.”
The résumé was more than qualifying.
But Jeter attempted to keep Hall of Fame talk out of his head as the ballots trickled in.
“I try not to think about it; I try not to talk about it,” Jeter said in November. “I don’t want to jinx any opportunities I may have. I’ve played my last games and there’s really not much else I can do. I was fortunate to play a very long career and I played on successful teams. My career’s over with now, and I’m focused with what I’m doing in Miami.”
There’s still a lot of work to do with his current job.
The Marlins in the first two seasons under the Bruce Sherman and Jeter ownership group have prioritized revamping the organization’s minor-league system with the intent of long-term success. The short-term results took a hit at the Major League level as a result. The Marlins were a combined 120-203 in 2018 and 2019.
The Marlins begin spring training on Feb. 12 when pitchers and catchers report to the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex in Jupiter. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 17.
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 6:22 PM.
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