Baseball Hall of Fame: What to know about Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter personified the New York Yankees’ success for 20 seasons. “The Captain” was a smooth-fielding shortstop who led the Yankees to seven American League pennants and five World Series championships. He was the first Yankees player to collect 3,000 hits and made No. 3,000 memorable by hitting a home run.

Jeter had a career batting average of .310 and collected 3,465 hits during the regular season. He played 158 games during the postseason – nearly the equivalent of a full major league season – and batted .308 with 20 home runs and 61 RBI.

That Jeter would get the call from Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility was a given. The only question was whether he would be a unanimous selection like his longtime teammate, Mariano Rivera, who got 100% of the votes cast in 2019. Jeter fell short by one vote, getting 396 of the 397 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Jeter always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. There was “The Flip” during the 2001 playoffs that kept the Yankees alive against the Oakland. He was “Mr. November” when he homered against the Arizona Diamondbacks to win Game 4 of the 2001 World Series.

Now, Jeter is in the front office as chief executive officer and part owner of the Miami Marlins.

Here are some things to know about Jeter:

Hoops star: Jeter was a decent basketball player as a youth, the Miami Herald reported. He was a shooting guard on an AAU team in his hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and competed against future NBA stars Chris Webber and Jalen Rose.

Lord of the rings: Jeter is one of 11 players to win five World Series titles since major league baseball expanded to playoffs beginning in 1969. He is the only full-time shortstop to do so, according to Sports Illustrated. Jeter also was named the magazine’s Sportsman of the Year in 2009. Jeter played 20 seasons in the majors and made it to the postseason in 16 of them. In addition to the seven World Series appearances, he played in 16 American League Division Series and 10 American League Championship Series.

Star struck: Three days before his 11th birthday, on June 23, 1985, Jeter obtained the autograph of Yankees right fielder Dave Winfield – his favorite player -- in the parking lot at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, the Society for American Baseball Research reported. Winfield went 2-for-4 that day, but the Yankees lost 3-1 to Detroit. Jeter later told his parents that they would watch him play at Tiger Stadium one day. That day was June 6, 1996, when Jeter took the field at against the Tigers with his parents in attendance. He went 0-for-3 but scored a run in New York’s 6-5 loss.

Commercial success: Jeter’s endorsement portfolio has included Chips Ahoy!, Ford, Gatorade, Gillette, Nike (a memorable “Re2pect” video ad to commemorate Jeter’s final season included tips of the hat from Billy Crystal, Jay-Z, Michael Jordan and Spike Lee), Oreos, Ritz Crackers and Skippy Peanut Butter, the Herald reported. Jeter also did an amusing Visa commercial with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Bat man: Jeter picked out a Louisville Slugger P72 model when he was a minor league rookie in 1992, and he never changed models through the years, continuing to use the 34-inch, 32-ounce bat in the minor leagues and during all of his 13,336 plate appearances in the majors – in the regular season and during the postseason. The model number is the only one retired in the 133-year history of Hillerich & Bradsby, which produces the Louisville Slugger, according to Sports Business Daily. During his career, Jeter placed 234 orders for 4,375 bats, the website reported.

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