Delayed quite a year by COVID-19 complications, the Baseball Hall of Fame held the induction ceremony Wednesday afternoon for its Class of 2020, headlined by Derek Jeter. Jeter played parts of 20 seasons with the Yankees, winning five World Series championships (denied of a sixth by those pesky 2003 Marlins). He’s among the foremost impactful players within the franchise’s history and one of the simplest offensive shortstops of all time (3,465 career hits and 119 wRC+). Additionally, he was his generation’s most recognizable player, serving because the unofficial “face of baseball” throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.
In his first year of eligibility, Jeter received support from 396 of 397 Baseball Writers’ Association of America voters (99.7%). The crowd in Cooperstown, NY was swarmed with Yankees fans and Jeter’s friends and family—his wife and daughter, his parents, his former teammates, etc. Jeter thanked each of them during his speech and also singled out Gary Denbo together as the individuals who were most liable for his development as a player (Denbo now works for Jeter because the Marlins’ vice chairman of player development and scouting). Meanwhile, Marlins players watched live from LoanDepot Park:
