New York Yankees: Derek Jeter should be a unanimous HOF selection

As the Baseball Hall of Fame announces their latest class for 2020, it features without a doubt New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter

The 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame committee takes center stage with the announcement of the latest class today. New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter is easily expected to be announced amongst many hopefuls, but his credentials and value to the game should warrant a unanimous selection from voters.

Mariano Rivera was the first player to receive 100% in 2018 of the possible votes, with Ken Griffey Jr. being the closest at 99.32% in 2016. Jeter sports impressive accomplishments that include multiple World Series titles, Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger awards, and 3,465 career hits. The impact Jeter had on not only the game while playing for the league’s most storied franchise cannot be matched by many unless they were a legendary pinstripes all-star of a different era.

Jeter’s career was filled with so many magical moments that have captivated not only Yankees fans but baseball purists in general. He was never a big home run guy even when the league was relying on the long ball for attention in the late 90s and early 2000s. The personality on and off the field captured casual fans while remaining loyal to the diehard starts driven crowd on a nightly basis.

The start of Jeter’s career being drafted by his favorite team growing up was another example of his good luck on the franchise’s hopes moving forward. He discussed it in an interview with ESPN back in 2017.

"A lot of good fortune, I mean, to say the least. You know, you get to the draft, it’s a crapshoot. You know, I never even thought I would have the opportunity, like, for the Yankees. I thought I was going for another team. But everything aligns. The stars aligned, I guess, but a lot of luck. I think you have to work hard, obviously. You have to. But more importantly, you need to be in the right place at the right time, and everything seemed to work out. And then, on top of that, you know, back in the day, the Yankees were known for trading their prospects. And, you know, Bernie Williams was the first one that came up and did a great job, and he sort of set the tone for the rest of us. And we got our opportunity."

The right place at the right time might as well be Jeter’s slogan as it defines his impact on baseball. The ability to crossover to mainstream pop culture consistently while delivering on the field and remaining private in his large parts of his personal life is rare in sports. Jeter was the captain of the Yankees during their most significant run atop of baseball and deserved all the praise and votes possible to be appreciated by the hall of fame truly.