Former New York Yankees star Derek Jeter will need to wait until 2021 for his Hall of Fame induction ceremony:
Derek Jeter nearly became the second player in history to be unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame this past winter. He missed the achievement by just one vote, but that doesn’t take away from his incredible career and the good he’s doing off the field. It was never a question if Jeter would make it to the Hall of Fame, but his induction will have to wait, as due to the coronavirus pandemic, all public gatherings have been called off for the foreseeable future.
Along with Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and former double MLBPA executive director Marvin Miller were all scheduled to join the ranks in Cooperstown this summer.
Jane Forbes Clark, a Hall of Fame chairman, presented a press release indicating the postponement of the induction.
“Induction Weekend is a celebration of our National Pastime and its greatest legends, and while we are disappointed to cancel this incredibly special event, the Board of Directors’ overriding concern is the health and well-being of our new inductees, our Hall of Fame members, our wonderful fans, and the hundreds of staff it takes to present the weekend’s events in all of its many facets. We care deeply about every single person who visits Cooperstown. In heeding the advice of government officials as well as federal, state, and local medical and scientific experts, we chose to act with extraordinary caution in making this decision.â€
Jeter finished his career of 20 years with 2747 games played, 11,195 at-bats, 1,923 runs, 260 home runs, 1,311 RBIs, 3,465 overall hits, and a career batting average of .310. He was in the running for the MVP award ten times and partook in the All-Star game 14 times.
Jeter ranks in the top 10 all-time in plate appearances, singles, defensive games at shortstop, double plays turned at shortstop, assists at shortstop, at-bats, and ranked 11th and runs scored.
His career was remarkable, and while we will have to wait until 2021 to watch him enter the Hall of Fame, we all understand that he will get there nonetheless.