TIP OF THE CAPTAIN

It’s Hall about Jeter today in Cooperstown

Derek Jeter, Yankees captain and winner of five World Series rings, is headlining the COVID-delayed Class of 2020 at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony Wednesday.

Buck Showalter

Jeter’s first manager in the majors “The first time I saw him was when he was a first-round pick and they brought him to the Stadium. After I met him and his family, he went to the top step of the dugout to watch BP and I saw he was watching everything. He had alert eyes. He was seeing things peripherally. He was skinny and gawky, but you could tell he wanted to learn and that never stopped. Whether it was figuring out how to play shortstop or how to be a big-leaguer, he was always searching for perfection. He understood the weight of his words and chose them carefully and never got himself in trouble with the media. Do you know how hard that is? It was frustrating for the media, but Derek knew what it meant to be a good teammate.”

Brian Butterfield Coach who worked with Jeter after he made 56 errors in the minors in 1993

“Every shortstop struggles, but I could tell right away from our first conversation — before we even went on the field — that he had great aptitude. And it was evident in his work ethic that he wanted to do things the right way. He wasn’t going to fail. I knew it was going to click because he wanted to be a great player and he wound up having a profound effect on me. He’s so sharp, with a magnetic personality. He’s a guy you want to be around and epitomizes what a good culture is.”

Aaron Judge Met Jeter while Judge was in minors in Tampa:

“It was ’13, when he was rehabbing his ankle there. I was sitting at my locker and he came up and said, ‘Hey, Aaron, it’s good to see you.’ I didn’t even think he knew who I was. I think he looked above me and saw my name plate on the locker. But it meant a lot and I remember that when other young or new guys come through here.”

Mark Teixeira Teammate, 2009-16

“The best piece of advice I got after I signed with the Yankees was from Tino Martinez, who told me,

‘Do what Derek does.’ That first year in New York after signing a big contract is such a whirlwind. Derek helped me navigate it. If there was a book about how to perform and act on the big stage, how to treat coaches, teammates, the fans and media,

Derek should write it.”

As told to Dan Martin

David Cone Teammate during Jeter’s rookie season in 1996

“I’ve never been around anybody more in the moment. I say he’s the best ‘turn the page guy’ I’ve ever been around: Yesterday doesn’t matter, tomorrow doesn’t matter. He’s right in the here and now. Really, from Day 1 he was that way … almost to a fault. At the end of his career, I told him, ‘Hey, it’s OK to enjoy the ride and smell the roses a little bit.’ His nature doesn’t really allow for that. But he was nose to the grindstone all the way through.”

Marcus Thames Teammate of Jeter’s twice

“I came up as a rookie [in 2002] when he was already established and then came back in 2010 and he was doing the same things. That consistency was amazing. He never changed who he was.”

Ichiro

Played with Jeter from 2012-14

“One of the toughest things someone can do is do the same thing every single day. I always thought Jeter was the type that had those characteristics. I got to play with him for 2½ years and that’s what he was. He wasn’t as drastic about it as me. I’m a little bit sick, so no one can compare to me. And he’d always say, ‘There’s another one tomorrow. Until you win the World Series, you don’t show real happiness.’ He was always preparing for the next game.”

Joe Girardi

Teammate when Jeter was a rookie, manager at end of Jeter’s career

“Playing with him, you always wanted him up in big situations and having the ball hit to him in big situations. The greatest compliment you can give a player is you never have to worry about them. And with Derek, you never had to worry about anything. He was always relaxed. I saw that as a rookie. Even in tough situations, he never changed who he was. He was never worried about who might take his job or if he had a bad day, having it turn into two or three bad days.”

David Wright

Mets captain when Jeter was Yankees captain, Team USA teammate in 2009 World Baseball Classic:

“With our schedule, our paths very rarely crossed, so I looked forward to playing with him for Team USA. I followed him everywhere and it was eyeopening how hard he worked for the player he was. Davey Johnson was the manager and we were playing an exhibition game and Derek wasn’t in the lineup. Derek didn’t like the way his swing felt, so he asked Davey if he could have some at-bats late in the game, which said something about him, since this was spring training. I was the DH, so Derek came in for me to get the at-bats, and to this day, I still have the lineup card with my name crossed out and Derek’s underneath it.”

Brett Gardner Teammate during Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium, — Sept. 25, 2014, against the Orioles — when Jeter had a game-winning hit “I probably remember that walk-off hit in his last game at the Stadium. I think a lot of players and people there, knowing Derek and watching him play every day, kind of knew what was gonna happen before it even happened. We were able to envision it because we’d seen him do that kind of thing in that kind of moment for so long.”