Jeter Before 21
Via John Shea in the San Fran Gate –
Giants general manager Brian Sabean was the Yankees’ vice president of player development and scouting in ’92 and had a hand in drafting Jeter. He saw Jeter play in high school and was on the same page with scouting director Bill Livesey and other inner-circle executives who were urged by area scout Dick Groch.
“It was a unanimous thing, much like here when we took (Buster) Posey and (Tim) Lincecum,” Sabean said. “You have a lot of hands up in the room.”
Jeter hit .210 his first minor-league season and made 56 errors his second. But the next year, he cut his E’s in half and topped .300 at three minor-league stops. He started the Yankees’ ’96 opener, replacing Tony Fernandez, and never lost his job. He’s a 10-time All-Star.
Recalling Jeter in high school, Sabean said, “He didn’t run particularly well because he had an ankle issue, but you could see the athleticism and comfort in which he played the game and how easy the game came. Normally, a shortstop taken that high comes from a baseball state such as California, Florida or Texas. That’ll tell you how much his tools impressed us.
“It’s a testament to him that once he got there, he never looked back, never stopped working, never took anything for granted – one of the reasons for his staying power. He’ll go down as one of the best in history at his position, and to think it all was in a Yankee uniform is pretty amazing in this day and age.
“While it’s somewhat bold to pick a high school player because you can’t predict, we all knew he had a chance to be special. I don’t think any of us envisioned the type of career and longevity he’s had.”
You know, Jeter’s 1994 minor league season was amazing. As a 20-year old playing at A-AA-AAA combined he batted .344 with only 46 K’s in 592 PA. Can you imagine the hype, today, if a 20-year old Yankees prospect did something like that?
Can you imagine the hype, today, if a 20-year old Yankees prospect did something like that?
(yes, i have a man crush on montero)
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ya, i can…his name is Jesus Montero, he’s got a ,325 career minor league batting avg over 1000+ AB’s, with 37 homers and 176 RBI…o wait…he’s not 20 yet…so, I guess I can’t imagine eh?
Call me up when Jesus has his first Triple-A PA and when he shows a contact skill like Jeter did at 20.
@ Steve Lombardi:
it should be around the beginning of May, I’ll let you know.
Wasn’t Jeter the Minor League Player of the Year in ’94? Something like hype in the pre-blogospheric climate. Also you may want to check the numbers that year for a guy named Alexander Emmanuel Rodriquez in the Mariners system, factoring in that he (a) was a year younger than Jeter and (b) played some in the Majors.
Imagine if the Yankees under Cashman drafted a high school shortstop with the #6 pick of the 1st round for $700,000 (a fairly hefty sum then), and he hit .210 in his first season, and made 56 errors in his second season. I wonder what some people would be saying about that…