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The Baseball Writers Association of America has elected former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and former outfielder Larry Walker to the Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2020. Jeter just missed out on unanimous nomination, earning 99.7 percent of the vote. Walker narrowly earned nomination, receiving 76.6 percent of the vote to earn a spot in the hall in his final year on the ballot.
The Baseball Writers Association of America has elected former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and former outfielder Larry Walker to the Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2020. Jeter just missed out on unanimous nomination, earning 99.7 percent of the vote. Walker narrowly earned nomination, receiving 76.6 percent of the vote to earn a spot in the hall in his final year on the ballot.
Jeter’s percentage of votes is the highest among position players, narrowly edging Ken Griffey Jr’s 99.3 percent when he was elected in 2016. He spent his entire 20 year career with the Yankees, hitting .310 with 260 homers and 358 stolen bases. Jeter has also been selected to the all star game 14 times. He was the AL rookie of the year in 1996 and won 5 World Series titles with the Yankees. Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that “When we drafter Derek Jeter with the 6th overall pick in the 1992 draft, he had obvious physical talent, however what truly set him apart and put him on the path to Cooperstown was his burning desire to win and a personal drive to be the best player he could be. From the outset, he played the game the right way, and his confidence was contagious. So often it felt that he would not be denied, and that belief rubbed off on his teammates, leading to so many victories over so many years.”
Walker’s induction was a surprise to Walker himself. He tweeted earlier today that he wasn’t expecting to be nominated, and he was full of shock when he was. He played 17 years in the majors, spending time with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. He won the NL MVP in 1996, hitting .366 with with 49 homers and 33 stolen bases in 153 games played. He finished his career with a .313 average with 383 homers, 230 stolen bases, and 1,311 RBI in 1,988 career games. Walker’s tweet said that “Although I believe I’m going to come up a little short today, I still wanna thank all you that have been pulling for me and showing your support. I’m grateful for all of you! It’s been fun leading up to today reading everyone’s thoughts. Cheers! -LW”
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