Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with a New York Yankees cap this week.
He was elected to the Hall in 2019 and was one vote away from being the second unanimous choice, after his former teammate Mariano Rivera.
Because of the pandemic, Jeter had to wait an extra year to see his plaque and his place among the immortals.
A True Legend On The Field
He was one of the best hitting shortstops of his generation, with several regular season and playoff records on his resume.
He won a total of five World Series with the Yankees: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2009.
Jeter retired with 3,465 hits, 14 All-Star games, a World Series MVP award, five Gold Gloves, five Silver Slugger awards, and the 1996 American League Rookie of the Year award.
He was a true legend, a worthy member of the Hall of Fame, and one of the most respected players in recent memory.
The Captain takes his place in the Plaque Gallery.
(📷: Milo Stewart Jr.) pic.twitter.com/DHPUeWCV37
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) September 9, 2021
He took control of the Marlins in 2017: he is their CEO and part-owner.
One of his first difficult decisions in the Marlins was trading disgruntled star Giancarlo Stanton, whose contract was seen as a roadblock in the future of the franchise.
He traded him to the Yankees in what was seen as a salary relief move.
That was Jeter’s baptism of fire.
However, for better or for worse, it allowed the Marlins to have more financial flexibility in recent years.
A Hall of Famer in the field, now Jeter wants to lead the Marlins to sustained organizational success.
He wants to translate his on-field competitiveness, which was fierce, and make the Marlins perennial winners.
These processes usually take time, but even with its limitations, Miami looks on its way to being relevant again.
One of Jeter’s first moves was “stealing” Gary Denbo from the Yankees, a well-respected talent evaluator with a hand in player development.
His Next Project: Being A Successful Executive
The Marlins, in part because of Jeter’s influence, have assembled an exciting group of young, promising prospects.
On the Left: Marlins Owner Derek Jeter
On the Right: All the prospects the Marlins have https://t.co/rldLs44Con— #Washed Tone (@ToneOzMia) September 8, 2021
The Marlins organization is extremely pitching-heavy, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,
They have Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Elieser Hernandez, Zach Thompson, Trevor Rogers, Cody Poteet, and Edward Cabrera already contributing as big league starters.
Alcantara and Rogers, in particular, look like aces, and Cabrera has that kind of potential.
Max Meyer is a prospect to watch, too, as he can make his debut in MLB next year.
Jeter’s next order of work will be improving the organizational offensive depth and bringing more major-league ready bats to contribute in 2022.
The Marlins can be contenders next year if they find the right hitters to complement their elite pitching.
Jazz Chisholm appears poised to be the shortstop of the future, and there are other offensive contributors in Jesus Aguilar, Garrett Cooper, and Brian Anderson.
If the team can salvage Lewis Brinson and develop Jesus Sanchez and Lewin Diaz, things could get very interesting in Miami.
All in all, Jeter has been working to make the Marlins a competitive team again, with a pitching-heavy system that continually feeds the MLB team.
He has the potential to carve out his new legacy: this time, it won’t be on the field, but in the front office.
NEXT: 3 Positives Marlins Can Take Away From Rough 2021 Season