Derek Jeter Had His Own Career Impacted By A Labor Dispute

Two of the last three MLB seasons have been marked by work stoppages.

First, the 2020 campaign, which was shortened to 60 games because of COVID-19 and the lack of agreement between MLB and the players on the conditions to play.

Then, the 2022 season has no set date to start because MLB and the union’s failure to come up with a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), as the old one expired on December 1, 2021.

Sadly, labor disputes are not new in MLB, and one of its biggest stars, Derek Jeter – a near-unanimous Hall of Famer elected in 2019 – actually experienced an ugly one in his early playing days.

Jeter was a hot prospect in the New York Yankees’ system, the sixth overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft.

According to the Players’ Tribune, his own career was impacted negatively by a labor stoppage.

Derek Jeter was about to get called up to the big leagues. Then the 1994 strike happened and he got hurt staying ready

So the Yankees signed Tony Fernandez, thus delaying his MLB debut by over a year

(via @PlayersTribune) pic.twitter.com/q2d5AssiZ6

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 4, 2022

“Derek Jeter was about to get called up to the big leagues. Then the 1994 strike happened and he got hurt staying ready. So the Yankees signed Tony Fernandez, thus delaying his MLB debut by over a year,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted about an early part of The Captain’s career.

It All Worked Out Well For The Captain In The End

Jeter ended up making his big league debut over a 15-game sample in 1995, in which he hit .250.

The 1996 campaign would be his time to shine, however, after having to wait more than a year since he was ready to make an impact on an MLB team.

That season, he won the American League Rookie of the Year award by hitting .314/.370/.430 with 10 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 104 runs scored in 157 games.

In the end, it all worked out perfectly: Jeter was the league’s best rookie, the Yankees won the World Series, and he would become captain a few years later.

But he had to endure the rigors of a work stoppage and its consequences.