Yankees: Jeter’s vote for the Hall of Fame dramatically enhances his aura and stature

The highest honor for a former New York Yankees player, as well as for any other ex-ballplayers, is to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. On January 21, Derek Jeter was elected to the HOF one vote shy of unanimity.

Active members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) for 10 or more years decide who should be included in the HOF.

Initially, membership in the BBWAA was comprised only of newspaper writers. Rules were loosened after 2000 — allowing prominent internet-based journalists to become members of the BBWAA. This change was made because the number of newspapers in the U.S. has rapidly dwindled, and baseball coverage has taken on new forms, especially through the internet.

Once a player is retired after five seasons, is professionally worthy, and is in good standing (i.e., has not been banned from baseball), he is placed on the ballot for inclusion into the Hall. A player is subsequently elected into the Hall when he receives at least 75 percent of all the ballots cast, which happens only in exceptional cases. Many outstanding players never receive 75 percent of the vote.

Read my previous blog for more information about the HOF selection process.

The Jeter vote controversy

The outcome of this year’s voting for recent eligible ballplayers was announced on January 21, 2020, and only two former baseball players out of many were elected. Jeter received 396 out of 397 votes (99.7 percent), one short of a unanimous vote.

Larry Walker, primarily of the Colorado Rockies received 304 votes or 76.6 percent of the vote, just above the 75 percent threshold. This was Walker’s 10th and final year of eligibility on the ballot.

There are now 29 Yankees in the Hall, more than any other MLB team. The old New York Giants and the San Francisco Giants combined, have the second most members elected at 25.

Suffice it to say, the failure of Jeter to receive a unanimous vote, as Yanks’ relief pitcher Mariano Rivera deservedly did last year, has sparked heated controversy.

A considerable majority of baseball analysts, including nearly all the major sports writers across the country, are incensed and believe it is unconscionable that someone would leave Mr. November off the ballot. Clearly, he was shortchanged by one of the voters for some unexplained reason.

But classy Derek doesn’t care and has publicly stated such, thereby increasing the great respect baseball analysts and the fans already had for him. Although he did not receive a unanimous vote, he nevertheless received the most votes by any position player in the history of voting for the HOF.

According to Jack O’Connell, the secretary-treasurer of the BBWAA, the Writers Association made a request several years ago to make all the ballots public. However, the Hall of Fame denied the request, arguing that if voters are forced to make their choices public, they could be susceptible to outside pressure and not vote their conscience. Instead, it is up to individual voters to decide whether or not they make their votes public.

The Hall explains their reasoning

Jane Forbes Clark, the chairwoman of the Hall of Fame, adds that, following a discussion of whether votes should be public, the organization concluded that anonymous ballots were essential to preserving a free election. The same logic requiring a secret ballot in elections in democratic societies is operating here.

A small number of pundits are happy that The Captain did not receive a unanimous vote. For example, Corbin Smith, who lives in Vancouver, Washington (far from Yankee Stadium) and writes for NBC News, is delirious that a single voter spoiled Derek’s chance to be a unanimous choice.

According to him, “It’s a delicious outcome.”

Smith argues, though not convincingly, that Jeter is overrated and that he wasn’t a good fielding shortstop. He believes that Jeter received as many votes as he did because he was a golden boy and was popular with the media. It was not because of his statistical records and accomplishments.

Embarrassingly, in his article Smith initially stated that 425 baseball writers voted on Jeter’s induction into the HOF. Following publication, NBC was forced to correct the mistake; it was 397 writers who voted. This numerical error also may point to a mathematical inability on his part to accurately interpret Jeter’s analytics.

Impact on Jeter’s reputation

One thing that has happened, interestingly, is that the incendiary debate over the final vote and how Jeter graciously responded has led to a very public showing of strong support for Jeter’s election to the HOF. In a large number of articles both online and in print across the U.S., analysts have enumerated his major accomplishments:

• 1996 American League Rookie of the Year
• 14-time All-Star
• Finished in the top 10 of the AL MVP voting eight times
• Named 2000 All-Star Game MVP and 2000 World Series MVP
• Five-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Scored at least 100 runs 13 times, hit at least .300 12 times, and stole at least 30 bases four times
• Earned at least 200 hits in eight seasons and ranks sixth all-time in hits (3,465)
• Appeared in an eye-popping 33 Postseason series over 16 seasons, more than anyone else
• Played in 158 Postseason games, hit .308 with 111 runs scored, 200 hits, 32 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 66 walks
• Member of Bombers’ five World Series title teams

It will take a long time before another baseball player, let alone another shortstop, breaks many of these records.

Even if a writer thinks that Jeter is not the best shortstop of all time, how can anyone ignore Mr. November’s avalanche of accomplishments and overall record — and still fail to vote for him for inclusion in the Hall?

Because of the one “no” vote, everyone in the country now knows just how terrific Jeter was as the Yankees shortstop due to the comprehensive media coverage the final vote he received. Ironically, whatever his reputation was before, it has now become dramatically elevated thanks to the one anonymous writer who voted “no.” Thank you, Ms./Mr. “no vote.”