New York Yankees Icon Derek Jeter Opens Up About Hall of Fame Voter Snub

Yankees legend Derek Jeter discussed the one voter that denied him a unanimous selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sep 9, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter at Old Timer's Day before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. The longtime shortstop was one vote away from joining his teammate Mariano Rivera as the only two unanimous first-ballot inductees in MLB Hall of Fame history.

While Jeter claims that he’s not irked by that one absent vote, he does believe that whoever snubbed him should be held accountable for their terrible ballot.

"Members of the media always want us to be accountable as players," Jeter said, per Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated. "Good game, bad game, you have to stand in front of your locker, and you have to address the media. I did it every single day. You may not have liked what I said … but I was accountable, and I was there.”

Throughout his storied 20-season MLB career with the Yankees, Jeter always made a point to declare himself accessible to the media after games. 

"And I think you should expect the same [accountability] from the members of the media,” Jeter continued. “I don’t care that someone didn’t vote for me. I really don’t, but I do think what becomes annoying is I have to constantly answer the question. And I don’t think I should be the one answering the question. Whoever it is should answer the question. I don’t have a problem with it, but I get tired of being asked that question."

In addition to that one voter never explaining why they snubbed Jeter from their 2020 ballot, the voter's identity has never even been made public. 

Jeter addressed this during his Hall of Fame speech by acknowledging that he received 99.7% of the vote and saying, "Thank you to all the baseball writers… all but one of you."

Jeter’s five World Series championships, 14 All-Star game appearances, five Gold Glove Awards, 3,465 hits, 1,923 runs scored, 4,921 total bases, and having his no. 2 retired by the Yankees all serve as proof that he deserved the unanimous selection.