MLB Weekly Digest January 27th Edition: Jeter, Walker Set for Induction

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The last week in MLB was about two players who were selected for the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame, a team in the National League selects a new manager and outfielder signs a contract.

Derek Jeter And Larry Walker Selected for 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame

The Baseball Writers Association of America has selected two players for the 2020 Hall of Fame class.

BBWAA elects Derek Jeter, Larry Walker. https://t.co/XeuIE8xL0S pic.twitter.com/E2LGbD3yvN

— BBWAA (@officialBBWAA) January 21, 2020

The players are New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, and Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker.

Larry Walker and Derek Jeter have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame 👏

Jeter was 1 vote shy of unanimous selection. pic.twitter.com/3JyJJPKbno

— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2020

Jeter received 99.7% of the vote, coming up one vote short as being a unanimous selection into Cooperstown, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Derek Jeter fell one vote short of joining his Yankee teammate Mariano Rivera as unanimous selections into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rivera remains the only player elected to the Hall with 100% of the vote. pic.twitter.com/caC2AOTnSC

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 21, 2020

Walker received 76.6% of the vote, becoming a Hall of Famer by just six votes, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Larry Walker got 76.6 percent of the vote, he got in by six votes. He is a Hall of Famer.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 21, 2020

Jeter had a phenomenal 20-year career with the Yankees as he helped them win five titles.

He was a 14-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, five-time Gold Glove winner, won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1996, and was named 2000 World Series MVP, per MLB Stats.

The Captain has put the final note on his résumé. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/IKhVRSSVJ3

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) January 21, 2020

The shortstop had a lifetime .310 batting average and .817 OPS with 3,465 hits, 1,923 runs scored, 544 doubles, 66 triples, 260 home runs, 1,311 RBIs, and 358 stolen bases.

He remained robust in the postseason, by having a career .308 average in 158 games in the playoffs.

He ranks first all-time during the postseason in runs scored, doubles, hits, and extra-base hits, while being third in home runs and tied for fourth in RBIs, per MLB Stats.

There’s a reason he’s known as Mr. November. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/OwLTenoL9s

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) January 21, 2020

Another indicator of how great Jeter was he scored an MLB-record 111 runs in his playoff career.

That’s more than 11 teams scored in the postseason during his career, per Stats By STATS.

Derek Jeter scored an MLB-record 111 runs in his playoff career.

That's more than 11 TEAMS scored in the postseason during Jeter's career (1995-2014).

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) January 21, 2020

The Yankees were 511 games over .500 in games Jeter played.

He’s the second position player in MLB history to be at least 500 games above .500 in games in which he played, along with Lou Gehrig, per Sarah Langs of MLB.

The Yankees were 511 games over .500 in games Derek Jeter played (1,628-1,117).

He was the 2nd position player in MLB history to be at least 500 games above .500 in games in which he played, along with Lou Gehrig (501 games above).

(h/t @EliasSports)

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) January 21, 2020

Jeter will be remembered as one of the best shortstops in the Hall of Fame as he has the statistics to support the claim, per MLB Stats.

Derek Jeter is in rare company. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/7KETq09ogo

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) January 22, 2020

The remarkable aspect which made Jeter truly great was he accomplished all this playing in one of the biggest media markets in the world in New York City and wasn’t in the tabloids for anything negative.

From Kalamazoo to Cooperstown. pic.twitter.com/idLXwpShwX

— MLB (@MLB) January 23, 2020

Walker had a stable 17-year career with the Colorado Rockies, Montreal Expos, and St. Louis Cardinals.

He was a five-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove winner, three-time Silver Slugger, won three batting titles and was the National League MVP in 1997, per MLB Stats.

In his final year on the ballot, @Cdnmooselips33 takes his place in the @baseballhall. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/9S8On0kxhI

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) January 21, 2020

The outfielder posted a career .313 batting average and .965 OPS with 2,160 hits, 471 doubles, 62 triples, 383 home runs, 1,311 RBIs, 1,355 runs scored, and 230 stolen bases.

Walker is the second Canadian-born player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Ferguson Jenkins, who was inducted into Cooperstown in 1991, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Larry Walker (born in Maple Ridge, British Columbia) is the 2nd Canadian-born player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He joins Ferguson Jenkins (Chatham, Ontario), who was inducted into Cooperstown in 1991. pic.twitter.com/YK4y0kCJJM

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 21, 2020

The moment in which Walker received the call that he made it in was supremely special, per MLB.

Larry gets the call to the Hall. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/qDNSipAQsF

— MLB (@MLB) January 21, 2020

The interesting part about Walker is the way his career started.

He had to sign as an international free agent with the Expos in November 1984, because Canadians weren’t eligible for the MLB draft until 1991, per Sam Dykstra of MiLB.

Larry Walker had to sign as an international free agent with the Expos in November 1984.

Canadians weren't eligible for the MLB Draft until 1991.

— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) January 21, 2020

The seven Gold Gloves Walker earned in his career is tied for sixth among Hall of Fame outfielders.

Lots of hardware for @Cdnmooselips33. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/ajAUq2rB3I

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) January 22, 2020

Walker is in a select group as he compiled three seasons with at least a .350 average and .650 slugging percentage, per MLB Stats.

.@Cdnmooselips33 consistently put up numbers that we haven’t seen in a long time. #HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/EgH2ZGA83d

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) January 22, 2020

He was an outstanding player in his era and deserved to be in the Hall of Fame.

International treasure. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/ngLTmlQ3Wt

— MLB (@MLB) January 23, 2020

New York Mets Name Luis Rojas as New Manager

The New York Mets have hired Luis Rojas as their new manager, per a team announcement.

Please join us in welcoming Luis Rojas as our new manager! #Mets pic.twitter.com/8aXEkUdjab

— New York Mets (@Mets) January 23, 2020

The club had hired former player Carlos Beltran to be their manager earlier in the offseason.

Beltran stepped down for his role in the sign-stealing scandal with the Houston Astros during the 2017 campaign.

Rojas had been a manager in the Mets’ farm system before he became the club’s quality-control coach in 2019.

Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen spoke about the hiring of Rojas, “He’s respected by the players, he’s trusted by the players and he’s someone that we have great confidence in his ability to lead our team now and his ability to put our players and put us in the best position to succeed.”

Brodie Van Wagenen on Rojas: "He’s respected by the players, he’s trusted by the players and he’s someone that we have great confidence in his ability to lead our team now and his ability to put our players and put us in the best position to succeed."

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) January 22, 2020

The hiring of Rojas was smart by the Mets, considering he has experience being a manager in the minors and has a relationship with some players on the team like Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil.

Rojas is the brother of former major-league outfielder Moises Alou and the son of longtime manager Felipe Alou.

The Mets haven’t reached the postseason since 2016, and hopefully, Rojas can guide the club to a berth in the playoffs this year.

Atlanta Braves Sign Outfielder Marcell Ozuna to One-Year Deal

The Atlanta Braves have signed outfielder Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $18-million contract, per a team announcement.

#Braves Sign OF Marcell Ozuna: pic.twitter.com/HjXjrPGSRk

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 22, 2020

The deal doesn’t contain any options or incentives, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Source confirms Marcell Ozuna has agreed to a one-year, $18M deal with the Braves. No option or incentives in the deal. @JeffPassan 1st.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 22, 2020

Ozuna had a weird campaign with the St. Louis Cardinals last year as he posted a .241 batting average and .800 OPS in 130 games.

However, he was still productive, by compiling 23 doubles, one triple, scoring 80 runs, stealing 12 bases, hitting 29 home runs, and having 89 RBIs.

Ozuna is a very talented player, and the Braves currently have a stellar group of outfielders.

He joins Ronald Acuna Jr. and Nick Markakis, who gives the Braves a very stable group of starting outfielders.

The Braves didn’t re-sign third baseman Josh Donaldson as he signed a multi-year contract with the Minnesota Twins.

The team is hopeful Ozuna can provide the same level of production that Donaldson gave them in the 2019 season.

About Post Author

Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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