Derek Jeter's Stats, Postseason Records Made The Yankees Star A First-Ballot MLB Hall Of Famer

Derek Jeter joined Larry Walker Tuesday night to form MLB’s 2020 Hall of Fame class. The former New York Yankee fell one vote shy of becoming the first position player to earn a unanimous selection into Cooperstown.

With five championships in 20 seasons for the most successful franchise in American team sports, Jeter’s accolades made him an easy choice to make the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. He’s sixth all-time with 3,465 career hits to go along with a lifetime .310 batting average, 260 home runs, 1,311 RBI and 358 stolen bases.

Here’s a close look at some of the impressive stats that Jeter put up during his career.

Model of Consistency

Jeter was never the best player in baseball, but he was among the league’s best for a long, long time. The shortstop finished in the top 10 in voting for the American League MVP award in eight different years, including three top-three finishes. He was third in the voting in 1998 when the Yankees won 114 regular-season games, and Jeter finished third 11 years later with a .334 average for the 2009 World Series champions.

A 14-time All-Star with five Gold Gloves and five Silver Slugger awards, Jeter was one of the top players at his position for almost his entire career. He hit .300 or better in 12 seasons with eight 200-hit seasons.

Captain Clutch

There’s a reason why Jeter is known for being one of the most clutch athletes in any sport. The Hall of Famer was just as productive, if not more so, in October when the pitching got better and there was more pressure than ever. Jeter hit .308/.374/.465 in 158 playoff games, posting a higher OPS than he did in the regular season. He holds the all-time postseason record with 200 hits, 111 runs scored and 302 total bases. Bernie Williams is a distant second in all three categories.

Jeter won the 2000 World Series MVP award by hitting .409/.480/.864 with two home runs, including a leadoff homer that was the difference in a one-run Game 4 victory. His go-ahead home run in the 1996 ALCS, “The Flip” in the 2001 ALDS and a walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series are among the most iconic moments in MLB playoff history.