feature-image
feature-image

Derek Jeter is considered one of the best to wear the Pinstripes. But this wasn’t always the case. Jeter started off in the league as a rookie and was once the youngest player on the Yankees roster. Not many people know this, but during his early days, he experienced something that made him feel out of the place.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

Although Jeter has been one of the greatest players to play the sport, he started out of High School and took a couple of years to settle down. The former Yankee once even talked about the difficulties of being the youngest player of the team.

ADVERTISEMENT

Derek Jeter found it weird being the same age as his teammate’s daughters

Derek Jeter talked about being the youngest player on the team in an interview well before he made his Yankees debut. He was asked about the training camp and how veterans were treating him because of his age. The young Yankee then recounted a story of how Mike Gallego, the last player to wear the #2 jersey before Jeter, said that he had a daughter who was Jeter’s age.

Jeter said “And I was talking to Gallego a while ago, and he asked how old I was. And he said you have a girlfriend? I said yeah. He said because he had a daughter my age. So that’s… a little odd being the youngest one here. But it’s fun.”

This interview took place during Jeter’s first spring training ever. And at a time when he was reportedly wearing the #73 jersey. During the interview, Jeter touched upon how he felt during his first year in the Minor Leagues.

Read This Story: New York Yankees Icon Derek Jeter Once Admitted a Rare MLB Milestone Made Him “Uncomfortable” Like Never Before

He said that he hated it and that it was as bad as it could get. Jeter further elaborated by admitting that he was homesick and not performing well during his first year in the Minors. But he felt excited during training camp.

Jeter said it felt weird training next to his idols

When asked about the training camp, the former Yankee said that he felt weird training with players he used to watch on TV. He said, “Its weird to see them on you know, TV, and now I’m here with all of them. Especially like Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs and Spike Owen and all these guys. They’re right there with me.”

Watch This Story: From Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez to Derek Jeter: Here are the top 5 richest MLB players of all time

It’s safe to say that Jeter eventually grew out of that phase and became a superstar. When this interview took place, do you think Jeter had any idea about what lied ahead of him in the Bronx?

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Pranay Mukherjee

1,202 Articles

Pranay Mukherjee is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports, with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. His expertise lies in cheat sheets, post-game analysis, and trade rumors, providing readers with comprehensive coverage of the sport. Pranay is an avid follower of baseball and is a staunch supporter of the Yankees, firmly believing that it is time for the New York team to break their World Series jinx. His story on the World Baseball Classic was chosen as an Editors' Pick for the month, connecting him even closer to the dedicated fanbase of the sport. When not covering sports, Pranay can be found watching it, indulging in his love for manga and anime. His fascination with the anime 'Ace of Diamond' fueled his love for baseball, and that passion continues to this day. His story on World Baseball Classic was one of the Editor’s Picks for the month and connected him even closer to the dedicated fanbase of the sport. When not covering sports, Pranay is busy watching them. Pranay is a manga and anime fanatic. The Anime 'Ace of Diamonds’ drove him to love the game of baseball. And that love continues big time.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Abhishek Kumar

ADVERTISEMENT