Fox Sports has roped in Yankees superstar and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter as its baseball analyst for the 2023 MLB season. Curt Menefee, the host of the Super Bowl LVII pregame show, made the announcement during the coverage on Sunday. The Captain walked on stage amid cheers from the crowd and was greeted by Alex Rodriguez and New York Giants legend Michael Strahan.
During his on-stage presentation, Derek Jeter talked about why he opted to be part of Fox Sports MLB.
“I was on set at the World Series in Philly, and Ortiz kept showing me his World Series rings, so I figured I’d join the team now so we could humble him a little bit,” a smiling Jeter said.
The Fox Sports MLB broadcasting team already has Derek Jeter’s teammate Alex Rodriguez. They were on the field for a combined 10 years, during which time they won the 2009 World Series, the Yankees’ 27th title. The details about the role of Derek Jeter on the panel will become clear in due time, but this appointment is definitely targeted towards Fox’s postseason MLB telecasts, which are the most watched broadcasts of the MLB season.
It’s likely that having Rodriguez and Jeter together on the show is something sports executives could only dream of. Derek Jeter has been more visible recently with an ESPN documentary series on him and in a number of Yankees events. As a former CEO and minority owner of the Marlins, in addition to being a Hall of Fame player, he has a unique perspective on baseball that fans will love to listen to.
Derek Jeter was previously linked to YES
Since leaving the Marlins as CEO, Derek Jeter has been more involved in the media. During the World Series last year, he was on Fox’s pregame show one night.
In November, there were reports of the YES Network trying to rope in both Jeter and Don Matting. However, it didn’t materialize, as Mattingly is now the bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The New York Post had also said before that YES was thinking about hiring Jeter to call some Yankees games. Though the shortstop legend has a good relationship with ESPN, they didn’t offer him any game or studio work. Jeter’s growing list of media projects could still include more projects for ESPN.
A Fox Sports, Derek Jeter is set to join Rodriguez and David Ortiz, who helped the Red Sox win 2004, 2007, and 2013 World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox. Jeter, who won the World Series five times, was put into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, just like Ortiz.
Derek Jeter’s glittering career makes him a fan favorite
Derek Jeter has four World Series rings, five Gold Gloves, and five Silver Slugger awards. The 14-time All-Star was one of the athletes on the cover of MLB The Show 23 last week. During his 20 MLB seasons, Jeter was named an All-Star 14 times. In 2,747 regular-season games, he hit .310/.377/.440. He was a key part of the Yankees’ famous dynasty in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He won four World Series rings during that time and won his fifth ring in 2009 when the Yankees won their last world championship.
The 48-year old was chosen for the Hall of Fame on the first ballot by the Baseball Writers’ Association in 2020. He got just one vote short of being unanimously chosen.
Derek Jeter played for the Yankees for 20 years. After his retirement, he went to work for the Miami Marlins as an executive and stakeholder. In September 2017, he was part of a group that bought the Marlins. After that, he became the public face of the struggling franchise. Derek Jeter was the CEO of the Marlins for four years before quitting in February 2022.
Reunion with A-Rod
Many MLB fans aren’t used to seeing Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter get along. They will be eager to watch them along with Ortiz, Frank Thomas, and the other FOX broadcasters. When Derek Jeter stepped into the stage, A-Rod gave him a FOX jersey with the famous number 2 on pinstripes to welcome his former teammate to the network. When asked why the Hall of Fame shortstop went into broadcasting, he told
“I never thought in my wildest dreams we would be reunited. But here we are!”
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