When the Yankees brass drafted 17-year-old Derek Jeter in the first round (#6 overall) of the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft, little did anyone know the kid from Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan would one day join the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle on the storied franchise's Mt. Rushmore of legends. Sure, he batted over .500 in high school, but so did just about every other top position player prospect. At a scrawny 156 pounds, Jeter started out in Rookie-Ball with the Gulf Coast Yankees based in Tampa, FL, and struggled mightily, hitting just .202 in 47 games. His manager, Gary Denbo, even benched him on the last game of the shortened season to protect him from dropping below the Mendoza Line.
Nevertheless, the organization decided to move Jeter up to the Greensboro Hornets of the South Atlantic League to give him more at-bats at the end of the Class A season. He arrived at Spring Training in 1993 still a bit star-struck (see video below) and was given number 73 – the last fielding position player on the roster besides two emergency catchers. Not surprisingly, Jeter one of the first players cut and sent back down to Greensboro where he began to figure it out at the plate, finishing that year with a solid .295 average, 152 hits, 85 runs and 71 RBI. The rest, as they say, is history.
Presented here is perhaps the first Yankees cap ever worn by “The Captain” on the diamond. Under the bill is a small handwritten No. “73” (his spring training number) above Jeter’s teenaged autograph in 8/10 black marker. The fitted wool, navy hat has the classic “NY” logo in white on the front and the MLB logo on the back. Proper tagging appears inside along the sweatband, with the New Era “59/50 Pro Model” and size 7-1/8 labels. The cap is well-worn with a light brown tone around the interior band from Jeter's perspiration.
Considering how little time Jeter spent at Spring Training in ’93 and the relatively low equipment budgets back then, the likelihood that this is the only New York Yankees cap he wore that March at the team’s former complex in Fort Lauderdale, FL is quite high. Comes with a J.T. Sports LOA from PSA/DNA’s renowned game-used authenticator John Taube, along with a letter from the Yankees fan who procured the hat from Jeter at 1993 Spring Training. Full LOA from Beckett for the autograph.