Derek Jeter on Wednesday was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame along with the other members of the 2020 class. On the day of his enshrinement, many of his former colleagues took the opportunity to praise the former New York Yankees legend.
Although he did not have the type of tie to Jeter as others did — they were never teammates — Kevin Pillar still shared a nice story about the former shortstop.
Pillar has been in the majors since 2013, though it wasn’t until 2015 that he established himself as a regular for the Toronto Blue Jays. Pillar shared in a note posted on social media the cool thing that Jeter did following his first taste of big league action.
Pillar says he was invited to work out in Tampa with teammate Jose Bautista’s facility and trainer after the 2013 season. Pillar arrived before 8am for his first workout and says Jeter was already done with his workout. Additionally, Jeter greeted Pillar by name and asked how his offseason was going.
Keep in mind that Pillar was just 24 at the time with only 36 games under his belt. And here was Jeter treating him nicely and calling him by name.
That’s a small gesture but an important one.
The story illustrates a few things. One, it shows how hard-working Jeter was even in the offseason. And two, it shows how down-to-earth and considerate Jeter was. Both details help explain why he is in the Hall of Fame (with one problem).
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