Yankees Legend Derek Jeter Sends Message After Sad MLB News on Thursday

"RIP Dick Groch. My Yankees scout who believed in me and signed me," the 15-time MLB All-Star said. "Thoughts and prayers are with your family and loved ones."

The Yankees also posted a statement on Thursday via their social media.

"Before tonight's game [Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox], we held a moment of silence to remember longtime baseball evaluator and former New York Yankees Scout Dick Groch," they said.

"Groch gained his most notoriety as the Yankees Scout that convinced the Front Office to draft Derek Jeter...We send our sincerest condolences to Groch's loved ones," they continued.

Dick Groch Also Aided Brewers

Groch left the Yankees to become a talent evaluator for the Milwaukee Brewers in October 2002, when Jeter was already a four-time champion in New York. The Brewers were coming off a 106-loss season, but they consistently improved until finally reaching the playoffs in 2008 when he arrived.

The club then won the NL Central and made the NL Championship Series three years later, its best season since 1982. A successful organization is always the result of a large group of people effectively working together, but Groch is the common denominator between the Yankees drafting the best shortstop in franchise history and the Brewers returning to relevance after 20-plus dormant years.

Former Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who Groch worked under, gushed about his work ethic, via Hoch and McCalvy.

“He would go into his office at home at 8:30 in the morning, close the door and tell [his wife] Nancy, ‘I’ll see you at lunch time,’” he said. “You’d better not interrupt him when he was doing reports."

“He was a throwback, and these types of guys, there’s a lot of them out there who had great careers and helped a lot of teams," he continued. "I still think teams can use those kinds of people.”

Groch is survived by his wife Nancy along with three children and nine grandchildren.