Current:Home > FinanceBurley Garcia|What to know about Jeter Downs, who Yankees claimed on waivers from Nationals -MoneyMatrix
Burley Garcia|What to know about Jeter Downs, who Yankees claimed on waivers from Nationals
PredictIQ View
Date:2025-04-11 10:18:04
There’s another Jeter in the New York Yankees organization.
Named for Hall of Fame pinstriped icon Derek Jeter,Burley Garcia infielder Jeter Downs was claimed Tuesday by the Yankees off waivers from the Washington Nationals.
The 5-foot-11, 197-pound former first-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds (2017, 32nd overall) joins his fifth organization, having played in just 20 career MLB games.
In the current picture, Downs, 25, boosts the Yankees’ infield depth, having played second base, third base and shortstop at the big-league level.
A few things to know about the new Jeter in town:
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
Derek Jeter connection
Downs was indeed named for the Yankees captain, who retired after the 2014 season.
“I have always loved it,’’ Downs told MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo in 2018. “Jeter was one of my favorite players growing up, just the way he carried himself on and off the field.
“He was a good role model to look up to as a kid.’’
Downs’ father, Jerry Sr., played baseball professionally in Colombia, where Jeter was born on July 27, 1998 – during the Yankees’ 125-win world championship year in Derek Jeter’s third full MLB season.
Yankee Stadium moment
Downs’ first career hit was against the Yankees, at Fenway Park.
And his one and only career home run came at Yankee Stadium, July 17, 2022, in the uniform of the rival Boston Red Sox.
And he connected against Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole.
As a Red Sox minor leaguer, Downs also connected with Jeter via Zoom in a two-minute conversation set up by a friend in the Miami Marlins organization.
At the time, Jeter was the Marlins’ chief executive officer.
In the Mookie Betts deal
During spring training of 2020, Downs — then with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization ― was part of a seismic trade that rocked Red Sox Nation.
Along with outfielder Alex Verdugo, the right-handed hitting Downs was in the deal that brought Mookie Betts to Dodger Stadium.
Earlier this month, the Yankees acquired Verdugo in a rare trade with their ancient rivals.
Picked up by the Nationals via waivers last year, Downs appeared in just six games for Washington. Downs played most of 2023 at three minor league levels, batting .222 (40-for-180) in 60 games.
veryGood! (695)
Related
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Drivers of Jeep, Kia plug-in hybrids take charging seriously. Here's why that matters.
- University of Michigan slithers toward history with massive acquisition of jarred snake specimens
- Penn State, North Carolina among teams falling in college football's US LBM Coaches Poll
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Two weeks ago she was thriving. Now, a middle-class mom in Gaza struggles to survive
- Ukrainians prepare firewood and candles to brace for a winter of Russian strikes on the energy grid
- Biden names technology hubs for 32 states and Puerto Rico to help the industry and create jobs
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness taking leave of absence because of wife's seizure
Ranking
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Man accused of killing 15-year-old was beaten by teen’s family during melee in Texas courtroom
- Ex-officer sentenced after assaulting man during unrest in Minneapolis after murder of George Floyd
- Argentine economy minister has surprise win over populist, and they head toward presidential runoff
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- The case against the Zombie Hunter
- 'Super fog' causes multi-car pileup on Louisiana highway: Police
- The pope just opened the door to blessing same-sex couples. This nun secretly blessed one more than 15 years ago.
Recommendation
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
'You want it to hurt': Dolphins hope explosive attack fizzling out vs. Eagles will spark growth
Synagogue leader fatally stabbed in Detroit, police investigate motive
Delayed homicide autopsies pile up in Mississippi despite tough-on-crime-talk
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
A US watchdog says the Taliban are benefiting from international aid through ‘fraudulent’ NGOs
Police in Atlanta suburb pledge full investigation after residents report anti-Semitic flyers
Danish deputy prime minister leaves politics but his party stays on in the center-right government