Dick Groch, a longtime talent evaluator famously known for convincing the New York Yankees to draft Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter in 1992, died Wednesday, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.
Groch was 84 years old.
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While scouting Jeter remained a crowning achievement for Groch, he later brought his baseball acumen to the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom he served as special assistant to the general manager. By the time Groch made his way to retirement, his efforts helped the Brewers return to relevance in the late 2010s and early 2020s after the organization missed the playoffs six straight seasons from 2012-17.
While Groch lent a trusty hand to former Brewers GM Doug Melvin, he also mentored San Francisco Giants GM Zack Minasian, Brewers assistant GM Karl Mueller and Los Angeles Angels pro scouting director Derek Watson, per MLB.com.
Groch had a knack for identifying major-league players, and his ties to Jeter are part of baseball lore.
“RIP Dick Groch,” Jeter posted on X Thursday. “My Yankees scout who believed in me and signed me. Thoughts and prayers are with your family and loved ones.”
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As the story goes, Groch persuaded Yankees scouting director Bill Livesey to take a chance on Jeter, who was rumored to be considering a scholarship offer from the University of Michigan.
“He’s not,” Groch famously said, according to MLB.com. “The only place this player is going is Cooperstown.”
Groch’s words were prophetic, of course.
Jeter was inducted into the Hall his first year on the ballot, receiving 99.7% of the vote in 2020. He won five World Series titles and Gold Glove Awards during an illustrious 20-season career with the Yankees that featured 14 All-Star honors.
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His time in the majors began in 1995. By the time he clocked out at 40 years old, he had a career .310/.377/.440 slash line with 3,465 hits and 260 home runs.
But his MLB journey might have looked different had it not been for Groch, whose scouting report of the one-time Kalamazoo Central High prospect is still marveled at.
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