Before the New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter became “The Captain,” and before all those championships, the Hall of Fame place, and more, there was a scout who saw all these coming. His name was none other than Dick Groch. On Wednesday, the entire baseball world, along with Derek Jeter, especially, is in mourning over the passing of the scout at age 84.

Sure, Groch’s name was not on the jersey or the scoreboard of the New York Yankee stadium, but his fingerprints are etched in the Bronx history. He famously, in 1992, while Jeter was only a teenager at Kalamazoo Central High School, had made a premonition. He said, “This kid is going to Cooperstown.”

It was a bold claim—but then it came true, as nearly three decades later, the kid he trusted in landed up in the Hall of Fame in 2021. And that really is what separates the greats of scouts from the rest. And that is why the Yankee world is mourning his passing, after Adam McCalvy updated everyone about the news.

And Jeter paid his heartfelt thanks to his mentor, “RIP Dick Groch. My Yankees scout, who believed in me and signed me. Thoughts and prayers are with your family and loved ones.” But truly, Groch believed in Jeter when it mattered the most.

At that time, Jeter wanted to play at the University of Michigan. But Groch graded him a 64 out of 80, which means he expected Jeter to develop into a great performer. And so, he convinced the New York Yankees to take a chance on Jeter, and that, of course, turned out to be one of the biggest blessings for the franchise. But Groch’s career is more than bringing a baseball star to light.

Even before scouting, he was a dedicated coach, and he led the baseball, basketball, and cross-country teams at the high school and junior college levels. He was even named Junior College Coach of the Year—in 1970, 1972, and 1976—three times, not just once. Even so, Derek Jeter’s story is what really cements Groch’s place in the baseball world. The man, after all, went on to become a five-time World Series champion. The world won’t forget the Mr. November home runs and the 3,000th hit as a home run and a walk-off single in his final Yankee Stadium at-bat. This all would have been in the void had Groch not seen it.

The lengths Dick Groch went to make Derek Jeter a Yankee

Now, Groch didn’t have blind faith in Jeter; he backed it up with patience and plenty of persistence. From the showcase in Michigan, the scout was hooked on Jeter. For him, that was athletics, the acrobatics, and the way Jeter was as a shortstop—he saw something in him. Groch had recalled once saying, “The live body, the acrobatics. I always thought that when you were looking at a shortstop, the highest compliment you could give him was that he was acrobatic… It was eye-catching. It was so exciting that it took me away from the rest of the camp. … I was standing next to the assistant baseball coach from Michigan State University. He said, ‘Man, I need to get that kid’s information and send him some stuff about Michigan State.’ I was like, ‘Are you kidding me? Save your postage!”

This is because Groch knew that talent alone was not good enough; he wanted to see how this teenager handled failure. How he treated his teammates and how he carried himself when nobody was watching and the cameras were not rolling.

So Groch became a ghost. He rarely introduced himself, never hovered around, and he avoided any and all conversations. He simply watched Jeter from a distance, from a car parked along the field or behind fences. The New York Yankee legend later admitted that he knew someone was following and watching, but he didn’t speak to Groch before the draft day. Even the shortstop’s parents recalled just one encounter with Groch, opening a gate for them before a game just a day before the draft.

This was a deliberate move by Groch, who wanted to see the raw, unfiltered version of the kid he was about to put his reputation on the line for. Well, his moves did play out well. Not just this, but right now, all that development you see with the Milwaukee Brewers, who are the perfect underdog story too, has Groch’s fingerprints. He had most recently served as an executive in the front office for the Milwaukee Brewers until retirement.

He shall be missed by the baseball world.