In celebration of the publication anniversary (June 3, 1888) of Ernest Thayer's poem, Casey at the Bat, we are featuring the newest Casey at the Bat artwork in our collection.
How Derek Jeter Came To Be a Yankee in the 1992 Draft
For want of $50,000, a Hall of Fame shortstop was lost.
That’s how the story goes, anyway.
For as long as the draft had been around, teams had been passing up players or, more often, drafting but failing to sign them—because of money. It wasn’t until 1992, though that signability became not only an internal concern for clubs, but (as Baseball America has observed) a buzzword in the business and media.
When a baseball player uses the main tool of his trade, the baseball bat, he is gripping the most important single weapon in his arsenal. Each is customized to a certain weight, length, and feel. This exhibit features the bats used by some of baseball’s greats during their professional career.