Today the New York Yankees made newly-signed slugger Aaron Judge their 16th captain in franchise history. And their 15th captain made sure to be in attendance.
Derek Jeter was a surprise attendee at the Yankees' press conference today to formally make him their new captain. Judge joins an exclusive club shared by the likes of Jeter, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, Willie Randolph and Don Mattingly among other Yankee greats.
The moment was reflective of Jeter's own ascendancy to captain back in 2003. When Jeter was announced as the Yankees' 15th captain, Mattingly - the 14th - was there to give Jeter his seal of approval.
For Judge, the mantle of captain comes with the nine-year, $360 million contract he signed earlier this month. It was the largest contract in Yankees history.
But Yankees fans were more interested in Jeter's presence at the event today. Some joked that he was there to announce that Judge would be taking over at shortstop, while others are still holding out hope he joins the front office:
Derek Jeter recently ended his tenure as the CEO of the rival Miami Marlins. Given that he helped lift the club out of the gutter and into the postseason for the first time in 18 years, Yankees fans are praying that he can work similar magic in New York.
Unfortunately for Yankees fans, that's not going to be the case in the near-future. Longtime general manager Brian Cashman has been given a contract extension and will run the team for the foreseeable future.