Jeter, Walker inducted into 2020 HOF class

Cooperstown is opening its doors for two new inductees in 2020.

Longtime New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Tuesday with 99.7% of the vote.

Five-time All-Star and 1997 NL MVP Larry Walker received 76.6% of the vote to narrowly earn his spot in the Hall in his final year on the ballot. He's the first veteran of the Colorado Rockies to be elected.

Jeter finished one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous inductee in Hall of Fame history after fellow Yankees legend Mariano Rivera received the honor a year ago.

Nevertheless, Jeter received the highest-ever percentage of votes among position players.

The 45-year-old spent his entire 20-year career with the Yankees. He hit .310/.377/.440 with 260 home runs and 358 stolen bases while being named to 14 All-Star rosters. The AL Rookie of the Year in 1996 won five World Series titles, earning series MVP honors in 2000.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had nothing but superlative praise for Jeter as the announcement came down.

"When we drafted Derek Jeter with the sixth pick in the 1992 draft, he had obvious physical talent, however what truly set him apart and put him on the path to Cooperstown was his burning desire to win and a personal drive to be the very best player he could be," Cashman said, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. "From the outset, he played the game the right way, and his confidence was contagious. So often it felt that he would not be denied, and that belief rubbed off on his teammates, leading to so many victories over so many years."

Jeter seemed at a loss for words when he joined MLB Network to discuss the accolade.

Walker's induction came as something of a surprise to the man himself. He tweeted earlier Tuesday that he wasn't expecting the call.

His shock was apparent when he was notified of his enshrinement.

The product of Maple Ridge, B.C. spent 17 seasons in the majors split between the Rockies, Montreal Expos, and St. Louis Cardinals. In his MVP campaign, Walker hit .366/.452/.720 with a career-high 49 home runs and 33 stolen bases in 153 games. He finished his career with a .313 batting average, .965 OPS, 383 home runs, 471 doubles, 230 stolen bases, and 1,311 RBIs in 1,988 games.

Right-hander Curt Schilling placed third on the ballot with 70% of the vote, falling a bit shy of the 75% threshold for induction. He'll enter his ninth year of eligibility in 2021.

Bobby Abreu held on for another year by just barely clearing the 5% minimum with 22 votes. Altogether, 25 players received at least one vote from BBWAA members, including right-handed reliever J.J. Putz.