The Red Sox now have their own Jeter.
As part of the reworked blockbuster Mookie Betts trade on Sunday, Boston acquired from the Dodgers top prospect Jeter Downs, a shortstop named after Hall of Famer and Yankees legend Derek Jeter.
Downs, 21, was born in Colombia 20 days after Jeter made the first of his 14 All-Star games in 1998.
“It’s kind of crazy how it all worked out,” Jeter told the Dayton Daily News in 2018 of his connection to Derek Jeter. “When you think of it, [Derek Jeter] was just beginning his career when I was born and wasn’t that special yet. But my mom fell in love with everything about him and he ended up this huge thing.”
Downs’ mother told the outlet that before Downs was born, she had just started watching the Yankees and “admired Derek Jeter, the young boy.”
“I liked how he played baseball with that love and how he pushed himself,” Lucila Downs said. “I loved the name … and those pretty eyes. And that’s when it came to me.”
MLB.com ranked Downs as the Dodgers’ fifth-best prospect last season, and he is considered among the top shortstop prospects in baseball.
But Red Sox fans waiting for Downs to torment the Yankees like Jeter did their own team for 20 seasons likely will have to wait.
Originally a late first-round pick of the Reds in 2017, Downs finished last season in Double-A, where he hit five home runs and had 11 RBIs while hitting .333/.429/.688 in 12 games.
According to MLB.com, Downs, whose social media handles includes Jeter’s “2,” is a strong hitter, but average defensively. He also has played second base in the minors.
In 107 games in High-A, Downs hit 19 home runs and collected 75 RBIs, along with hitting .269/.354/.507. He also has played second base.
In addition to Downs, the Dodgers are also sending the Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo in exchange for Betts and pitcher David Price.
The trade, first reported last week, initially included the Twins, to help make the money work, but the Red Sox eventually were scared off by the medical records of pitcher Brusdar Graterol.
The Twins and Dodgers separately completed a deal involving Graterol and cash on Sunday.