Derek Jeter Mourns the Loss of Yankees’ Legendary Scout Dick Groch: A Tribute to the Man Who Launched His Career
By ESPN Sports Desk | October 4, 2025
In the world of baseball, where stats, home runs, and championships define legacies, there are moments that transcend the game. Dick Groch, the scout who signed Derek Jeter to the New York Yankees in 1992, is one of those figures whose impact extends far beyond the diamond. At the age of 84, Groch passed away this week, leaving behind a legacy of scouting excellence and a profound influence on the history of the Yankees.
Derek Jeter, the Yankees’ legendary shortstop and future Hall of Famer, took to social media to mourn the loss of the man who played a pivotal role in his ascent to the major leagues. In a heartfelt tribute, Jeter shared:
The impact of Groch’s discovery of Jeter is felt far and wide, not only within the Yankees organization but across the sport of baseball. Groch’s eye for talent was instrumental in identifying Jeter as a potential star when the then-18-year-old shortstop was selected in the first round of the MLB draft. Groch’s faith in Jeter was unwavering, despite the skepticism from others at the time. In fact, Groch famously remarked,
Groch’s scouting success wasn't just a matter of luck; it was his ability to look beyond the numbers and see the character, determination, and passion in a player. In the years that followed, Jeter would help lead the Yankees to five World Series titles, becoming the face of the franchise and one of the most iconic athletes in sports history.
In addition to his work with Jeter, Groch had a long and distinguished career with the Yankees, helping the team scout and develop future stars. His expertise and reputation were built on his deep understanding of the game and his ability to identify raw talent with the potential to flourish in the major leagues.
On the field, Groch's legacy is cemented in the career of Jeter, but his influence off the field, in the lives of the countless players he helped shape, is just as profound. His passing marks the end of an era for the Yankees, a team that has seen some of the greatest scouts, players, and managers in baseball history.
As the Yankees take the field for the upcoming playoff series against the Boston Red Sox, they will honor Groch’s memory. The team held a moment of silence in his honor, a fitting tribute to the man who helped shape their success for decades.
“I owe my career to Dick Groch,” Jeter reflected. And indeed, the entire New York Yankees organization owes much to the scout whose eyes were trained on talent and whose belief in Jeter helped to launch a career that would define an era of baseball. His death marks not just the loss of a great scout, but the loss of a friend, mentor, and someone who believed in greatness when it was still a dream.
Rest in peace, Dick Groch. Your legacy will live on in the game of baseball and in the hearts of those who knew you.
Titan Troubles: Unmasking the Players Who Are the Problem and the Solution
The Tennessee Titans have a lot of problems. They have coaching problems, they have player problems, they have discipline problems, they have finishing problems, and for those in the back who may not have heard me, they have coaching problems.
Everything has gone awry at some point through the first month. The team is 0-4 and very little is working. Practically everyone on the planet has come to the same conclusion about this Brian Callahan coaching staff: it’s not working out. They deserve to be fired for the way the first month has played out, which is something that feels almost inconceivable to already be at a consensus about. It’s shocking how fast this all fell apart.
Titans Woes Continue Until Players Turn This Around
The bottom line for this team in 2025, regardless of who is at the coaching helm, is that their starters are largely under-performing. We can argue over how much of that is a coaching issue and how much is on the players. The coaches have said they need to put the players in a better spot, the players are adamant that the coaches can’t go out there and do the job for them, that it’s on them.
There’s no question where the majority of the fanbase would fall on this. It’s much easier to hope an in-season coaching change will magically turn this group into a bunch of over-performers than it is to accept the starters you’re stuck with this season simply aren’t playing well. The truth, in my opinion, is somewhere in the middle. It’s no coincidence so many of these veterans are playing worse than we’ve seen them play in the past in tandem. Coaching absolutely plays a role in that. At the same time, coaches aren’t the ones missing tackle, blowing assignments, and failing to catch the football. That’s on the guys in uniform.
I went through the Titans list of 23 starters (including a 12th defensive starter as the depth chart does) and placed them into three buckets: “The Problem”, “Not The Problem”, and “The Solution”. This exercise wasn’t particularly tricky based on each players first month of play, but it certainly was illuminating to see how few Titans are pulling their weight.
The Problem
- QB Cam Ward
- WR Calvin Ridley
- WR Tyler Lockett
- Right Tackle
- EDGE Arden Key
- EDGE Dre’Mont Jones
- LB Cody Barton
- CB L’Jarius Sneed
- S Amani Hooker
Yes, Cam Ward is a part of the problem at this point. He wasn’t to begin the year, but he’s trended in the wrong direction. DeShone Kizer is the only QB since the inception of QBR as a statistic in 2006 to have a worse QBR than Cam Ward in his first four starts. The statistics are more dramatic than the reality of the situation, but the point remains: he’s not helping at the moment.
Calvin Ridley’s woes are well-documented, he’s clearly a part of the problem so far. Tyler Lockett (or whoever you want to slot into the WR3 position) isn’t helping a lick. Lockett was targeted four times in Houston and didn’t make a play on any of the balls.
The right tackle position is obviously a big part of the problem as long as JC Latham is still out and it’s a revolving door of backups. And in the trenches on the other side of the ball, the entire EDGE room has been and will probably remain a part of the problem all year long. So Arden Key and Dre’Mont Jones, you’re on the list until you start showing up with any amount of consistency. In Key’s defense, he’s coming off his best game of the year in Houston. Hopefully he can parlay that momentum and start contributing to the solution for this team in October.
How about Cody Barton? I think relative to the expectations we had for him coming in, he’s firmly a part of the problem so far if you ask me. He hasn’t been the field general force in the middle of the field that I think he’s capable of being.
In the secondary, L’Jarius Sneed’s first full game back was net-promising against Davante Adams in Week 2. But since then, he’s been disappointing and problematic on the penalty front to boot. And Amani Hooker, whose contract was just extended, isn’t a pulling his weight either. His career high missed tackles in a single season is 9. Through four games this year, he up to 6. That’s on pace for 25 missed tackles! Not good!
Not The Problem
- TE Chig Okonkwo
- C Lloyd Cushenberry
- G Kevin Zeitler (?)
- LT Dan Moore (?)
- WR Elic Ayomanor
- DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
- DL James Lynch
- LB Cedric Gray
- Cornerback 2
- CB Roger McCreary
- S Xavier Woods
So 9 starting positions out of 23 are arguably “The Problem” right now. That’s a total non-starter for any team. But what’s even more disheartening is how few players are truly part of the solution right now. Chig Okonkwo hasn’t been a huge problem for this team, but how much playmaking has he done? Rookie WR Elic Ayomanor has been really promising, but he’s still a rookie going through the process of leveling up as an NFL starter.
Lloyd Cushenberry has been perfectly fine. Kevin Zeitler to his right and Dan Moore to his left haven’t quite been the problem in my estimation, but I’d be willing to hear that argument. They’re at least teetering.
The interior defensive line as a whole isn’t a problem. Cornerback two and three aren’t really an issue either. LB Cedric Gray is coming off a career-best game with 17 tackles. And S Xavier Woods has been a net positive.
The Solution
- G Peter Skoronski
- RB Tony Pollard
- DL Jeffery Simmons
For my money, these three are the only real solutions on this team right now. They are the ones rowing hardest in the right direction. Jeffery Simmons has been the best interior defensive tackle in the entire league through four games. You can read more about him dominance here.
LG Peter Skoronski has been very strong and easily the best offensive lineman on the team. He’s been as-advertised. And RB Tony Pollard has run the ball very hard, finding particular success behind the stout middle of the offensive line.
This list needs to grow, and it needs to grow soon. That is, if the Titans hope to win a game this season.
