MLB

Jeter to retire after 2014 season

TAMPA — Take a good look at Derek Jeter, because after the upcoming season the next time you see him in a Yankees hat will be when the Captain is inducted into Cooperstown in July 2020.

Jeter stunned the baseball universe Wednesday when he announced through Facebook that he will retire following the 2014 season.

The all-time Yankees hits leader and five-time World Series champion began entertaining retirement thoughts months ago, but on the advice of family and friends waited to see if he was 100 percent sure 2014 would be the final season of one of the most spectacular careers in Yankees history.

“And the thing is, I could not be more sure. I know in my heart the 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball,’’ Jeter wrote.

Dick Groch, the scout who signed Jeter out of Kalamazoo Central High School in 1992, was very proud Wednesday when he heard the news.

“I didn’t sign a player. I signed a franchise,’’ Groch told The Post. “What he has been worth to the New York Yankees financially is incomprehensible. Marquee players don’t come along often, and he is a lifetime guy. He brought in as much [money] as much as they gave him.’’

Jeter phoned Hal Steinbrenner on Wednesday to tell the managing general partner his 20th big league season would be his last.

“Derek called me this morning to tell me that he planned to retire following the season. In our conversation, I told him that I respected his decision because I know he put a lot of thought into it,’’ Steinbrenner said in a statement. “I also let him know that I thought it was great that he was letting fans know now so they will have a chance to say goodbye to him.

“He is unquestionably one of the greatest Yankees ever. He has meant so much to fans, the organization, my father and our family. I’m glad we have this year to celebrate everything he has meant to us and all the great things he still stands to accomplish.”

With 3,316 hits, Jeter is 10th on the all-time list. He trails Carl Yastrzemski and Paul Molitor by three, Honus Wagner by six and is 19 back of Cap Anson, who is sixth on the list.

In 20 years, Jeter has essentially played for two managers: Joe Torre and Joe Girardi. He played 15 games for Buck Showalter in 1995. Girardi, a former teammate, and Torre spoke glowingly about Jeter, a .312 career hitter in the regular season and .308 in the postseason.

“I feel privileged to have managed Derek Jeter for 12 years,” Torre said in a statement released by MLB. “During his first year in 1996, the team concept instilled in him was apparent. The only thing important to Derek was winning. He came to work everyday. I was at Yankee Stadium when he homered for his 3,000th hit. Well, without his go-ahead single later that led to a win, Derek would not have been able to smile after the game.

“Derek played in an age when individual achievements received a lot of glory, but that’s not how he was raised by his parents and that’s not what he played for. Winning and exemplifying that Yankee pride transcend everything else. Derek made immeasurable contributions to a dynasty, and he did it all with unfailing class and leadership. Derek Jeter is the ultimate team player and an even more extraordinary person.’’

Girardi echoed Torre.

“Derek Jeter has been a great representative of what the Yankees have stood for over the years,” Girardi said in a statement. “He has been a team player who has only cared about winning. He has also been a fine example both on and off the field over his long tenure as a Yankee. It has been a real pleasure to manage him and play alongside him.’’

GM Brian Cashman appreciated having an up-close view of a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“It has been an incredible honor having a front-row seat for one of the great players of all time. Derek has been a winner every step of the way. I am already looking forward to an exciting final chapter of his storied career,’’ Cashman said in a statement.

Groch’s one hope is Jeter remains healthy this year.

“I wrote [Jeter’s agent] Casey Close an email weeks ago and told him to make sure he told Derek to make sure his career doesn’t end with a 911 call. I don’t want to see him taken off on a stretcher,’’ Groch said. “He made the Yankees what they were during that era. He should go out the way Mo did.’’