Actually, he also had cards issued in 1992. He was "rookie status" the entire time, thus they are all rookie cards. < Had not yet played a single inning in his sophomore season at the time this card was produced.
The 1992 cards are minor league ones, the 1993 Topps is his rookie Topps card. This card is his second Topps card. Rookie card has a lot of different meanings but in no way is a 1994 Topps card a rookie card of Derek Jeter. It's a cool card and I am not being argumentative here, like I said, rookie card tends to mean a lot of things, but it is not his rookie Topps card and it is not his rookie year and it is not his first year of cards, so in what way is a 1994 Topps card a Derek Jeter rookie card?
Since he was still a rookie, how could it not be a rookie card ? I have a 1952 Mickey Mantle that everyone says is his rookie card, but I also have a 1951 Mantle. I have a 1985 Topps Mark McGwire which is his first Topps card, which everyone calls a rookie card, yet I also have a 1987 Topps card (when he was still rookie status) PSA GRADED, which is described as a rookie card. I have a 1992 card picturing Jeter in a Yankees uniform, not minor league. Rookie cards can span several years, if the player is still a rookie.
That is a very generous definition of rookie card, but if that's how you want to do it, who am I to argue? But it is that generous definition that led to the little RC logo they put on cards now, though they print so many Bowman cards before that still, they made that logo pretty useless as well. So sure, Jeter rookie card, why not.
I prefer the more generous, less rigid definition of a rookie card. After all, he was still technically a rookie when this card was manufactured. There is no deception here. I charge less for the 94 than I do for the 93. We can disagree and still respect each other, and I appreciate that. Kind regards