Yes, there are cheaters in many sports over many years, there are also many honest players and this may be a shocker, who play honestly and who would stand there in the batters box after a close call and don't jump around holding their arm, and whine trying to sell the dishonesty so the ump will give them first base, and the play continues.
Happens a lot more than you'd think- be convincing about it, and it will be almost impossible for an umpire to tell if the ball hit you before it hit the bat. If your reaction looks natural, your chances are good.
I was actually quite good at that in Little League.
I was probably the worst hitter on the team, but I was also the tallest and had the longest arms. So I was very good at getting hit by pitches. Other guys on the team would try to get out of the way if a ball came at them, but not me! I was too smart for that.
I knew that if the ball hit me (or looked like it hit me), I'd get to go to first. So I totally get where Jeter was coming from.
LOL. I hear ya, man. Unfortunately because the player was a member of the Yankees, people has to make such a BIG deal about it. Go figure, the Yankee haters! *shakes head*