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Derek Jeter
New York Yankees – No. 2
Shortstop
Bats: RightThrows: Right
debut
May 29, 1995, for the New York Yankees
Career statistics (through 2006)
Games	1,679
AVG	.317
Hits	2,150
Runs	1,277
HR	183
RBI	860
SB	249
Stats at Baseball Reference

Derek Sanderson Jeter (born June 26 1974) is a seven-time All-Star shortstop for the New York Yankees and the team's leader and captain.

He has won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, the All-Star and World Series MVP Awards and three Gold Glove Awards. With a .317 batting average, Jeter ranks sixth highest in lifetime batting average of all active baseball players. He has been in the top 7 in the American League in both hits and runs scored for 9 of the past 10 years. He is 2nd in the major leagues in hits (through 2006) in the 2000s, with 927.

Early life

Derek Jeter was born in Pequannock, New Jersey, to Charles, an African-American, and Dorothy Jeter, an Irish-American. The family lived in North Arlington, New Jersey until he was 4, then moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he was 5.

Jeter was a star baseball player at Kalamazoo Central High School, where he also played basketball, earning honorable mention All-State .

After batting .557 as a sophomore, Jeter hit .508 (30-59) with 4 HR, 23 RBIs, 21 BB, and only 1 strikeout his junior year. He got on base 63.7 percent of the time. Jeter collected several awards at season's end, including the Kalamazoo Area B'nai B'rith Award for Scholar Athlete, the 1992 High School Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association, the 1992 Gatorade High School Player of the Year Award, and USA Today's High School Player of the Year.

Although Jeter received a baseball scholarship to attend the University of Michigan, he was drafted by the New York Yankees with the 6th overall pick of the 1992 amateur draft and chose to go pro. Jeter has said though that he will eventually go back to college and earn a degree.

Jeter spent 4 years in the minor leagues, beginning in the Rookie League before advancing to Class A. He spent 2 years there (his first year wasn't the best by the look of his stats), collecting various awards, including Most Outstanding Major League Prospect of the South Atlantic League in 1993 and Best Defensive Shortstop. Jeter was also voted by Baseball America as the South Atlantic League's Best Defensive Shortstop, Most Exciting Player. and Best Infield Arm.

In 1994 he was named the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America, The Sporting News, USA Today Baseball Weekly, and Topps/NAPBL after hitting .344 with 5 HR, 68 RBIs and 50 stolen bases combined at Triple-A Columbus, Double-A Albany, and Class-A Tampa. He was also named the MVP of the Florida State League.

On May 29, 1995, Jeter made his debut in the Major Leagues against the Seattle Mariners in the Seattle Kingdome. He got his first major league hit the following day off of veteran pitcher Tim Belcher.

Professional career

Derek Jeter has played a key role in the Yankees' success since 1996. Jeter is one of four current veterans (the others are Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, and Mariano Rivera) who came up through the Yankees organization, and has played his entire professional career with the Yankees.

Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Alex Rodriguez were considered the top three shortstops in the game during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Jeter is the only one of the three who is still playing shortstop.

Derek Jeter was first called up to the Major Leagues in 1995 and started 13 games before being sent back down to the minors. He returned on Opening Day of the 1996 season as the starting shortstop and hit his first major-league home run on that day. He played his way to a successful rookie season, hitting for a .314 batting average, 10 home runs and 78 runs batted in and subsequently earning Rookie of the Year honors.

In 2000, Jeter became the first player ever to win the All-Star Game MVP award and the World Series MVP Award in the same year.

The beginning of the 2004 season saw Jeter mired in a mysterious slump; on May 25, he was hitting only .189. This included a career-long 0-for-32 skid in April. In June, however, Jeter caught fire. He hit nearly .400 for the month and set a personal best with 9 home runs. He would finish the season with a respectable .292 average and 23 home runs, the second most of his career.

As of 2006, Jeter has a career .314 postseason batting average with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs as well as reaching base in 105 of 119 postseason games. He has a record 150 career postseason hits, and also holds records for most postseason singles (108), at-bats (478), runs scored (85) and strikeouts (92). On August 22nd, 2006, Jeter became the all-time Yankee leader in singles with 1,570 singles.

In 2006 Jeter won the gold glove award at shortstop for the 3rd year in a row. The only shortstops to ever win the award more than 3 years in a row are Ozzie Smith, Omar Vizquel, Luis Aparicio, Mark Belanger, Dave Concepcion, and Tony Fernandez.

Clutch Play

Jeter is often considered to be one of the most clutch players in all of Major League Baseball, especially in the postseason. He is often considered to be one of the all-time great postseason players for his stellar .314 career postseason batting average, as well as a .370 career American League Division Series batting average in 46 games, 150 career postseason hits, and 85 career postseason runs scored, both Major League records.

On October 3, 2006, Jeter became the 6th player in Major Leagues history to have 5 hits as well as the first player to go 5 for 5 in a playoff game, leading the Yankees to an 8-4 Game 1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Jeter hit two doubles and a homerun, and scored three runs.

The Flip

Jeter has made a series of spectacular plays both in the field and at the bat, especially in the 2001 postseason. Perhaps the most memorable of which took place in Game 4 of the 2001 American League Division Series vs. the Oakland Athletics. With Jeremy Giambi on first-base, Oakland right-fielder Terrence Long hit a double off of Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina into the right-field corner. As Giambi rounded third and headed for home, Yankees right-fielder Shane Spencer retrieved the ball and made a wild throw intended for Yankees catcher Jorge Posada. Instead, the errant throw missed the cutoff man Tino Martinez and dribbled up the first baseline, where Jeter came out of nowhere to grab the ball and flip it to Posada, just barely beating Giambi to the plate. Facing elimination, the Yankees went on to win the game 1-0, as well as the series. Here is FOX announcer Thom Brennaman's famous call:

Downstairs and down the right-field line. Giambi on his way to third, and they're gonna wave him around! The throw misses the cutoff man--shovel to the plate! Out at the plate! Derek Jeter with one of the most unbelievable plays you will ever see by a shortstop!

Later in that same postseason, after hitting a game-ending homerun off of Byung-Hyun Kim in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series, the first Major League Baseball game ever to be played in November, Jeter was given by many the nickname of "Mr. November."

The play was later voted #7 in Baseball Weekly's 10 Most Amazing Plays of all-time.

The Dive

Another perhaps even more spectacular play was made by Jeter during a July 1st, 2004 game against the rival Boston Red Sox. In the top of the 12th inning with the score tied at 3, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with two outs and right-fielder Trot Nixon up at bat. Nixon hit a pop fly down the left-field line, which looked like it would land right in between Yankees third-baseman Alex Rodriguez and left-fielder Ruben Sierra for a two-run single, when Jeter once again came out of nowhere to make a sprinting over the shoulder catch before his momentum sent him diving into the left-field box seats (for show). The Yankees went on to win the game in the bottom of the 13th inning on the strength of a ground-rule double from backup catcher John Flaherty, and complete the three game sweep of the Red Sox. Jeter left the game, needing stitches in his chin, but returned to play the next night.

Awards

Yankee captain

The Yankees named Jeter the 11th captain in Yankees history on June 3, 2003, after nearly 10 years without one. He was the first official captain of the team since Don Mattingly retired in 1995. (Although Paul O'Neill was considered the team leader in the years between, he was never officially named team captain.) He is in the 6th year of a 10-year contract and made $20.6 million for the 2006 season.

Turn 2 Foundation

Jeter began the Turn 2 Foundation, a charity organization, in 1996. The Foundation was established to help children and teenagers avoid drug and alcohol addiction, and to reward those who show high academic achievement. The organization's name was chosen, besides the baseball reference to a double play (and Jeter's uniform number), to demonstrate the goal of giving youths a place to "turn to", besides drugs and alcohol..

World Baseball Classic

Derek was the starting shortstop for the USA team in the first ever World Baseball Classic. Jeter hit .450 (9/20) for Team USA and scored 5 runs in 6 games. Only Ken Griffey, Jr. (.524) and Cuba's Yoandy Garlobo (.480) had a higher batting average with a minimum of 20 at bats. Jeter's exploits earned him recognition as the shortstop selection on the All-Tournament

Trivia

• Derek Jeter went 155 plate appearances with the bases loaded before he finally hit his first grand slam on June 18, 2005.
• Father Charles, a drug counsellor, is African-American; mother Dorothy, an accountant, is Irish-American. Has a sister, Sharlee.
• Hit his first Major League home run on Opening Day of 1996 off Cleveland Indians pitcher Dennis Martinez at Jacobs Field.
• Recorded his 2,000th career hit with an infield single on May 26, 2006 off Kansas City Royals pitcher Scott Elarton, becoming the eighth Yankee to reach the milestone.
• Currently the second-longest-serving Yankee position player, behind Bernie Williams.
• In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of their 1999 book Baseball's 100 Greatest Players. Jeter was not originally selected, but was ranked at #97 in the updated edition, based on higher career statistical totals.
• Was the first hitter to get a hit in the month of November, a walk-off home run off Byung-Hyun Kim to end Game 4 of the 2001 World Series. He was given the nickname "Mr. November" as a takeoff on Reggie Jackson's nickname, "Mr. October".
• Was named to the World Baseball Classic all-tournament as the best shortstop.
• Receives $18.9 million a year in salary, and is the highest paid endorser in baseball, teammate Alex Rodriguez is second. In 2005, Jeter made $6 million in endorsements.
• Ranked as the "most marketable player in baseball" in a 2005 Sports Business Journal survey.
• Ranked 38th (tied with Julia Roberts) in Forbes' 2005 list of "Top 100 Celebrities".
• Was the cover athlete for Take Two's MLB 2K5 and MLB 2K6 and Acclaim Entertainment's All-Star Baseball series of video games.
• Appeared on "The Abstinence", an episode of the television series Seinfeld along with teammate Bernie Williams.
• Dated R&B singer Mariah Carey from 1997-98. The two split in 1998, saying media pressure contributed to the breakup.

• Dated former Miss Universe and Indian actress Lara Dutta from 2000-2001.
• Hosted Saturday Night Live in 2001 and dressed up as a woman in one skit with former Yankees David Cone, and David Wells. He played Alfonso Soriano's wife, "Candice Soriano".
• Was the subject of a 2005 segment on the TV news magazine 60 Minutes.
• Was voted the most overrated player in MLB in a Sports Illustrated survey of 470 major leaguers in 2006. Numerous players were mentioned in the survey. Jeter received 9% of the vote. Jeter hit .343 the following season, top 3 in the Majors. While Jeter is one of the better known players in all of baseball, he continues to be consistent and productive year after year.
• Was voted the majors' top shortstop in a Sports Illustrated player poll in 2005.
• Has his own line of sneakers under the Jordan brand, a division of Nike.
• Has appeared in national ad campaigns for Nike, Gatorade, Fleet Bank, Discover Card, Florsheim, VISA (with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner), Skippy Peanut Butter, Ford Motors, XM Satellite Radio, and Ford Mustang (in 2006, with Spike Lee).
• Endorses a cologne named Driven made by Avon.
• Holds the record for most singles All-time by a Yankee.
• Is Bob Dylan's favorite baseball player .

See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits

References

1. World Baseball Classic Stats, accessed July 2, 2006
2. World Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team, accessed July 2, 2006

External links

• Derek Jeter's official web site
• Template:Espn mlb
• An Inside Look at Derek Jeter from InsideTheYankees.com
• Yankees.com player page
• Baseball Almanac page
• Baseball Library page
• Career statistics from Baseball Reference
• Corrected Yankee Captains chronology
• Derek Jeter Quotations

• 1974 births
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• Baseball Rookies of the Year
• 1998 American League All-Stars
• 1999 American League All-Stars
• 2000 American League All-Stars
• 2001 American League All-Stars
• 2002 American League All-Stars
• 2004 American League All-Stars
• 2006 American League All-Stars
• 1996 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team
• 1998 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team
• 1999 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team
• 2000 New York Yankees World Series Championship Team
• 2006 World Baseball Classic players of the United States
• African American baseball players
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• Major league shortstops
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• Seinfeld actors