Derek Jeter

Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American former professional baseball player who used to play as a shortstop, He is also a businessman and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his whole 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees. Jeter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the year 2020. He was the chief executive officer and part-owner of the Miami Marlins ballclub. A five-time World Series champion, He has earned the nicknames "Captain Clutch" and "Mr. November" due to his outstanding play throughout his career.

Derek Sanderson Jeter was born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey on June 26, 1974.

His father was a shortstop at Fisk University in Tennessee. They lived in New Jersey until Derek was four years old and then they moved to Michigan.

Jeter became a fan of the New York Yankees after attending games with his grandparents. Derek batted .508 with 23 RBIs, 4 home runs, 21 walks, 12 stolen bases, and only one strikeout.

Jeter received several honors after his senior season, including the Kalamazoo Area B'nai B'rith Award for Scholar-Athlete, Jeter earned a baseball scholarship to attend the University of Michigan and play college baseball for the Michigan Wolverines. The Houston Astros held the first overall MLB draft pick in 1992. Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser, who worked for the Houston as a scout, evaluated Jeter and pushed team management to choose him.

However, they chose Cal State Fullerton outfielder Phil Nevin, The Yankees, who selected sixth, also rated Jeter highly. Yankees scout Dick Groch, assigned to scout in the Midwest, watched Jeter participate in an all-star camp held at Western Michigan University.The Yankees drafted Jeter, who chose to turn pro, signing for $800,000.

Jeter played four seasons in Minor League Baseball. He began the 1992 season with the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Manager Gary Denbo benched Jeter in the season's final game to ensure his average would not drop below .200, known in baseball as the Mendoza Line. The Yankees promoted Jeter to the Greensboro Hornets of the Class A South Atlantic League to give him more at-bats. Returning to the Hornets in 1993, Jeter hit .295 with five home runs, 71 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases.

During the 1994 season, Jeter played for the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, the Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Class AA Eastern League, and the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League. He suffered mild inflammation in his right shoulder in the Arizona Fall League so as a precaution, the Yankees signed Tony Fernández to a two-year contract and assigned Jeter to Class AAA. During the 1994–95 MLB strike, Gene Michael, the Yankees' general manager, asked Jeter to work out for the MLB team.

Derek Jeter made his major league debut on May 29, 1995. He batted .250 in 13 games before being demoted to Class AAA Columbus. Jeter started on Opening Day, the first Yankee rookie to start as a shortstop for the team. He hammered his first MLB home run that day. Due to his speed and ability, Jeter served as a complement to leadoff hitter Tim Raines playing in the ninth spot. Jeter far exceeded Torre's expectations hitting .314 with 10 home runs, 104 runs scored, and 78 RBIs.

That year, Jeter won the AL Rookie of the Year title. The Yankees thwarted the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series to win their first championship. In 1997, Jeter batted .291, with 10 home runs, 70 RBIs, 116 runs, and 190 hits. Though he hit two home runs during the 1997 ALDS, the Yankees lost to the Cleveland Indians.

In the 1998 season, Jeter was selected for his first All-Star Game. In the regular season, he batted .324 with a league-leading 127 runs, 19 home runs, and 84 RBIs during the regular season and in the playoffs, he hit only .176 in the 1998 ALDS and ALCS. However, he batted .353 in the World Series and the Yankees defeated the San Diego Padres.

Eligible for salary arbitration, Jeter got a $5 million salary. That season, Jeter led the AL in hits.

Jeter scored 102 runs, becoming only the second Yankee shortstop to do so. In the postseason, Jeter batted .455 in the ALDS, .350 in the ALCS, and .353 in the World Series, as the Yankees defeated the Braves to win Jeter's third championship. Jeter and the New York Yankees agreed to a $10 million deal for 1 year. Jeter batted .339 in the 2000 regular season. In the 2000 MLB All-Star Game, he won the All-Star Game MVP Award,

He hit .318 in the Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners, and the Yankees defeated the Mets in five games for their third consecutive title and Jeter's fourth and won the World Series MVP Award. With free agency coming up, Jeter signed a ten-year, $189 million deal before the 2001 season to remain with the Yankees.

In 2001, Jeter had another good season, batting .311 with 21 home runs, 74 RBIs, 110 runs scored, 27 stolen bases, and an All-Star appearance.

The Yankees advanced to the 2001 World Series to face the Arizona Diamondbacks which they lost in seven games.

During the 2002 season, Jeter batted .297, with 18 home runs, 75 RBIs, 124 runs scored, 191 hits, and a career-best 32 stolen bases.

On the Opening Day of the 2003 season, Jeter dislocated his left shoulder and was placed on the disabled list for six weeks and missed 36 games

Later he was named the captain of the Yankees.During those playoffs, Jeter batted .314 with two home runs, five RBIs, and 10 runs scored across 17 playoff games,

The Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers during the 2003–04 offseason. The 2004 season began with Jeter not performing up to the mark but his batting average improved by the All-Star break in July. He struggled in the 2004 ALCS, as the Yankees lost the series to the Red Sox. That year Jeter was presented with his first Gold Glove Award. He was second in the AL in runs scored in the 2005 season and won his second consecutive Gold Glove. During the 2006 season, Jeter recorded his 2,000th career hit.Jeter finished the season second in the AL in both batting average and runs scored. He also won the Hank Aaron Award for his offensive performance and his third consecutive Gold Glove Award. Though the Yankees continued to struggle with postseason failures, Jeter always remained a contributor. During the 2007 season,

He was selected for his eighth All-Star appearance and he tied with Lou Gehrig for hits at Yankee Stadium after hitting a home run. The Yankees couldn't reach the postseason. During the 2009 season, Jeter batted .334, third-best in the AL, and in the postseason, Jeter batted .355, including .407 in the 2009 World Series as he won his fifth WSC. He was named Sportsman of the Year for 2009 by Sports Illustrated and won the Roberto Clemente Award, Hank Aaron Award, and his fourth Gold Glove Award alongside his fourth Silver Slugger Award.

The 2010 regular season was statistically Derek’s worst in multiple ways. Despite this, Jeter was elected to start the All-Star Game. Jeter was a free agent for the first time before 2011 season. He made a 3 year deal with the Yankees. It looked like the 2011 season was the continuation of his decline. On July 9, 2011, Jeter recorded his 3,000th career hit by hitting a home run.

Jeter joined Honus Wagner as only the second regular shortstop to reach the 3,000 hit feat. Jeter was honored with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for his charity work.

The beginning of the 2012 season saw Jeter on a hot streak, he finished the season with the most hits in MLB.

But fractured his left ankle during Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS against the Detroit Tigers which ended his season

Jeter had surgery on his broken left ankle with a recovery time of four to five months. While recovering, he suffered a small crack in the area of his previous ankle fracture. Therefore, Derek began the 2013 regular season on the disabled list. He returned to the lineup on July 28, hitting a home run on the first pitch but got injured and was again placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a calf strain. Jeter re-signed with the Yankees on a 1-year, $12 million contract for his final season as he announced on his Facebook page on February 12, 2014, that it would be his last.

During his final season, each opponent team honored him with a gift. Jeter recorded his 1,000th career multi-hit game on July 10. On September 7, The Yankees honored Jeter with a pregame tribute. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig honored Jeter as the 15th recipient of the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award in the final week of his career. In his final game at Yankee Stadium, Jeter hit a walk-off single and won the game.

Jeter decided to play exclusively as the DH in the final series of his career, at Fenway Park in Boston and he received an ovation from the Red Sox fans as he exited the field.