Derek Jeter

Biography

Early life

Derek Jeter was born in Pequannock, New Jersey to Charles and Dorothy Jeter; however, most of his childhood was spent in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Jeter was a star baseball player at Kalamazoo Central High School, where he also played basketball, and in 1992 he was named High School Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Although he received a baseball scholarship to attend the University of Michigan, he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 1992 amateur draft.

Pro baseball accomplishments

Jeter made his major league debut on May 29, 1995. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first full season, 1996, in which he had a .314 batting average. During the 8th inning of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series that year, Jeter was awarded a home run on a memorable and controversial play. Jeter hit a pitch to the right field wall that was pulled into the stands by a 12-year-old spectator, thereby depriving Oriole outfielder Tony Tarasco the opportunity of making a play. Despite protests from the Orioles, the home run call was upheld, which allowed the Yankees to tie and eventually win the game in extra innings.

Jeter has maintained his success on the field. During the 1998 season, Jeter batted .324, led the American League with 127 runs, earned his first All-Star appearance, and placed 3rd in the AL MVP voting.

1999 showed more progress, as Jeter reached career highs in batting average, home runs, RBIs and walks, and led the AL in hits with 219. During the 2000 season, he was voted the MVP of the All-Star Game and the World Series.

The 2004 season was quite a rollercoaster for Jeter statistically. Early in the year, he had a mysterious 0-for-27 slump and inexplicably was hitting .198 after the first two months of the season. However, he later recovered and ended the year with 23 home runs and a .292 batting average.

In 2004 and 2005 Jeter won the American League Gold Glove Award.

Memorable postseason player

Throughout his career, Jeter has been known as one of the best postseason players in baseball history. Since arriving in the majors in 1996, Jeter has played in the playoffs every year, and was a member of 6 American League Championship teams and 4 World Series Championship teams. Jeter's personal postseason performance has been a major factor in the Yankees' success. As of 2005, Jeter has a career .306 postseason batting average.

Some of Jeter's most memorable moments have come in postseason play. These include the aforemetioned eighth inning, game-tying faux home run against Baltimore in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS and his game-winning, tenth-inning home run off Arizona's Byung-Hyun Kim in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series, as well as one of the most unique and improbable defensive plays in postseason history: Jeter ranged far out of position to intercept an errant relay throw from the outfield, and flipped it underhanded, shuffle-pass style, to home plate, just in time throw out the Oakland A's Jeremy Giambi and preserve the Yankees 1-0 win in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS.

Yankee Captain

The Yankees named Jeter the 11th captain in Yankees history on June 3, 2003.

Scouting Report

Hitting
Jeter remains one of the game's premier hitters, especially for a shortstop. He can hit the ball for moderate power, but is at his best when he uses the whole field, spraying line drives with his inside-out swing. He does have holes on the inner half of the strike zone, however. His patience is an asset, and would be more so if the Yankees batted him leadoff.
Fielding & Baserunning
After years of being an embarassingly bad defender, he jumped back to respectability in 2004 (not coincidentally, when Alex Rodriguez arrived in New York). Still, he has limited range, especially when moving to his left. Jeter is a master of one defensive play, though: the jump-throw in the hole. Jeter is an above-average baserunner who can take the extra base and makes smart decisions.
Summary
Jeter had another fantastic year in 2006. His defense has always been (sometimes vastly) overrated by fans and journalists, but his hitting can be occasionally underappreciated as well. In the end, he's a player that pretty much every team in baseball would love to have, and he's been a major reason for the Yankees' success since his arrival in the Big Apple.

Career Highlights

MVP Voting

Finished 2nd (receiving 12 first-place votes) in the 2006 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 3rd (receiving 2 first-place votes) in the 1998 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 6th in the 1999 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 10th in the 2005 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 10th in the 2001 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 10th in the 2000 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 13th in the 2004 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 21st in the 2003 American League MVP balloting.
Finished 24th in the 1997 American League MVP balloting.

All-Star Game Appearances

Named to the 2006 American League All-Star team.
Named to the 2004 American League All-Star team.
Named to the 2002 American League All-Star team.
Named to the 2001 American League All-Star team.
Named to the 2000 American League All-Star team, and voted All-Star Game MVP.
Named to the 1999 American League All-Star team.
Named to the 1998 American League All-Star team.

Gold Gloves

Won the 2006 American League Gold Glove for shortstop
Won the 2005 American League Gold Glove for shortstop
Won the 2004 American League Gold Glove for shortstop

Statistics

<stats> Player=Derek Jeter Type=Batting </stats>

Fantasy Advice

Fun Facts

Has his own signature line of sneakers under the Jordan brand, a division of Nike.
Has appeared in national ad campaigns for Nike, Gatorade, FleetBoston, MasterCard, VISA, Skippy Peanut Butter and XM Satellite Radio, among others.
Receives a reported $6 million per year in endorsements.
Voted the 'most marketable player in baseball' in a 2005 Sports Business Journal poll.
Ranked 38th in Forbes 2005 list of the Top 100 Celebrities
The ex-boyfriend of singer Mariah Carey.
Best friend in baseball is teammate Jorge Posada. Jeter served as best man at Posada's wedding.