Derek Jeters

By Denise I Smithson

Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter was born in Pequannok, New Jersey in June of 1974. His family moved to Michigan where he played both basketball and baseball for his high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was chosen by the New York Yankees in the 1996 draft pick. Jeter was the sixth pick overall in the first round.

He quickly began to establish himself as one of the top players in his league. He was awarded Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Yankees. He continued to show improvement each year at the plate and delivered outstanding fielding in his shortstop position. He was the first rookie in 34 years to start with the Yankee as shortstop during the first season. Derek Jeter has become one of modern baseball's most recognized names.

In 1995, Jeter helped the Yankees defeat the Atlanta Braves while sweeping the World Series. During the 1996 World Series, Derek Jeter had five hits with five runs scored. In 1997, though never making it to the World Series, Jeter batted .291, had 70 RBI's and 10 homeruns. By the 1998 season, Derek Jeter became a household name. He ended the 1998 season with a .324 batting average, with 19 homeruns, 84 RBI's and 203 hits. He scored the league high with 127 runs.

In 1999, Jeter and his agent were unable to come to any agreement with the Yankees on his new contract so they entered into arbitration with George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees. The goal was to come up with an agreeable figure to be paid for his new contract. Jeter came out of arbitration a winner with one-year $5 million contract. This made Jeter the highest paid player in baseball history with just a few years of service.

Jeter kept improving his game. His focus and commitment paid off when he broke most of his personal records during the 1999 season. His impressive stats that year included a .349 batting average, including 9 triples, 102 RBIs, 24 home runs, and a total of 134 scored runs. After this outstanding season, he received the All-Star award for the second time in his career.

In game four of the 2000 World Series match between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, Jeter kicked off the game with a home run on the very first pitch. In his second at-bat, Jeter hit a triple and scored, giving the Yankees a comfortable three-run lead. The Yankees went on to win the 2000 World Series in five games.

While Jeter retains his superstar status, he also makes time to contribute to his community. Together with his father, Jeter created the Turn 2 Foundation. This organization is dedicated to working with high-risk kids to encourage academic achievement, healthy choices, and saying no to drug use. Turn 2 is operated in Jeters hometown of Kalamzoo, and in New York City, where Jeter currently lives.

Jeter has the distinction of being the first player in history to receive both the World Series MVP and All-Star Game MVP awards in a single season. He won both awards in 2000. He has been an American League All-Star seven times. - 20759

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