Derek Jeter is officially retired so what is one more
tribute to the great Yankees captain right? Here we remember Yankees of the
past and today we remember Derek Sanderson Jeter. Jeter played 20 seasons in
the Bronx as he spent his entire career at the shortstop position for the New
York Yankees. Now Jeter is moving on to bigger and better things with his blog
The Player’s Tribune and his wife or soon to be wife Hannah Davis but we will
never forget what he was and what he meant to his great organization. One more
time, thank you for being you Derek.
Derek Sanderson Jeter was
born on June 26th, 1974, in Pequannock, New Jersey to parents Dr. Sanderson
Charles Jeter and Dorothy Jeter. Derek's parents, a substance abuse counselor
(Sanderson) and an accountant (Dorthy), met while serving in the United States
Army in Germany. Derek's parents, at a very early age, were very strict and
hard on him but very consistent. As a child his mother instilled Derek's
positive attitude in him, insisting that he could not use the word
"can't". Derek even had to sign a contract every year that set
acceptable and unacceptable forms of behavior. Derek lived in North Arlington,
New Jersey, until he was four years old when he moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Derek and his sister, Sharlee, attended New York Yankees games while spending
the summers with their grandparents in New Jersey and became very passionate
about the Yankees. Derek later said that as a child Yankees stand out Dave
Winfield inspired him to pursue baseball.
Derek was drafted straight
out of High School by the New York Yankees in the first round of the MLB First
Year Players Draft 6th overall. Hal Newhouser, a scout for the Houston Astros
team that had the first pick overall that season, lobbied for his team management
to select Jeter although the Astros feared that Jeter would require a salary
bonus of at at least $1 million to Skill College and go pro. The Astros,
instead, drafted Phil Nevin and signed him for $700,000. Newhouser felt so
strongly about Jeter and the waste of a pick that he quit his job with the
Astros in protest. The Yankees gave Jeter an $800,000 signing bonus to skip
being a Wolverine and instead become a Yankee. Yankees scout Dick Groch said he
would not go anywhere but "Cooperstown".
Derek played four season in
the Yankees minor league system, beginning with a struggle in the Gulf Coast
League. His manager even had to bench him at the end of the season in 1992 so
his average did not drop below the Mendoza Line, .200 Batting Average. In 1993
though he came out of the offseason determined and was voted the Most
Outstanding Major League Prospect by the South Atlantic League managers
after hitting .295 with 5 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He was also
named to the All Star team even though he committed a South Atlanta League
record 56 errors. Somehow, though, he was named the SAL's Best Defensive
Shortstop, Most Exciting Player, and Best Infield Arm by Baseball America. In
1994 he was named the Minor League Player of the Year Award by Baseball
America, The Sporting Newas, USA Today, and Topps while winning the MVP of the
Florida State League. The 1994 MLB strike and mild inflammation in his right
shoulder while in the Arizona Fall League kept Jeter from the majors,
officially, in 1995 but he would be called up for the post season run to sit on
the bench and take in the experience of playing for New York.
Derek was named the
Yankees starting short stop starting for the 1996 season after Joe Torre stood
up against George Steinbrenner, who as we all know was never happy about the
growing pains young players have to go through. Steinbrenner even approved a
trade that would have sent pitcher Mariano Rivera to Seattle for short stop
Felix Fermin because Gene Michael and Brian Cashman convinced Steinbrenner to
give Jeter an opportunity. Aren't we glad that he did?
Jeter was the first
rookie short stop to start the season as a starter for the Yankees since Tom
Tresh in 1962 and he did not waste any time getting acclimated, hitting his
first MLB home run that day. He won the Rookie of the Year award after hitting
.314 with 10 home runs, scoring 104 runs, and driving in 78 RBIs. His first
post season home run came in the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, the
Jeffrey Maier home run. Jeter won his first World Series ring in that
rookie season when the Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves in 6 games, the
first Yankee World Series since 1978. Jeter batted .361 in that post season.
1998 was Jeter's first All Star Game appearance while the Yankees won 114 games
during the regular season while on, in my very biased opinion, the greatest
team of all time. Jeter would finish third that season in MVP voting but most
importantly Derek had his second ring as the Yankees beat the Padres in 4
games. Another All Star appearance in 1999 and another World Series ring with
the Yankees beating the Braves again for Jeter's third ring. After the 1999
season Derek agreed to a 7 year $118.5 million dollar contract but George
Steinbrenner did not want to set a salary record and pay Jeter more than Juan
Gonzalez, who was working on an 8 year $143 million dollar extension, so the
Yankees agreed to a 1 year deal worth $10 million. That ended up being a
"mistake" because Jeter had another All Star appearance, including
the game winning hit and All Star Game MVP, and had yet another World Series
ring when the Yankees beat the Mets in 5 games. Jeter,
while winning his fourth World Series ring, won the World Series MVP
and became the only player to ever win the World Series and All Star Game MVP
in the same season. Jeter then signed a 10 year $189 million dollar deal,
making him the second highest paid player in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez,
which was much more than the original extension proposal.
erek would make his fourth All Star game
appearance in 2001and also made the "flip play" in the ALDS against
the Oakland A's that will forever be remembered. Jeter would also earn the
title "Mr November" when he hit a game winning home run as the clock
struck Midnight on November 1st, the first World Series to ever be played in
November. The Yankees would lose the 2001 World Series to the Arizona
Diamondbacks in, again in my biased opinion, the greatest World Series of all
time. Jeter would dislocate his left shoulder on Opening Day of the 2003
season when he collided with Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby at third base,
missing 36 games. That season Derek Jeter was recognized as the 11th captain in
Yankees history eight seasons after Don Mattingly, the last Yankees captain,
retired. After typical Jeter seasons from 2003-2007 Jeter tied Lou Gehrig's
record for hits at Yankee Stadium with his 1,269th hit with a home run off of
Ray's pitcher David Price in 2008. He broke the record two days later when he
got a hit off of White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd.
2009, after the Yankees missed the playoffs for
the first time in 14 seasons, reloaded with many free agents signings and
trades that brought CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Texeira, and Nick Swisher to
name the big ones. This would also be the season that Derek would return to the
lead off role when Girardi flipped him and Johnny Damon in the batting order.
Jeter recorded his 2,675th hit as a short stop, passing Luis Aparicio's
previous record for short stops, in August of the 2009 season. Jeter followed
that up by passing Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all-time hits lead when he singles
off of Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman on September 11th, 2009. Jeter would win
his 5th World Series championship in 2009 when the Yankees defeated the
Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games to win their teams 27th World Series
Championship of their storied history. Jeter also won his 5th gold glove that
season and finished third in the MVP voting behind eventual winner Joe Mauer
and teammate Mark Texeira. In July of 2011, off of pitcher David Price of the
Rays, Derek collected his 3000th hit on a home run to left field at Yankee
Stadium. Derek is the only member of the New York Yankees to ever reach the
3000 hit plateau in pinstripes, not Gehrig, not Ruth, and not DiMaggio, just Jeter.
Derek enjoyed one of his best seasons of his
career in 2012 finishing the season leading the majors with 216 hits as he
moved into the Top 10 all-time in hits passing Willie Mays for his 3,284th
hit of his career. Jeter hit .364 in the 2012 ALDS on a bum ankle that finally
gave way and cracked during Game One of the 2012 ALCS against the Detroit
Tigers. Jeter ultimately had surgery on the ankle on October 20 but was
expected to be in the lineup on Opening Day. While rehabbing the ankle Jeter
suffered a small crack in the area and began the 2013 season on the disabled
list and missed all the way to July 11. Jeter lasted all of one game after
straining his quadriceps muscle and stayed out of the lineup until July 28 when
he hit a home run on the first pitch he saw from Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore. Jeter
again was placed on the disabled list on August 5 due to a calf strain and was
back on the disabled list once again by September 11 after reoccurring ankle
problems. 2013 was a season to forget
for Jeter as he watched his friends Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera retire
while he sat on the bench vowing a stronger return in 2014, his final season.
Jeter signed a one year deal worth $12 million
before announcing on February 12 on Facebook that 2014 would be his final
season. Jeter of course started the 2014 All Star Game at shortstop batting
leadoff for the American League and went 2-2 with a double, a single, a run
scored, and an RBI in four innings. Jeter finished his Yankee Stadium career in
true Derek Jeter fashion getting a walk off single to win the game against the
Baltimore Orioles in his final games as a shortstop. Jeter would DH for two
games in the final series in Boston before getting an RBI infield single in his
final at bat off Clay Buchholz before walking away from the game forever. Jeter
may not be on the field anymore but with his inception of the Player’s Tribune
and his Turn 2 Foundation Jeter will always be around the game and around our
hearts.
Derek Jeter created the Turn 2 Foundation in
1996, a charitable organization, to help children and teenagers avoid drug and
alcohol addiction. The foundation also rewards those who show high academic
achievements. Derek also serves as an ambassador for Weplay, a website designed
to get children involved in sports. Jeter, when not being a good
charitable person, is probably hanging out with a beautiful woman. Derek's
little black book includes girls like Scarlett Johannson, Minka Kelly, Mariah
Carey, Miss Universe Lara Dutta, Gabrielle Union, Joy Enriquez, Jordana
Brewster, Vanessa Minillo, Jessical Biel, Jessica Alba, and the list goes
on and on and ends with Hannah Davis... I hate you Derek Jeter. Enjoy
retirement, you deserve it.