Sunday, January 25, 2009

Derek Jeters

By Denise I Smithson

Derek Jeter

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

Jeter soon became established as one of the best players in the American League. He received the Rookie of Year award in his first season with the Yankees. With each passing year, he continued to improve at the plate and he was outstanding as an infielder in his shortstop position. Jeter was the first rookie in 34 years to be given a starting position as a shortstop. Derek Jeter has since become one of modern baseballs most recognized stars.

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.

The New York Yankees and New York Mets faced off in World Series play in 2000. Jeter jump-started game four of the series with a home run hit on the games first pitch. In his second at-bat, Jeter hit a triple and subsequently scored, garnering a three-run lead for the Yankees. The Yankees went on to win the series in game five.

Even though Jeter has achieved superstar status, he spends time giving back to his community. With his father, Jeter founded the Turn 2 Foundation. The foundation supports high-risk kids and provides alternatives to drug abuse. It encourages academic success and healthy lifestyle choices. Turn 2 has branches in Jeters hometown of Kalamazoo, and in New York City, where he now lives.

Derek Jeter was the first player in history to be named both the World Series MVP and All-Star Game MVP in the same season; he received these awards in 2000. He has been is a seven time American League All-Star.

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