Jeter Bio

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.

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.

Jeter helped propel the Yankees toward a World Series win against the Atlanta Braves in 1995. The following year, he had five hits and five runs scored during the 1996 World Series. Though the team did not make it to the World Series in 1997, Jeter batted .291 with 70 RBIs and 10 home runs. Jeter had achieved celebrity status by the 1998 season, which he ended with a .324 batting average, 19 home runs, 84 RBIs and 203 hits. He was the leagues high scorer with a total of 127 runs.

Jeter hit a snag in 1999 when he and his agent couldnt reach agreement with the Yankees about the terms of his new contract. Jeter went to arbitration with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in order to reach a mutually agreeable figure for payment of Jeters new contract. Jeter won the arbitration with a one-year $5 million dollar contract deal. This made him the highest paid player in history among those with just a few years of service.

Jeter continued to focus on his game. This focus paid off; he ended the 1999 season by breaking most of his personal records. He had 24 home runs, 134 scored runs, 9 triples, 102 RBI’s and a .349 batting average. He was awarded All-Star for the second time.

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.

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.

Derek Jeter has been an American League All-Star a total of seven times. In 2000, he was also the first player in baseball history to be named the World Series MVP and All-Star Game MVP in the same season.