A shortstop for the New York Yankees, Derek Jeter is one of the most recognizable faces in baseball and professional sports. In 2011, he was named the single greatest New York athlete of all time, according to a Siena College Research Institute sports poll. As of publication, Jeter had won been on five World Series championship teams and had named to 11 All-Star games.
Early Life
Derek Sanderson Jeter was born on June 26, 1974, in Pequannok, New Jersey, and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from age 4. Following a successful high school career, Jeter was recognized as the 1992 High School Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He also won the 1992 Gatorade High School Player of the Year award and was named "USA Today's" High School Player of the Year. He is of mixed descent. His father is African American and his mother has an Irish heritage. They met in Germany while serving in the U.S. Army.
Minors
Although Jeter earned a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Michigan, he was heavily scouted by the Houston Astros and eventually drafted by the New York Yankees as the sixth overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft. From 1992 to 1995, he bounced around several minor league teams in New York, Florida and Ohio, and struggled at times with his fielding. By 1994, he improved his fielding technique and earned recognition for his dynamic play.
New York Yankees
Jeter debuted for the Yankees during the 1995 season in limited action during a player's strike. In 1996, then-Yankees manager Joe Torre named Jeter as the starting shortstop, and Jeter went on to earn Rookie of the Year honors and a World Series ring. Jeter became a mainstay on the Yankees' starting lineup and was on four more World Series championship teams -- in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. Throughout his career, he has been one of the most iconic players in Yankees history, and often receives praise for consistent postseason play that helped establish the franchise's dynasty in the late 1990s.
Honors and Awards
Aside from Jeter's five championships and 11 All-Star selections, he has also won numerous individual awards. Among them are five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers. As of publication, he was the all-time leader in career hits for the Yankees.
He was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2000, and became team captain in 2003. He also was the 2000 All-Star Game MVP, and in 2009, was named the "Sports Illustrated" Sportsman of the Year.
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