Derek Jeter's Legacy

Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Derek Sanderson Jeter from Kalamazoo Michigan, who dreamt of being the shortstop for the best team in baseball, the New York Yankees.

Derek started playing baseball when he was as young as 4-years old, and while at Kalamazoo High School, he started to really take his baseball seriously, as many scouts came to watch him, and his dream of playing in the MLB was almost a reality. And in June of 1992, his favorite team, the New York Yankees, drafted him with the 6th pick of the 1992 MLB Draft. Derek's dream of playing for the Yankees finally came true.

Derek Jeter spent 4 years in the minor leagues, meeting future teammates Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera along the way. He struggled though, batting just .202 with the Class-A Greensboro Hornets in 1992. The following year, he improved, receiving many awards by the league. And already by the end of 1994, he was on the Triple-A Columbus Clippers and was named Minor League Player Of The Year, and was ready to begin his major-league career.

Jeter made his major-league debut on May 29th, 1995, and got his first base hit the following day off pitcher Tim Belcher. But after 13 games Derek was sent down, to improve some more and get ready to compete for the starting job come 1996.

And in spring training of 1996, Derek Jeter got his chance as manager Joe Torre named him the Opening Day starting shortstop for the Yankees. And not only would he be the starting shortstop for the Yankees, he became a superstar.

Derek batted .314 with 10 home runs and 78 RBIs in his first full year with the Yankees, and was unanimously named AL Rookie Of The Year. He then began his glorious postseason career as during the 1996 American League Championship Series against the Orioles, Jeter was involved in what has become a memorable moment in postseason history. During game 1, with the Yankees trailing the Orioles 4-3 in the 8th inning, Jeter hit a fly ball to right field. As right fielder Tony Tarasco moved to make a play on the ball near the fence, appearing to have a chance to catch the ball, 12 year old Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and caught the ball, pulling it back into the stands. Despite Tarasco's protest, the umpires convened and ruled the ball a home run. The Yankees would go on to win in 11 innings, and eventually the series, 4 games to 1. The ruling made for the first home run of Jeter's postseason career. As you know, Jeter and the Yanks would eventually be crowned World Series champions.

Following a disappointing year for the Yankees in 1997, Derek Jeter and the Bombers won 114 games in 1998, and to end their great year, they celebrated with another World Series championship. Jeter's 2nd in his very young career.

Then in 1999 and 2000, the Yanks were able to stay the best team in baseball as Derek Jeter continued to gain super stardom. In '99, Jeter led the American League with with 219 hits, and in 2000, he batted .319 with 15 home runs and was named the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP. The most memorable part of his 2000 season was probably his lead-off home run in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series against the Mets.

So, another year, another ring for the Yankee shortstop, but in 2001, baseball was not on the minds of people in New York, as the attacks of 9/11 literally put baseball on hold, as the season was postponed for over a week. But the Yankees were able to lift the spirits of New Yorkers a bit as they were set to appear in their 5th-straight World Series, this time, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. And in Game 5, at midnight on November 1st, Derek Jeter hit a walk-off solo home run to win the game for the Yanks and to make his mark even further in the history books. And even though "Mr. November" had an amazing fall classic, the Yankees fell just short as the D-Backs walked-off in Game 7 against Mariano Rivera to put an end to the Yankees' legendary run.

Following a a short-lived playoff run in the 2002 season, the Yankees finally found their new captain in Derek Jeter, as on June 3rd, 2003, Derek Jeter was named the 11th captain in Yankee history. But you didn't need to name him the captain to know that he is the captain. The Yankees and Jeter headed back to the World Series that year, but as you know, they lost to the Florida Marlins in 6 games.

Following 2 very disappointing seasons for the Yankees in 2004 and 2005, Derek Jeter almost won the MVP in 2006! He batted .343 and hit 14 home runs and 97 RBIs. He finished just 2nd to Justin Mourneau though.

The Captain had another solid year in 2007 but struggled a bit in 2008, batting just .300 with 69 RBIs. And even though many have predicted he is beginning to slow down, he's had an incredible year for the Yankees this season, batting .330 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs. He also has stole 25 bags, the most for him since 2006 when he stole 34. He's definitely in consideration for the AL MVP this year.

Well, almost 8 years have passed since the Yankees were last crowned World Series Champions, but that hasn't stopped Derek Jeter from still dominating on the field. And it showed last night, as he tied Lou Gehrig's record for most hits by a Yankee.

Derek Jeter has been everything and more the Yanks could have hoped for when they drafted him with the 6th pick in the 1992 draft. And over his 14-year year career, he has certainly solidified himself as one of, if not the, greatest Yankee shortstop to ever take the field.