Mini Bio
When a high school baseball player sets so many records and wins so many games that he catches the attention of major league scouts, it’s not a surprise to find him in the Baseball Hall of Fame one day. Such is the case of Derek Jeter, shortstop extraordinaire. Born Derek Sanderson Jeter on June 26, 1974 in Pequannock Township, NJ to parents Dorothy and Sanderson Charles Jeter, the whole family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan when Derek was four. There, at Kalamazoo Central High School, Jeter compiled a .831 slugging percentage and .508 batting record with only one strikeout. Ultimately at just 18 years old he became the 6th overall pick in the 1992 draft, chosen by the New York Yankees. After four uneven yet steadily improving seasons in the minors, he replaced an injured Yankees player on May 29, 1995 and never looked back. Jeter in his trademark #2 jersey remained with the Yankees his entire 20-year career, winning 5 World Series rings along the way and breaking Lou Gehrig’s long-standing record to become the Yankees all-time hits leader with 3,465 hits.
In his personal life, after dating a variety of supermodels, singers and actresses, Jeter married former model Hannah Davis in 2016; the couple now has 3 daughters and a son. He also founded the Turn2 Foundation in 1996 to encourage young people to turn away from drugs and alcohol and “Turn 2” a healthy lifestyle.
Personal Life
Born: June 26, 1974, Pequannock Township, New Jersey
Spouse: Hannah Davis (July 9, 2016 – present), 4 children – River Rose, Story Grey, Kaius Green, Bella Raine
Induction
Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2020
Received 396 of 397 possible votes (99.75%), the second highest percentage in MLB History
Elected in first year of eligibility
Achievements
- 1996 AL Rookie of the Year
- 5 World Series Championships – 1996, 1998-2000, 2009
- World Series MVP – 2000
- 14 All-Star Selections – 1998-2002, 2004, 2006-2012, 2014
- 5 Golden Glove Awards – 2004-2006, 2009, 2010
- 5 Silver Slugger Awards – 2006-2009, 2012
- 2 Hank Aaron Awards – 2006, 2009
- Roberto Clemente Award – 2009
- Recorded 3,465 hits, ranked 6th in MLB history, 1st in Yankees all-time hits
- Hit his 1,000th career multi-hit game on July 10, 2014, becoming only the 4th player to reach that plateau
- Lifetime batting average .310
- Home runs 260
- Runs Batted In (RBIs) 1,311
Quotes & Notes
- Nicknames: Captain Clutch, Mr. November, DJ
- Jersey No: 2 (now retired by the Yankees)
- Jeter appeared in two movies (The Other Guys, Anger Management), two TV series (Seinfeld, Comedy by Blake) and one music video (Limp Bizkit: Break Stuff)
- “Derek Jeter is the type of player that makes the tough play look easy and is in position to make the adjustments to make the difficult plays.” Former Yankees Manager Joe Torre
- Jeter once said “There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
- “If you’re going to play at all, you’re out to win. Baseball, board games, playing Jeopardy, I hate to lose.” Derek Jeter on playing to win.
References
National Baseball Hall of Fame – Derek Jeter
Baseball-Reference.com – Derek Jeter
IMDB – Derek Jeter
Wikipedia – Derek Jeter
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