Thursday, January 22, 2009

Derekjeter

By Denise I Smithson

Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter was born in June of 1974 in Pequannok, New Jersey. His family later relocated to Michigan, where Jeter played high school baseball and basketball in Kalamazoo. Jeter went on to become the sixth overall pick in the first round of the draft when he was chosen by the New York Yankees in 1996.

Jeter soon established himself as a one of the most qualified players in the league. He received the Rookie of the Year award in his first season with the Yankees, and continued to develop his game year by year. He consistently delivered at the plate and performed outstanding fielding as a shortstop. Jeter was the first rookie in 34 years to play the shortstop position during his first season. He has since become one of modern baseballs most recognizable 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 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. - 20785

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