Derek Jeter Biography Essay

Derek Jeter will be remembered as one of the most unique and popular baseball players to ever play in the Major League. The way Jeter played shortstop for the New York Yankees was incredible because he was able to get on base as well as field efficiently. Ever since he started his full career with the Yankees in 1996 he has won many awards. His performance helped the Yankees win the World Series five times. Also, he earned many individual awards such as Most Valuable Player in the All-Star game and Most Value Player in the World Series in 2000. Overall, he finished his career with a .310 batting average and 3,465 hits, which ranks sixth all-time (biography.com). When eligible, he will eventually be placed in the Hall of Fame due to his outstanding

(Biography.com). After being born, his family moved from New Jersey to Michigan. He attended Kalamazoo Central High School, where his legendary career started. When he was in high school, he always told his parents that his dream was to play shortstop for the New York Yankees (biography.com). During his junior and senior year of high school he shocked everyone by batting .500, which is astonishing (biography.com). In high school, he was getting a hit for every two at bats. After winning multiple awards throughout his high school career, he was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1992 as the sixth pick. In 1994, he was the Minor League Player of the Year and was moved up to the Major League team in the middle of the 1995 season. (biography.com). In 1996, he won his first World Series against the Braves and was awarded Rookie of the Year (biography.com). Year after year, Jeter continued to perform on the biggest stage and was known as someone who thrived in big moments. For example Doc Gooden, a former pitcher for the Yankees, said, “I’ll never, ever forget that home run in 1996 against the Orioles” (Giglio). Doc was describing the homerun Jeter hit in the 1996 playoffs, which bolstered their ability to get to the World Series (Giglio). By 2003, he was the team captain and had four World Series rings. During the 2009 season, Jeter surpassed Lou Gehrig, a Yankee great, with the most hits in Yankees history with 2722

This is where Jeter had to handle his duties as a shortstop in the most professional way possible. However, he successfully created an atmosphere in the locker room that allowed the most comfort for everybody. When Jeter came into the league2, he was largely influenced by Tim Raines, one of his teammates, to have fun and make the best out of every game. Jeter said that, “I learned from him to have fun” (Verducci). He continued on saying that, “That’s a big part of being able to play all those years: to enjoy yourself” (Verducci). That is the side most Yankee fans were not able to see first hand because they were not directly in the locker room. According to Doc Gooden, “He’s a comedian.” (Giglio). He liked to play pranks and make everyone laugh so everyone felt comfortable and needed. Jeter successfully used referent power, which comes from personal characteristics that his team respected and admired. According to Doc, “He’s very loose and picks up on any little things that he can use to get you.” Another teammate of his, Tino Martinez, said that what the fans saw and what he saw are two completely different sides of Jeter (Giglio). He said that Jeter was more fun than most people would ever know (Giglio). Overall, any teammate he played with enjoyed talking to Jeter and loved him as captain. Jeter’s ability to keep the team’s spirits higher every year shows how much of a