With his 3,465th hit at Fenway Park, Derek Jeter bade farewell to all his fans on September 28, 2014, leaving his baseball career as a legend. Cheers erupted from every Boston Red Sox fan, every Yankees fan, and every baseball fan in the nation for the former shortstop. After his 20 years in the major league, Jeter is considered to be one of the most accomplished in Major League Baseball.
In his post-season career, Jeter has won five World Series rings, hit 260 homeruns, and has had the most number of hits in Yankees Stadium; his number of hits comes up to 1,274 (as recently supplied by Sports Illustrated), just barely passing Lou Gehrig, a former Yankees player. The iconic player is currently being considered for an MVP award from the league. He is a first pick candidate, meaning Jeter’s chances are almost guaranteed.
The Yankees player was brought up in Pequannock, New Jersey. He was a star athlete at his local high school, earning the title “High School Player of the Year” by the American High School Coaches Association in 1992. In the same year, he achieved the title “Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year” and USA Today‘s “High School Player of the Year”.
However, the fame did not stop there. Jeter was picked up by the Yankees in the June 1992 draft. While attending the University of Michigan, Jeter continued to impress the nation within the Yankees farm system. The Yankees farm system is similar to an extensive training program that shapes the team’s future baseball players into professionals. As the selected players prove themselves through the minor leagues with successful plays, they are drafted into the big leagues, officially calling themselves Yankees players.
On May 29, 1995, Jeter debuted his newly found major league skill in the Yankees game against the Seattle Mariners. At that moment, a star was born. In his succeeding year on the team, Jeter batted a .314 and hit 10 homeruns in the 1996 season. With his impeccable skill and charismatic nature, he led the Yankees to the World Series, leaving with a sweeping victory over the Atlanta Braves.
This same year, Jeter was given The American League Rookie of the Year Award. Nikhil Akenapalli 17′ stated, “He has accomplished so much in his 20 years of playing. The guy is a role model not just for the Yankees, but for the entire league.”
The accomplished captain went out with a .310 batting average, and ranked sixth in the entire MLB for the number of hits, reaching 3,465. He is still involved in his charity, The Turn 2 Foundation, currently helping children live healthy lifestyles.
Lauren Sang 16’ reported, “Jeter seems like one of the greatest players in the major league. And the best part is that there is more to him than just baseball. His charity works really make him a great player.”
Jeter will continue his charity work and will always be remembered as the respectable Yankees player that he is.