Who is Derek Jeter?

Former New York Yankees shortstop and skipper Derek Jeter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York’s Cooperstown on Wednesday, along with three other veterans of the game — Larry Walker, Marvin Miller and Ted Simmons.

The induction of Jeter had been delayed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his highly awaited acceptance speech, Jeter said, “To this day I remember each time I was doubted. I made, and still make, a mental note. I am going to prove doubters wrong. It is what drove me and still drives me today”, according to media reports.

Born in Pequannock, New Jersey on June 26, 1974, Jeter started playing Little League baseball when he was about five years old. Owing to his impressive high school baseball record, including a .557 batting average in his junior year, he was drafted as a first-round pick in 1992 by the Yankees.  

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He began his minor league career with the Class A Tampa Yankees, where he struggled with 21 mistakes in 58 games. Jeter continued to progress over the next few years, earning the South Atlantic League’s Most Outstanding Major League Prospect award in 1993 and Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year award in 1994.

In 1996, Jeter was named the Yankees’ starting shortstop. He posted a.314 batting average and 78 runs batted in in his rookie season (RBIs). The Yankees won the World Series against the Atlanta Braves, and he was awarded AL Rookie of the Year.

The Yankees won their second World Series in 1998, this time against the San Diego Padres. In 1999, the Yankees defeated the Braves in the World Series for the second time, and Jeter established himself as one of baseball’s best postseason hitters with a cumulative batting average of.375 in the Yankees’ three playoff series.

Jeter was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the All-Star Game and the World Series in 2000, when the Yankees defeated the New York Mets to become the first team since 1974 to win three straight World Series.

Jeter hit his 2,674th career hit in 2009, surpassing the record for most hits by a shortstop in MLB history. The Yankees won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies to finish the 2009 season.

Through his Major League Baseball career, which spanned nearly 20 years, Jeter secured multiple top-shelf accolades while remaining true to the Yankees.  

After hanging his gloves, Jeter became part of an ownership group that purchased the Miami Marlins in 2017, and he became the franchise’s head of baseball operations.