Derek Jeter

June 26, 2025

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Derek Sanderson Jeter, or Derek Jeter, was born on June 26, 1974, in Pequannock, New Jersey, the United States. Jeter is a baseball Hall of Famer who spent 19 seasons in Major League Baseball. He is a five-time World Series winner and a significant figure in baseball history. For the past decade, he has been the leading scorer for his team, the New York Yankees with a .310 batting average. He is among the best in America and has earned several notable distinctions and awards during his career. The World Series against the Braves was the pinnacle of his career. He has been solely responsible for the Yankees’ several World Series championships since then. He is the 23rd player to reach the 3,000-hit plateau and the fourth-youngest to do so!

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Derek Sanderson Jeter

Nickname:

The Captain

Birth date:

June 26, 1974

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Cancer

Height:

6' 3"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$30 million

Background

Derek Sanderson, or Derek Jeter, was born in Pequannock, New Jersey, U.S. on June 26, 1974, to Sanderson Charles Jeter, a substance abuse counselor, and his wife, Dorothy, an accountant. His family relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he was just four. Jeter played basketball at Kalamazoo Central High School and was set on becoming a Major League Baseball player — especially as the New York Yankees’ starting shortstop. During his last two years of high school baseball, he hit over .500, striking out only once as a senior. He received multiple national sports honors, including 1992 High School Player of the Year honors from the American High School Coaches Association; 1992 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year honors from Gatorade; and 1992 USA Today High School Player of the Year honors from “USA Today.”

After graduation, Jeter was drafted by the Yankees as the sixth overall choice in the June 1992 draft. He enrolled at the University of Michigan, although his tenure there was short due to his swift advancement through the Yankees’ farm system. He was named Minor League Player of the Year in 1994 after batting .344 with 50 stolen bases, according to various organizations, including The Sporting News and Baseball America. In 1995, he came close to realizing his ambition when Yankees shortstop, Tony Fernandez, was placed on the injured list. Jeter made his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners on May 29 of that year. He batted .314 with 10 home runs in his first full season as a Major League Baseball player the following year. The talented shortstop also excelled in the infield, contributing to the Yankees’ World Series victory against the Atlanta Braves. He was named the ‘American League Rookie of the Year’ in 1996 for his performance.

He eclipsed Lou Gehrig in September 2009 with his 2,722nd hit — the most in team history before winning his sixth world championship ring at the season’s conclusion. In July 2011, he homered for the 3,000th time in his career, becoming the 28th player in history to accomplish the feat. After being limited to only 17 games in 2013 due to a nagging ankle ailment, he announced his retirement following the 2014 season, his 20th in the majors. Although his stats fell well short of his normal high standards, he ignited an American League rally with a leadoff double in the All-Star Game and drove in the winning run in his last at-bat at Yankee Stadium in September. Along with his five world titles, he concluded his career with an impressive .310 batting average and 3,465 hits, which placed him sixth in major league history.

Career timeline

1992

He is a First-Round Pick

He is picked by the Yankees in the first round of the 1992 draft.

1993

His Professional Baseball Debut

He makes his professional baseball debut, hitting five home runs with a .295 average, 18 stolen bases, and 71 R.B.I.

1996

The Opening Day Shortstop

He is named the Yankees' starting shortstop, and in his rookie season, he bats .314 with 78 runs batted in R.B.I.s.

2000

The Most Valuable Player

He is awarded the M.V.P. of the All-Star Game and the World Series when the Yankees beat the New York Mets to become the first team since 1974 to win three straight World Series.

2004

His Award Hattrick

He earns three straight A.L. Gold Glove awards as the league's finest fielding shortstop.

Why We Love Derek Jeter

He is creative
He planned to create a website, “The Players' Tribune.” He added that the site would provide a venue for professional athletes to communicate directly with fans, through first-person essays, podcasts, and video clips.
He is balanced
He maintains a strict separation between baseball and his personal life. He does not have a batting cage at his sprawling Florida mansion, and the only baseball games he watches are those in which he participates.
He is an icon
This well-known American baseball player, who now plays for the New York Yankees, is considered baseball's second highest-paid endorsement, behind only Ichiro Suzuki. He is a shining star in the game.

5 Surprising Facts

He holds a record
He is the second player in history to hit a home run for hit number 3,000.
He played basketball
He faced two future members of Michigan's Fab Five, Jalal Rose and Chris Webber, while playing A.A.U. basketball for Kalamazoo.
He didn't want captaincy
The club went eight years without a captain when owner George Steinbrenner appointed an unwilling Jeter as the field general, replacing Don Mattingly, who resigned in 1995.
His cereal project
The Frosted Flakes Cereal’s proceeds went to his Turn 2 Foundation, and the boxes have now become a collector's item.
His movie debut
He made his big-screen debut with the movie “The Other Guys,” with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

Derek Jeter FAQs

Did Derek Jeter get shot?

He was shot by Detective Terry Hoitz, one of the two central characters in the 2010 police comedy movie, “The Other Guys.” Wahlberg starred as Detective Hoitz, who earned the moniker “Yankee Clipper” as a result of his shot of Jeter.

Is Derek Jeter the best Yankee ever?

He is unquestionably one of the game’s best hitters of all time. He was a tremendous base runner until recently, but so were Mantle and DiMaggio during their heyday.

How many career errors does Derek Jeter have?

He made 56 errors, setting a new SAL record. Despite this, Baseball America rated him the SAL’s Best Defensive Shortstop, Most Exciting Player, and Best Infield Arm.