The World of Baseball

The position of shortstop is one of the most important positions in baseball. The best athlete usually occupies that part of the field. There have been some outstanding shortstops in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. They include Honus Wagner, Ernie Banks, Ozzie Smith, and Cal Ripken Jr. Another great player who played his entire career at shortstop is Derek Jeter. He played 20 seasons with the New York Yankees (1995-2014).

Derek Jeter made his MLB debut in 1995. He became the Yankees shortstop in 1996 and won American League (AL) Rookie of the Year. Jeter helped lead the Yankees to their first championship since 1978. He would become one of the faces of MLB.

Derek Jeter was a run producing machine as someone who batted at the top of the lineup. He led the AL in runs scored with 127 in 1998. Jeter scored at least 100 runs 13 times. He finished with 1,923 runs scored, which is 11th all-time.

Jeter collected at least 200 hits eight times. He led the AL in hits twice (1999, 2012). Jeter is revered for how clutch he was in the postseason. He played in 158 postseason games. Jeter hit .308 with 20 home runs and 61 runs batted in. He won the World Series MVP in 2000.

Derek Jeter is one of the greatest Yankees of all time. He won five championships, five Gold Glove awards, and five Silver Slugger awards. Jeter was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. As someone who watched him play most of his career, I am honored to say I saw Derek Jeter perform in a Yankees uniform.