Derek Jeter Biography

Derek Jeter was the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees from 1996 until his retirement in 2014. During his celebrated career he joined the likes of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle among the most famous Yankees ever.

Derek Jeter was born in New Jersey but grew up and played high school baseball in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was drafted by the Yankees (as the sixth overall pick) in 1992, and quickly abandoned college at the University of Michigan to pursue his baseball career. He played his first 15 major-league games with the Yankees in 1995. The next year he established himself as the team’s regular shortstop and quickly became an All Star, known for his all-around game, hustle, and intense dedication to winning.

The Yankees won the World Series four times in Jeter’s first five full years on the job: in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. He was named the team’s captain in 2003, becoming the first Yankee captain since Don Mattingly’s retirement in 1995. Derek Jeter’s good looks have helped make him a favorite with younger fans, and in the early 2000s he was often compared with fellow shortstop prodigies Nomar Garciaparra and Alex Rodriguez. Such was Jeter’s reputation that when Rodriguez joined the Yankees in 2004, Rodriguez moved to third base to allow Jeter to remain at shortstop. With both Rodriguez and Jeter on the squad, the Yankees won the World Series again in 2009, making Jeter a five-time champ.

Jeter retired at the end of the 2014 season. On July 9, 2016, he married his longtime girlfriend, model Hannah Davis.