Derek Jeter: Best Baseball Player In Major League Baseball

The Major League Baseball organization is one of many sport organizations that takes a strong stance on athletes that use performance enhancing drugs. Mark McGwire played for the Cardinals in 1998. He had an amazing career as he broke the homerun record with 70 homeruns. Through his accomplishments, there was speculation that he took steroids. He was questioned about it in Federal Court and at first, he denied it. Later on, he admitted using Andro, which is a form of anabolic steroids. Another baseball player had a very similar story. Barry Bonds played for the San Francisco Giants. He likewise had very notable achievements, such as beating McGuire for the homeroom record and he passed Hank Aaron as the career all-time home run hitter.

Throughout the history of major league baseball we have seen countless astonishing hitters come pass through, some putting up record breaking numbers, at times too good to be true. Barry Bonds, known as the “homerun king” was able to put up an amazing total of 73 home runs in 2001. The very next season, he continued to present his skill with a .370 batting average. Between 1999 and 2007, Bonds’ stats were shocking, hitting 351 home runs, winning four national league MVP awards, and racking up 780 RBI’s, 69 stolen bases, and just over one thousand hits. Alex Rodriguez, better known as “A-rod” is another huge name when talking about the greatest hitters in baseball. For nine seasons out of Rodriguez’s twenty two season career, 8.5% of the balls he would put into play were home runs. By the end of his lengthy career, he was able to collect 698 home runs, over two thousand RBI’s and runs scored, with over three thousand hits. He was also named All-Star fourteen times. With numbers like these, it is hard to

"Derek Jeter, a professional ballplayer for the Yankees…" are the exact words Derek Jeter, himself, used in his eighth-grade yearbook (Jeter xvi). For as long as he could remember, Jeter has longed to be a New York Yankee. Fifteen years after predicting he would be a professional ballplayer for the Yankees, Derek Jeter is now more than a Yankee. Jeter isn't only a Yankee; he is a family guy and a World Champion. His career started when he was five years old, and everything has evolved from there. Sports fans know what life for Derek Jeter is now, but what was life like before he became a world champion, superstar, and captain of the New York Yankees.

Mickey is known for having one of the best baseball careers in history. He was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. As a boy he grew up around baseball non-stop. His father who was a baseball-loving player, Mickey Cochrone, played for the Detroit Tigers as a catcher. He taught Mickey Jr. to become a switch hitter as a boy. When in high school a New York MLB scout came to watch him and they got him right of the bat. He played two years in the minors and then he finally played in the majors. At age 19 in 1951 he played his first pro ball game with the Yankees. He spent his whole time with Yankees. He played 18 years with them and had big time awards along the way. He was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, ( 1956-1957, 1962). He had a total 563 home runs in his career and in 1956 he won the American League Triple Crown award with 52 home runs and 130 runs batted and averaged .353. He was plagued by leg injuries which was caused by osteomyelitis. He officially retired in March 1, 1969. August 13, 1995, at age 63 he died of a heart attack because of drinking problems. He had a wife and three children. Mantle was inducted into the Hall of Fame of MLB in

In 1947 he started playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers and won the National League Rookie of the Year. Later in his career, he one MVP award, a batting title, and was put in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1956, he signed with the New York Giants and soon after, he retired from Major League. Throughout his career

Growing up in San Carlos, California, Bonds was surrounded by baseball from a very early age. Three of his relatives played Major League Baseball, including his father Bobby Bonds, Reggie Jackson, and Willie Mays. He excelled at the sport very early on and set numerous records at his high school. Bonds was offered a contract to play baseball straight out of high school, but decided to further his education and baseball career at Arizona State University.

Derek Jeter was born on June 26, 1974, in Pequannock, New Jersey. His father, Charles Jeter, made the family move to Michigan when Derek was only 4 years old. The reason was because his father went to Michigan University, so he could become a doctor. Derek started playing baseball when he was five years old. He continued playing through high school, when he a batting average of .500. He won numerous awards which helped him get drafted in 1992 by the Yankees in the first round.

Mariano Rivera, born November 29, 1969 in Panama City, Panama, was a Major League Baseball (MLB) closing pitcher for the New York Yankees from the years 1995 to 2013. He signed with the Yankees on February 17, 1990 and was called up to the major leagues in May of 1995, but was sent back down to the minor leagues so that he could obtain more training and experience. Rivera was finally called back up to the majors in June of 1995 after he impressed many with his increased pitching speed. Mariano Rivera started off as a starting pitcher, but eventually moved to the closer position where he dominated and greatly helped the Yankees. Rivera is considered the best closing pitcher in all of baseball for many reasons such as his famous “cutter” pitcher, the numerous records he set, and for his positive attitude and ways of giving back.

Alex Rodriguez Alex Rodriguez hit over 690 homeruns in his career of baseball. Alex Rodriguez was born on July 27, 1975 in New York City. His father owned a shoe store and his mom worked on a assembly line. Alex’s dad used to be a baseball catcher in the Dominican Republic and always dreamed of having his son play baseball too. At age 4 Alex and his family moved to the Dominican republic.

However, Jackie’s first year playing changed this. Jackie Robinson was one of the most important people in the history of baseball, and probably in the history of American sports. Everybody in uniform at the Tampa Bay Rays game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park wore the number “42” as Major League Baseball celebrated its fifth annual Jackie Robinson Day.

In 1994, an 18-year-old kid from Miami named Alex Rodriguez broke into spring camp with the Seattle Mariners in an attempt to make the team. After almost immediately stepping into a Major League baseball field he became a household name. Within two years, he was an All-Star. Within five, a regular 40-homer player. By the turn of the century, many were already putting him into the Hall of Fame discussion.

Derek Jeter is known as an influential player in the world of sports and on a generation of people growing up during that time. He played for the NY Yankees for 20 historic seasons known as the prime for their organization. His position for them was shortstop and never played anywhere else for the Yankees. The Yankees were only professional team he played for and one five championships for them. This was very rare for a player to spend 20 years with a team that drafted them because during that Era most players were only a part for 4 years at most. Derek is known by the Yankees as the captain of the Bronx’s and of their organization. The biggest wins of his career were during the 1990s and 2000s. They won most games during that time on his dependable hitting, clutch base running and terrific plays at shortstop. Deter turned out to be the Yankees all-time leader in the category for hits with 3,465. He also

Albert founded the Pujols Family Foundation in 2005 to help kids with Down Syndrome in the United States and also in the Dominican Republic, Albert’s home country. His foundation also spreads the word of God and improves the poverty-stricken Dominican Republic. Albert’s foundation and his giving heart permitted him the opportunity to receive the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award -- this award is given to the player who combines outstanding performance on the field and work in the community. It is named in honor of Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, Roberto Clemente, who died on Dec 31, 1972, during a humanitarian mission to assist earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Albert reflected on his award by saying, “At the end of the day, when all is said and done playing this game, it doesn’t matter what you did in the field, it’s what you do off the field and the lives that you touch off the field.

The day that the Red Sox sold George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. to the New York Yankees is the same day that one of the greatest teams in baseball history was created. Babe Ruth started learning baseball around the age of seven and ever since he was signed by the Boston Red Sox he started to become a legend. In 1918, Babe was bought by the New York Yankees for around $425,000 with a contract that had a salary stated at $10,000 a year. Knowing his worth Babe asked for a raise in his salary, the team owners agreed to the raise in order to keep their new player happy. At the start of the season, Babe lived up to his salary raise. He beat his own homerun record with 54 home runs, which he soon beat again in the year 1921 with 59 home runs. With Babe

Jeter was the shortstop for the New York Yankees for 20 years, until his last appearance in 2014, and had led his team as captain since 2003. Jeter is recognized as one of the greatest shortstops in MLB history, but also one of the most genuine persons to play the game. From the concise and meek interviews and the mindset of working together as a team, to the mentality of staying committed in all things and being thankful, Derek Jeter stayed genuine with these qualities throughout his career. Not only is Jeter remembered for his amazing plays at shortstop, but also for his deferential actions on and off the field.