Stats
In 1997, DJ led American League with 748 plate appearances, third in league in hits, at-bats, and leadoff on-base percentage, scored four runs against Chicago, June 10, hit .333 with two homers and six RBI in Division Series against Cleveland, received Joan Payson Award for community service, presented by New York Chapter of BBWAA, for his work in preventing and treating teenage substance abuse.
Career Highlights:
DJ was New York's first-round pick in the 1992 draft, the first high school player chosen that year, voted Outstanding Major League Prospect by South Atlantic League managers in 1993, named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America in 1994, voted Florida State League Most Valuable Player in 1994, made Major League debut May 29, 1995, spent most of the season at Columbus and was named to the International League All-Star Team, American League Rookie of the Year in 1996, hit .412 in the Division Series, .417 in the League Championship Series, and .250 in the World Series.
AFTER ONE DAY OFF!:
One for 12 before taking a game off: 3-for-5 after.
Plus a new personal RBI record. The results say Derek Jeter benefited from taking a break on Wednesday. That still doesn't mean he has to say it.
"(Joe) Torre wanted to give me a rest," said Jeter, who's always been itchy when idle on the Yankee bench. "I don't argue with him no more. You take it."
Jeter took it and the Thursday off-day, and he returned to the lineup swinging like his old self. Of his three singles, his first-pitch hit in the second inning was especially damaging; it drove in two runs and helped the Yankees to an 8-0 victory. It gave him 86 RBI for the year, which is his career high and the second-most for a Yankee shortstop (behind Lyn Lary's 107 in 1931).
Before those hits last night, Jeter had a .258 average in August, plus a few well-publicized boo-boos, not all of which were fielding errors. He might not agree, but all signs indicated a break would help him.
"Everyone gets tired. He's no hero," said his close friend Jorge Posada before the game. "Everyone goes through a little slump during the year. To have a day off yesterday and have a day off before yesterday, it's going to help him, to clear his mind and know what he's got to do."
When you're slumping, Posada said, it helps to sit for a bit and think about what you're doing wrong. Not that Jeter was starving for hits. His average is up to .347 after last night's performance, which started with a lucky infield squibber and continued with two well-hit balls. Jeter is second in the AL in batting behind Nomar Garciaparra's .352. Bernie Williams slipped to third at .345.
Still, Jeter wasn't hitting as well over the past few weeks as he had over the previous four months. And it wasn't just his hitting that was suspect.
"There's been a lot made about something that's not there," Posada said, referring to the team picture he and Jeter missed and Jeter and Alex Rodriguez' non-involvement in an on-field fracas between the Mariners and Yankees in Seattle. "A lot of things just happen. The team picture, we didn't know about. And the thing with the fight, that's something that both guys have put behind them."
It appeared so last night. Whatever physical or mental mistakes Jeter made lately seemed well in the past.
"After a while you learn, after the game's over, there's no time to dwell on it," Jeter said. "After it's over with, it's over with."
Original Publication Date: 08/28/1999
1998 season
* batting .324 with 19 HR and 84 RBI in 149 games (148 starts at SS)
*finished third in the American-League MVP voting (behind Juan Gonzalez and Nomar Garciaparra)
* set career highs in home runs, RBI, hits, triples, stolen bases and batting average
* was among the American-League leaders in batting average (5th), runs (1st), hits (3rd), triples (T4th), multi-hit games (T2nd) and at-bats (6th)
* broke the single-season home-run record for Yankee shortstops (previously held by Roy Smalley in 1982 with 16)
* with 203 hits, he joined Phil Rizzuto as the second Yankee shortstop to collect 200 or more hits in a season (Rizzuto had 200 in 1950)
* broke the Major-League record for the most runs scored by a shortstop in his first three full seasons with 352 (previously held by Detroit's Donie Bush with 343 from 1908-11)
* joined Frank Crosetti as the only Yankee shortstops to score 100 or more runs in three or more consecutive seasons (Crosetti did it in four straight seasons from 1936-39)
* combined with second-baseman Chuck Knoblauch to become the first pair of Yankee middle infielders to each hit 15 or more home runs in the same season (Knoblauch had 17)
* they also became the third pair of middle-infield teammates in American-League history to record at least 30 stolen bases each in a single season (also SS Jack Barry and 2B Eddie Collins of the 1911 Philadelphia Athletics and SS Bert Campaneris and 2B Phil Garner of the 1976 Oakland Athletics)
* was named to his first All-Star Team by Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove (0-for-1)
* drove in a career-high five runs on 5/6 at Texas
* had a season-high 15-game hitting streak from 5/2-20, batting .456 (31-for-68) with 4 HR and 19 RBI during the streak
* hit safely in 24 of 25 games from 4/20-5/20
* was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career on 6/4 with a strained abdominal muscle sustained on a check swing on 6/3 vs. Tampa Bay
* missed 12 games due to injury and the Yankees were 9-3 in those games
* was named the American League's Player of the Month for August, batting .382 (50-for-131) with 30 R, 9 doubles, 4 HR and 22 RBI in 32 games
* with 50 hits in August, he became the first Yankee to collect 50 hits in a month since Joe DiMaggio had 53 in July of 1941
* joined Seattle's Alex Rodriguez as the only players to reach 50 hits in a month in the 1990's (Rodriguez had 54 hits in August of '96)
* made his first career pinch-hitting appearance in the ninth inning of a 6-5 loss at Chicago (struck out for Luis Sojo to end the game)
* the at-bat snapped an 11-game hitting streak in which he batted .442 (20-for-46)
* had the second multi-homer game of his career in the Yankees' American-League-East clinching victory on 9/9 at Boston
* started every game of the postseason, batting .235 with 0 HR and 3 RBI
* hit .353 (6-for-17) vs. San Diego in the World Series.
1997 Season:
*Hit .291 with 10HR and 70 RBI
*Led the league with 748 plate appearances and T1st with 142 singles
*Ranked 3rd in AB (654), hits (190) and leadoff OBP (.394)
*Tied for 4th in the A.L. with 159 games played, was 4th with 116 runs, T5th with 7 triples, T9th with 23 stolen bases and was 10th with 125 strikeouts
*Hit .296 with 6HR and 33RBI after the All-Star break
*Hit .285 with 4HR and 37RBI before the All-Star break
*Had 57 multi-hit games (T3rd in A.L.), including two 4-hit, fifteen 3-hit and forty 2-hit games
*Played in 159 games
*Made 159 starts (all at SS)
*Scored 100+ runs in his 1st 2 seasons; only 1 other Yankee (Joe DiMaggio
1936-37) and 2 other players since 1961 (Tony Oliva, 1964-65 and Juan Samuel,
1984-85) have done so
*Only 4 other Yankees have played 140+ games in their rookie and sophomore
seasons (Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri, Tom Tresh and Alvaro Espinoza)
*In 102G in leadoff spot, hit .321 (137-for-427, 6HR, 45RBI)
*In 23G in 2nd spot, hit .206 (20-for-97, 2HR, 13RBI); in 33G in 7th spot, hit .254 (32-for-126, 2HR, 12RBI); in 1G in 8th spot was 1-for-4
*In 77 straight starts in the leadoff spot from 6/10-9/4, was 98-for-313 (.313)
*Went 129-for-422 (.306) since BA bottomed out at .261 after 0-for-6 on 6/1 at
Boston
*4H on 4/5 at Oakland tied career high
*Had season-high 11-game hitting streak from 5/4-15
*Scored career-high 4 runs on 6/10 vs. Chicago
*Did not start for the 1st time this season 6/25 at Detroit (had started 77 straight games at SS since 9/26/96 at Boston)
*Hit 2nd career leadoff HR 5/6 vs. Minnesota
*Had HR in consecutive AB, 5/5 in last AB (3-run, 9th inning) and leadoff HR 5/6
(both vs. Min)
*Snapped career-high 75 game drought with leadoff HR on 8/7 at Texas (previous
streak was 41G, 4/3-5/23/96)
*Had career-high 2 HR and 4RBI in G2 of 8/20 doubleheader at Anaheim
(including 4th career leadoff HR, his 3rd of the season)
*4K on 9/1 at Philadelphia tied his career high set on 4/19 at Minnesota
*Drove in OšNeill for game-winning run with 9th-inning single on 9/15 vs. Boston
*Drew bases-loaded walk in the 11th to end the game on 9/20 vs. Toronto Started
all 5 games of the Division Series vs. Cleveland at SS, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with 2 solo HR and 6 runs scored
*Hit the 2nd of 3 consecutuive HR in the 6th inning of Game 1 (Raines hit 1st,
O'Neill hit 3rd)
*Was the 1st time 3 consecutive HR have ever been hit in post season play
*Was the recipient of the Joan Payson Award for community service presented
annually by the New York chapter of the BBWAA
*His Turn 2 Foundation, established in 1996, was formed to support and create
activities and programs designed to prevent and treat teenage substance abuse
1996 season:
* Hit .314 with 10 HR and 78 RBI in winning the American-League Rookie of the Year Award
* became the club's first Opening-Day rookie shortstop since Tom Tresh in 1962
* hit his first Major-League home run on Opening Day, a solo shot off Dennis Martinez on 4/2 at Cleveland
* led the Yankees with 183 hits and 156 games started (all at SS)
* tied with Tino Martinez for the team lead in multi-hit games with 49
* was fourth in the American League with 142 singles
* played the most games of any American-League rookie (157) and had a stretch of 105 starts before sitting out the second game of a doubleheader on 9/25 vs. Milwaukee
* had a career-high 17-game hitting streak from 9/7-25, the longest by a Yankee rookie since Joe DiMaggio's streak of 18 games in 1936
* his 77 RBI were the most by a rookie shortstop since Julio Franco drove in 80 in 1980 (no other rookie in the expansion era has driven in more than 75)
* hit a game-winning two-run home run in the eighth inning of a 4-2 victory on 7/11 at Baltimore
*hit an inside-the-park home run on 8/2 at Kansas City, the first by a Yankee since Alvaro Espinoza on 7/21/90 at Minnesota...hit .361 with 12 R, 1 HR and 3 RBI in the postseason
* scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning in Game 2 of the Divsion Series vs. Texas after 3B Dean Palmer overthrew first base on a Charlie Hayes bunt
* hit a controversial game-tying home run off Armando Benitez in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the ALCS when a young fan reached over the wall (Yankees would win 5-4 in 11 innings)
* was named American-League Rookie of the Year by the BBWAA.
1995:
* Contract was purchased by the Yankees on 5/29 after Tony Fernandez was placed on the disabled list with a strained rib cage muscle
* made 13 starts and batted .234 with 0 HR and 6 RBI before he was optioned back to Columbus on 6/11
* was recalled on 9/3, appearing in two games and raising his average to .250
* was named to the International League All-Star Team
* his .317 BA led all Yankee minor leaguers and ranked third among Triple-A shortstops
* ranked third among Triple-A players with 96 runs
* tied for fifth in Triple-A with 9 triples and was seventh with 154 hits.
1994:
* Was named Minor-League Player of the Year by Baseball America, The Sporting News, USA Today Baseball Weekly and Topps/NAPBL after hitting .344 with 5 HR, 68 RBI and 50 stolen bases at Triple-A Columbus, Double-A Albany and Class-A Tampa
* became the first Yankee prospect to win the Baseball America and USA Today awards
* was also named MVP of the Florida State League
* his .344 BA led all minor-league shortstops and ranked 10th in the minors overall
* also ranked among all minor leaguers with 186 hits (2nd), 103 runs (10th) and 50 stolen bases (T14th)
* was named the Yankees' Minor-League Player of the Year after leading the organization in batting average, stolen bases, runs, hits and triples
* hit .232 in the season's first month, but was named the organization's Player of the Month for May after hitting .391 and leading the minor leagues with 31 runs scored
* earned a June promotion to Albany after hitting .367 in his last 49 games at Tampa
* was the Florida State League's Player of the Month for June...had a five-hit game on 6/10 at Sarasota
* hit .420 in July at Albany and was named Topps' Eastern-League Player of the Month...was promoted to Columbus on 8/1
* hit safely in 28 of 35 games for the Clippers and did not go hitless in consecutive games
* finished the season with a five-game hitting streak, batting .579 (11-for-19), including a 4-for-4 performance on 8/31 vs. Toledo
* Yankee affiliates combined for a .621 winning percentage (87-53) with Jeter on the roster and a .502 winning percentage without him (138-137)
* committed 25 errors in 616 chances at shortstop, including seven errors at Columbus, six at Albany and 12 at Tampa
* played for Chandler in the Arizona Fall League and hit .278 with 9 RBI, 2 SB and 11 errors in 16 games before he was sidelined with mild inflammation in his right shoulder.
1993:
* Was voted the "Most Outstanding Major-League Prospect" by South Atlantic League managers after hitting .295 with 5 HR, 71 RBI and 18 stolen bases at Class-A Greensboro
* was named to the All-Star Team after finishing second in the league in triples (11), third in hits (152) and 11th in batting average
* ranked fifth in the organization in batting average
* committed 56 errors in 126 games at shortstop
* ranked second in the league in errors by a shortstop
* was voted by Baseball America as the South Atlantic League's Best Defensive Shortstop, Most Exciting Player and Best Infield Arm.
1992:
* Was the Yankees' first-round selection and the sixth pick overall in the June 1992 free-agent draft
* was the first high-school player chosen in the draft
* became the third shortstop selected in Yankees' history with a first round pick, joining Rex Hudler (1978) and Dennis Sherrill (1974)
* combined to hit .210 with 4 HR and 29 RBI in 58 games at Class-A Tampa and Greensboro
* had 12 errors in 211 chances at Tampa and nine errors in 48 chances at Greensboro.
PERSONAL:
* graduated in 1992 from Kalamazoo Central High School, where he hit .508 (30-59) with 4 HR, 23 RBI, 21 BB and 1 K in 23 games as a Senior
* was 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts, had a .831 slugging percentage and a .637 on-base percentage
* hit .557 with 7 HR as a junior
* was named 1992 High School Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association
* his Turn 2 Foundation, established in 1996, was formed to support and create activities and programs designed to prevent and treat teenage substance abuse
* was the recipient of the Joan Payson Award for community service in 1997, presented annually by the New York chapter of the BBWAA
* received the New York Press Photographers' annual "Good Guy" Award for 1998.
JETER'S SINGLE GAME BESTS AND HITTING STREAK
HITS: 4 (9x), last on 8/25/98 vs. Anaheim.
RUNS: 4 (2x), last on 8/29/98 vs. Seattle.
DOUBLES: 2 (2x), last on 7/17/98 at Toronto.
TRIPLES: 2, on 9/10/97 at Detroit.
HR: 2 (2x), last on 9/9/98 at Boston.
RBI: 5, on 5/6/98 at Texas.
BB: 3 (2x), last on 8/27/98 vs. Anaheim.
SO: 4 (2x), last on 9/1/97 at Philadelphia.
SB: 2 (5x), last on 7/21/98 vs. Detroit.
HITTING STREAK: 17 games,from 9/7-25/96
