When Yankees veteran Derek Jeter dodged Big Apple's temptations to achieve baseball greatness
To achieve success, you need to work hard. Derek Jeter, a New York Yankees veteran followed this mantra after his selection to the team. Since Jeter was selected by the Yankees with the sixth pick in the 1992 draft, a lot has changed. He no longer calls his family every night in tears, regrets not choosing to attend college, and no longer questions whether he is good enough to play with the big boys.
Derek Jeter gave his hundred per cent to the games and did not devote time to anything else. He made sure that he'll live in the present and act accordingly rather than living in the past or future. Here's what Derek said in an interview with GQ in 2011:
"My focus is always one year at a time. I won't go into 2011 thinking about 2010. I haven't met a person who can change what's happened in the past, and I haven't met a person who can tell the future, so my job is in 2011. That's the only thing I'm focused on. That's the only thing I'm concerned with."
Although he has received many individual honours, including being named the American League Rookie of the Year on a unanimous basis in 1996 and making his 11th All-Star appearance last summer, he will always be remembered as a leader, a champion, and a gentleman in a time.
Derek Jeter's Golden Years in Baseball
In 1995 Jeter hit .314 with 10 home runs and 78 RBI, capturing the AL Rookie of the Year Award and assisting the Yankees in making their first postseason appearance since 1981.
When the 1999 season came to a conclusion, those baseball fans who had any doubts about Derek Jeter's greatness or future had most likely changed their minds. For the AL East champions, Jeter posted career highs in batting average (.349), hits (219), home runs (24), and RBI (102). The 24-year-old helped the Bronx win its 25th championship by hitting a combined.375 in the postseason, including.350 in the World Series.
In 2009, Jeter had hit .334 during 153 regular-season games, and was placed third in the AL MVP vote with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 30 base steals. The seasoned shortstop also received Silver Slugger and Gold Glove honours.
Playing until 2014 for the Yankees, Jeter amassed a record of 3,465 hits, .310 batting average, 260 home runs and 1,311 RBIs.