1996 HEADLINE: Derek Jeters Wins Rookie Of The Year Award With Unanimous Vote!

1996 HEADLINE: Derek Jeters Wins Rookie Of The Year Award With Unanimous Vote!

On this day in 1996, Derek Jeter won the American League’s Rookie of the Year award in a unanimous vote!

Capturing all 28 first-place votes, Jeter set himself apart from the rest of the 1996 rookie class.  And he did it all with the enormous pressure that comes with wearing Yankee pinstripes.

During that season, Jeter collected 183 hits en route to a .314 batting average.  He scored 104 runs for the team while also driving in 78.  And while fielding the toughest infield position, he compiled an 96.9% fielding percentage.

Oh, and he also helped the Yankees capture the 1996 World Series championship too!

Happy Anniversary to Derek Jeter!!!

Yankees To Wear Commemorative ‘Captain’ Patch For Remainder Of 2014 Baseball Season

Yankees To Wear Commemorative ‘Captain’ Patch For Remainder Of 2014 Baseball Season

From ESPN.com

The New York Yankees announced Tuesday that the team will wear a patch of Derek Jeter’s final-season logo on all player hats and uniforms from Sept. 7, the day that the shortstop will be honored at Yankee Stadium, through the end of the season.

The baseballs with Jeter logos that will be put in play on Sept. 7, and the uniforms used in the game and throughout the rest of the season will be sold by Steiner Sports, company president Brandon Steiner said.

Steiner also has an exclusive autograph deal with Jeter and has been selling more than 200 Jeter-signed products, including game-used jerseys that retail for $25,000.

Leading up to Jeter’s final games, an even greater flow of merchandise has hit the shelves. New Era is selling a three-cap box of Jeter hats for $150. The hats, which are available only at Yankee Stadium and official Yankees stores, are limited to 2,014 sets.

New Era Cap president Pete Augustine told ESPN.com that the company, which has been making hats since 1920, has never celebrated a player like this.

“As soon as he announced this was going to be his final season, we could see the market was hungry for it,” Augustine said. “We’ve never seen this much interest from a player perspective, and I’m not sure we ever will.”

New Era has made more than 50 Jeter products for sale, including a white leather fitted hat for $99.99.

“We literally can’t keep product in stock,” Augustine said. “We make it, it sells out.”

New Era sells more Yankees caps than any other team, as 23 percent of the company’s Major League Baseball business this year has been generated off the Yankees logo. Augustine said Jeter’s final season has helped push the numbers by a few percentage points.

The Yankees will also be selling a commemorative Jeter issue of Yankees Magazine for $20.

Jeter’s No. 2 jersey is the best-selling jersey in the league this year, according to MLB spokesman Matt Bourne, and Nike is seeking to further capitalize on its spokesman by trademarking “RE2PECT,” which it is already using on gear sold in stores.

Tickets for Derek Jeter Day, which the Yankees announced on July 18, have become among the hottest tickets of the year, along with Sept. 25, his last home game.

Derek Jeter Leaps Past Carl Yastrzemski With Hit #3,420 And Into 7th Place On The All-Time Hits List!!

Derek Jeter Leaps Past Carl Yastrzemski With Hit #3,420 And Into 7th Place On The All-Time Hits List!

From ESPN.com

ARLINGTON, Texas — New York Yankess shortstop Derek Jeter moved ahead of Carl Yastrzemski and into seventh place on baseball’s all-time hits list with three hits off Yu Darvish in the first seven innings of Monday night’s 4-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

“You know, it’s quite an accomplishment,” Jeter said. “It’s tough to enjoy when you lost the game but yeah, I’m pretty sure when this season is over and done with, I’ll look back and get a chance to realize how special it was. But yeah, any time you talk about a list of all-time great players its pretty special.”

The Yankees’ 40-year-old captain accomplished the feat with a quintessential Jeter single: a drive into right field off an inside-out swing with two outs and a runner on first base in the seventh inning. The hit was the 3,420th of Jeter’s 20-year major league career, which puts him 10 hits behind No. 6 on the list, Honus Wagner. That will likely be the last hurdle Jeter can clear before his retirement at the end of this season; the player in fifth place, Tris Speaker, is 94 hits ahead, with 3,514.

Earlier in the game, Jeter had tied Yastrzemski with a ground-rule double, a line drive that bounced into the stands in distant right-center field in the third inning.

“It’s been neat to watch,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s passed a lot of people; you think about the doubles, he broke that last week, and then you move up on the all-time hit list. He’s been amazing.”

Asked before the game to recall his favorite memories in the ballpark now called Global Life Park, Jeter said, “We’ve had some battles here in the postseason. Early in my career, on the way to the World Series, we had to go through some tough Texas teams. That’s what stands out the most.”

Now Jeter has a regular-season moment in Texas to remember as well.

2011 HEADLINE: Derek Jeter Joins The 3,000 Hits Club!!!

2011 HEADLINE: Derek Jeter Joins The 3,000 Hits Club!!!

On this day in 2011, Derek Jeter hit the 3,000th hit of his major league career.

At home in Yankee Stadium, and in front of a capacity crowd, Derek Jeter joined the ‘3,000 Hits Club’.

Entering the game, Jeter needs just hit two hits to reach the baseball milestone. And he took care of that in a major way – a home run in third inning. Jeter became just the second player in major league history to have his 3,000th hit be a home run. The first player was Wade Boggs.

Jeter ended the day with 5 hits in 5 at-bats; he hit 3 singles, 1 double, and 1 home run. And more importantly, the Yankees won the game 5-4.

Happy Anniversary Derek Jeter!!!

Happy Birthday Derek Jeter!!!

Happy Birthday Derek Jeter!!!

The Yankees’ captain turns 40 years old today.

And while it can be very easily argued that Jeter has never been the best shortstop in the league or entire sport at any point during the course of his career, I can easily say that he is one that I have the utmost respect for. A true leader on the field, Jeter has a knack for making good things happen. And whether it is luck or skill, his star seems to shine brightest when all eyes are aimed in his direction.

I typically reserve my ‘Happy Birthday’ posts for retired stars, but Jeter is in a class by himself. The legacy that he has built thus far, and continues to add to each day, is one that will last for entirety.

Derek Jeter is the guy in today’s era of superstars that shows you how much fun baseball is to play.

As he embarks on his ‘Farewell Tour’ it will be nice to see how other teams honor and celebrate him as he plays in his final games in their cities and stadiums.  And I cannot wait to see what kind of treatment he gets during All-Star weekend.

Happy Birthday!  The Big 4-0!

Derek Jeter 2014 Topps Series 1 Subset – ‘Super Veterans’

Derek Jeter 2014 Topps Series 1 Subset – ‘Super Veterans’

When I got back into the hobby of baseball card collecting in the summer of 2008, my goal was to pay homage to the players that helped build my love for the game and the hobby.

The first subset I put together that helped me with that cause was the ‘Super Veterans’ subset from the 1983 Topps baseball card set.  This set is a beauty and it highlights the true legends of the game as their careers were winding down.

For the last few years, I have actively been begging Topps to bring this subset back and pay honor to today’s ‘Super Veterans’.  And while I cannot confirm that they obliged my request, I was very excited to see that a 15-card ‘Super Veterans’ subset was part of the 2014 Topps Series 1 release.

I am building the set now.  Here is the card of Jeter:

 

As we all know, the 2014 baseball season will be Derek Jeter’s final season in the major leagues.

Entering the 2014 season, Jeter was set to climb the ladder of the all-time hits list.  He entered the season with 3,316 career hits, good for 11th place.  He is the all-time Yankees leader in career hits.

Jeter is a 13-time All-Star and was the winner of the 1996 AL ROY Award.  He has captured 5 Silver Slugger awards during his career while also picking up 5 Gold Glove awards for defensive excellence at shortstop.

Jeter is the winner of 5 World Series championship rings and has appeared in the playoffs in 16 of his 20 professional seasons.

2014 Topps Series 1 “Topps All Rookie Cup Team” – Derek Jeter

2014 Topps Series 1 “Topps All Rookie Cup Team” – Derek Jeter

Topps’ All-Rookie Team means a lot of different things to a lot of different collectors.  But, one thing is for certain – If your card is tagged with the All-Rookie Team logo, you did something during your first season in the big leagues to make yourself stand out from the rest.

And for that reason alone, I can totally support a set of cards that picks ‘The Best Of The Best’ from these teams.

In 2014, Topps issued a subset in their Series 1 release that took one player at each position, naming them to the ‘Topps All Rookie Cup Team’.

Representing the catcher is Derek Jeter:

 

While he played in 15 games during the 1995 baseball season, 1996 is known as Derek Jeter’s rookie campaign.

And it was superb!!  Jeter nabbed the AL ROY Award with his .314 batting average and .370 on-base percentage.  He connected for 183 hits in that season including 25 doubles, 6 triples, and 10 home runs.  He also stole 14 bases en route to scoring 104 runs and driving in 78.  In 654 plate appearances, Jeter struck out 102 times while drawing 48 walks.

 

Derek Jeter Moves Into Eighth Place On The All-time Hits List Passing Paul Molitor

Derek Jeter Moves Into Eighth Place On The All-time Hits List Passing Paul Molitor

From CBSSports.com

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter moved into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time hits list on Sunday. He singled in the third inning to tie Paul Molitor, then he singled again in the fourth to jump over him.

Here is the all-time hit list at the moment:

1. Pete Rose – 4,256 hits
2. Ty Cobb – 4,189
3. Hank Aaron – 3,771
4. Stan Musial – 3,630
5. Tris Speaker – 3,514
6. Honus Wagner – 3,420
7. Carl Yastrzemski – 3,419
8. Derek Jeter – 3,320
9. Paul Molitor – 3,319
10. Eddie Collins – 3,315

With a great season, Jeter could jump Tris Speaker to take over fifth place all-time. Jeter is retiring after the season and looks likely to call it a career with at least the sixth most hits in baseball history. That is something else.

Coming into Sunday’s game, Jeter was 2-for-11 with four walks on the season. Had he not missed almost all of 2013 with leg and ankle problems, he’d have a chance to finish his career as high as third place on the all-time hits list.

Cap Anson, who played during the 1800s, retired with 3,435 career hits, but pre-1900 hit totals are not recognized due to the unreliability of the information.

Derek Jeter 2014 Topps ‘All Rookie Cup Team’

Derek Jeter 2014 Topps ‘All Rookie Cup Team’

While I have every intention of going after this full subset in the coming weeks, I pulled this card from a pack of cards and have set it aside for my small Derek Jeter collection.

I am not planning on investing heavily(time or money) into Jeter, but if I pull anything out of packs, I will keep them.  And maybe in time, I will go back and try to grab a few more Jeter cards that appeal to me.

Like this one does…  From the 2014 Topps Series 1 ‘All Rookie Cup Team’.

Have a look:

 

I love the card design of this subset.  And even with quite a bit of empty space, the look works.  And it also complements the Yankees’ color scheme exceptionally well.

And now, I am ready to go after the full set!!

Derek Jeter 2014 Topps – Base Card

Derek Jeter 2014 Topps – Base Card

In the wake of Derek Jeter announcing that the 2014 baseball season would be his final year as a major league player, I thought that it was only fitting to feature his card from the 2014 Topps Series 1 base set as the first single that I show off from this set.

I was not at all surprised to find Derek Jeter on the 2014 Topps Series 1 checklist.  He has earned the right to be included in each and every baseball card set produced until he retires.  And Topps will more than likely give that to us.

I do, however, think that inserting Jeter into Series 2 would have been a better idea.  Series 1 tends to be a bit more about the young player and possible rookies that will impact the game.  And Series 2 is more about the current position of the league and its stars.  Since Jeter suited up and played in just 17 games in 2013 due to injury, I think his spot in the Series 1 release could have been given to a more deserving young prospect allowing for DJ to make his debut in Series 2, which comes out when he will be back on the field.

Still, I will NEVER complain about adding another card of the Yankees captain to my collection.

Here is his base card from the 2014 Topps Series 1 release: