Derek Sanderson Jeter (born June 26, 1974 in Pequannock, NJ) is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who has played his entire career for the New York Yankees, wearing #2, and has served as the Yankees' team captain since 2003. Jeter's presence in the Yankees' lineup, highlighted by his hitting prowess, played an instrumental role in the team's late 1990s dynasty. Jeter debuted in the Major Leagues in 1995.

The following year, he won the Rookie of the Year Award and helped the Yankees win the 1996 World Series. Jeter was also a member of championship-winning teams in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. In 2000, Jeter became the only player in history to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in the same year.

He has been selected as an All-Star twelve times, won the Silver Slugger award four times, and the Gold Glove award on five occasions. He is regarded as a consummate professional by teammates and opponents alike, and has a reputation as a reliable contributor in the postseason. Jeter has a career .309 postseason batting average, with 18 home runs and 50 RBIs.

Except for 2008, the Yankees have been to the playoffs every year since Jeter joined the team. Though Jeter is a right-handed hitter, his signature inside-out swing has driven a large portion of hits up the middle, to center and right field, a trend that has remained consistent throughout his career. He has more home runs to the opposite field than to center or to left, using his swing to take advantage of the the short right-field fences at both the old and new Yankee Stadiums.

On August 16, 2009, against the Seattle Mariners, Jeter doubled down the right-field line for his 2,675th hit as a shortstop, breaking Luis Aparicio's previous record for the most hits by a shortstop in major league history. On September 11, 2009, against the Baltimore Orioles, Jeter passed Lou Gehrig's 2,721 and became the Yankees' all-time hits leader. On July 9, 2011, against the Tampa Bay Rays, Jeter became the 28th player in baseball history and the first Yankee to reach the 3,000 Hit Club milestone (3,000 regular season career hits).

He achieved the feat with a home run, a distinction previously held only by Wade Boggs of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and while recording a 5-hit game, which only Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros had done prior. (Jeter's last hit of the day was a game-winner, while Biggio went 5-for-6 and was called out trying to stretch a single into a double.) Many players and coaches consider Jeter to be one of the best players of his generation and one of the most consistent baseball players of all time. He has an average of 194 hits per year over 152 games played, and his .317 career batting average through the 2009 season ranks as the fifth-highest among active players.

He has been among the American League (AL) leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years. In addition to being the Yankee and shortstop all-time hits leader, Jeter also has the most career hits of any active Major League player. On May 28, 2011, Jeter also broke Rickey Henderson's franchise record for stolen bases when he stole his 327th base against the Mariners.

He is also noted for his longevity. The average career length for a professional baseball player is 5.6 seasons. As of the 2011 season, Jeter's career has spanned 17 seasons.

Jeter was inspired to play baseball by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. In high school, he was a star baseball player at Kalamazoo Central High School, where he also played basketball, earning an All-State honorable mention. In 2003, Jeter was inducted into the Kalamazoo Central High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

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