Derek Jeter - A Yankee Legend... But Whats Next for New York

Last Wednesday at around 2 PM, Yankee fans across the world were shocked to find out the sad news that the 2014 Season would be Jeter's last.  Jeter announced this with a 13 paragraph letter on his facebook page reminiscing on the great times he has had being a Yankee, thanking all of the people that helped him get to the point.  He included the fans stating that although New York may be a "tough, invasive, critical and demanding environment" that the fans have always loved, respected, and been there for him.  However he also stated that when baseball started to feel like a job, that would be when it was time to move forward and with all of the injuries last year that is really how he has started to feel  and that he is now 100% sure know that this season will be his last. 

            It all started for Jeter and the Yankees during the 1992 draft when not only the Astros passed on Jeter, but the Reds who were almost a lock to take Jeter with the 5th pick, passed on him for Outfielder Chad Mottola, who never played more then 60 games for the Reds. At this point Jeter unexpectedly came to the realization that his lifelong dream of becoming the Shortstop of the New York Yankees, was very close to becoming a reality as the Yankees immediately took him with the 6th pick.  

            Although Jeter had a rough first year in the minors, constantly calling his parents and high school girlfriend about how homesick he is, how it was all a mistake, that he couldn’t play with the big guys at such a young age and that he should have taken the scholarship to Michigan, after that rough first year Jeter began to shoot up through the minor leagues.  His coaches said that with each level he went up to that it almost seemed he was getting better as he went along.  One thing that one of his coaches was particularly impressed with was how he could take something he learned during practice and bring it into the game the next day while most players could take months if not a couple of years to bring it into the games.  Another thing a lot of the coaches noticed was that Jeter never looked fazed by anything.  Even if he was hurting on the inside at times during that first year, no one ever knew. Jeter just kept on working hard and whether he was in a slump or on a hot streak, his attitude of wanting to get better and do whatever he can do to help the team win just never changed.  This was contrary to Brien Taylor, the first round pick the year before Jeter, the left handed pitcher with a upper 90’s fastball, who was a nervous wreck from day one.  Taylor was never able to just be one of the guys and his 1.5 million dollar signing bonus never made it past AA.

            Jeter made a lasting impression on the Yankees when on Opening Day of 1996  (the Yankees had had 6 different opening day shortstops in 6 years) after getting the starting Shortstop Job out of Spring Training due to an injury to Tony Fernandez, hit a Homerun and had made three incredible defensive plays that would have made Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith Proud.  Although he was never guaranteed to have the job past June, with his outstanding play he won the starting Job for good (and he has had it for the last 19 seasons). Jeter first saw October Magic in the Bronx when a fly ball to right field turned into a game tying homerun in the 8th inning of game 1 of the ALCS when 12 year old Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall to take it away from Orioles Right Fielder Tony Tarasco and brought it into the right field stand for a homerun.   He went on to win Rookie of the Year and the Yankees won their first World Series in 18 years (an eternity in Yankee Time) in 6 games vs. The defending Champion Braves.

            Although the Yankees did not win it all in ’97 they did so in ’98 and ‘99 as Jeter along with A-Rod and Nomar Garciaparra were re-defining the Shortstop position itself.  Before the shortstop position was usually for short guys who could play defense but with guys like Jeter and Nomar it was becoming for guys over 6 feet who could also hit the ball for average and power.

            2000 was a special year for Derek as he became the first player to win the All Star Game MVP and the World Series MVP in the same year.  Jeter led the Yanks to  4-1 Subway Series win over the Mets with a .409 average and two homeruns including a leadoff Homerun in Game 4 and a classic Jeter Relay throw in Game 1 to nail a runner out at the plate.  

            2001 was a year that would not only be remembered for Derek but for the city of New York. After 9/11 the city really rallied around the Yankees as they entered the postseason.  With the Yankees down 2 games to none on Oakland, the Yankees were up 1-0 when Right Fielder missed both cut off men and it looked as if Jeremy Giambi was going to tie the game when out of nowhere Jeter come running down the first base line and flipped the ball to Posada for the out.  This became another play that was really the epitome of what type of player Derek Jeter was.  With a man on first and a ball hit down the line to right field the shortstop cover second base however after the hitter passes third most shortstops will just stay there. However Jeter had the ridiculous heads up play of going to be the third cut off man in case the right fielder missed not one but two cut off men.  However that is exactly what happened and Jeter having the heads up to do something no coach would ever taught, turned into as the commentator put it “That is one of the greatest plays you will ever see by a Shortstop!” In game 5 Jeter once again showed his selflessness as he dove into the crowd to make in out.   Jeter became Mr. November as he hit a game winning home run in Game 4 of the World Series vs. the Diamondbacks at midnight on November 1st, the first ever World Series game played in November.  Unfortunately the Yankees went on to lose the Series in 7 as Pettite’s pitches were allegedly tipped in Game 6 and A bloop hit off Mariano’s cutter won it for the Diamondbacks in the 9th inning of Game 7.

            The next few years resulted in early playoff exits for the Yankees and no rings. However in 2003 a year where the Yankees did once again reach the World Series Derek Jeter became the first Yankee to be named Captain since Don Mattingly, an honor shared with other Yankee greats such as Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, and Ron Guidry.

            In 2004 Jeter’s career would be changed forever.  After Aaron Boone was released due to an ACL injury suffered during a pickup basketball game Yankees GM Brian Cashman sent away Second Basemen Alfonso Soriano for All-Star Shortstop Alex Rodriguez.  Although many Yankee fans may have seem thrilled about the new addition who make the switch to Third Base to play along side Jeter, Derek was not as thrilled.  In The late 90’s A-Rod and Jeter were the best of friends, to the point where teammates would make fun of them as if they were a married couple.  However in 2000, A-Rod publically bashed Jeter saying that when teams play the Yankees you aren’t trying to let Jeter beat you, you are afraid of guys like Bernie, Tino, and Paul O’Neil.  Jeter had never forgiven A-Rod. Alex went all the way to Jeter’s house and stood outside for hours trying to apologize but not once did Jeter let him in.  With Jeter, once you break his trust just once, he will never truly let you back in on his inner circle, and that is what happened with Alex.  Alex was also a huge problem in the club house, he really divided it up due to his selfishness.  A-Rod would have the Clubhouse boys run ridiculous errands for him that other players would just do on their own. Torre once told A-Rod, “Why don’t you at least get your own coffee,” so that is exactly what Alex did, however as Torre said, “he just didn’t get the point.” Jeter’s Long time Minor league friend R.D. Long called Jeter to tell him that he believed with A-Rod in pinstripes the Yankees would not win another World Championship.

            R.D.’s prediction came true until February of 2009 when R.D. called Jeter to tell him that his luck may be changing.  That was when A-Rod was caught for taking steroids. Long thought that that would change A-Rods ego, and change him as a man and it did just that.  Alex finally started to play for the team, he was finally hitting in the playoffs such as some clutch Home Runs vs. the Twins and the Phillies which eventually led to Jeter finally getting his 5th championship. Earlier that year, Jeter got his 2,722 hit as a Yankee, which would pass Lou Gehrig to become the All-Time hits leader in pinstripes.

            On July 9, 2011 Jeter recorded his 3000 hit with a homerun off David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, he had five hits that day and his last hit proved to be the game winning hit.  He is the only member of the 3000 hit club to get all of them with the Yankees and the only one to get his 3000 hit while in a Yankee uniform.  Long time Teammate and friend of Derek, Jorge Posada, one of the original members of the core four retired that year. 2012 was a great year for Derek, he proved all of the critics wrong that thought he was old and washed up by leading the league with 216 hits and as manger Joe Giraridi said “Jeter looks like he is 25 years old.”  After hitting .364 in the ALDS, Jeter fractured his left ankle in the 12th inning of Game 1 of the ALCS, ending his season. Jeter was expected to recover in 4 to 5 months however Jeter fractured it once again in spring training and due to another number of leg injuries such as quad and calf strains after trying to come back Derek played only 17 games in 2013 hitting a dismal .190.

            Due to all of the injuries, Jeter decided that after this season it was finally his time to leave the game of baseball.  However Jeter still believes that he can play at the elite level that he has been playing all of these years despite all of the injuries and old age.  He says still wants to play everyday at short and help lead the Yankees to a 28th World Championship, which would be his 6th.  Although a disappointing 2013 Season in which they missed the playoffs for only the second time since 1995, the Yankees are totally revamped. Ace C.C. Sabathia is looking to have a bounce back year after a his low of only 14 wins with the Yankees, Pineda is finally healthy and looking to show the Yankees the same stuff he did when he was an all-star as a rookie in 2011, and Mark Teixeira is back off a wrist injury.  Also many marquee free agent signings headlined by Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka and hitters such as Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, and catcher Brian McCann try to help the Yankees go back to being the Yankees. Also with the A-Rod media frenzy gone the Yankees can finally just focus on winning games. Another advantage to the absence of A-Rod is that the clubhouse going to be in a lot better shape.  Jeter is expected to have the same reception and treatment around the league that closer Mariano Rivera did last year however there is one thing that he looks to do in his last year that Rivera did not do in his last year and that is to have a deep playoff run and on last World Championship. 

            After Jeter, for the Yankees it seems that they may have to turn to Teixeira and Sabathia to become the new leaders in the clubhouse.  Not too long ago they were new free agents signed that looked to members of the core four for help. They are also starting to become too old and past their primes to truly be the face of the Yankee organization.  Also new free agent signings such as Brian McCann could fill leadership roles due to his competitive and fiery spirit he showed with the Braves, starting two major confrontations last year alone.  Also Masahiro Tanaka if he is what he is supposed to be, and so far in camp all the players are so impressed with not only how nasty his stuff is(pitches), but how well he is able to handle the New York spotlight and how he is really able to thrive under it, could also become one of the new faces of the Yankee franchise.

            There has been much speculation over whether the Yankees would ever lure away Bryce Harper or Mike Trout away from their teams, however Harper seems like a player that would stay with the Nationals, just not the type of player to leave the organization that drafted him for the Yankees, and there are rumors that Trout and the Angels are discussing a 6 year, 150 million dollar contract.  One option is Troy Tulowitzki. Troy grew up a fan of Derek and the Yanks, he wears the #2 and plays shortstop in honor of Jeter, and on to of that he is a free agent at the end of the 2014 season and there is no doubt that it would be a dream of his to take the place of his childhood idol, and possibly become the face of the Yankee franchise.

            As for Jeter after Baseball he said in his letter that he would like to do business and philanthropy, he would like to have other goals in life and move at his own pace. He says he would like to start a family and have a summer vacation for once.  On an interesting note in a 2006 interview with Chris Myers, Jeter stated that after baseball he wouldn’t really be interested in managing or broadcasting, but he would be interested in owning a team.  Now the speculation may begin, will Jeter one day own the Yankees his childhood team.  With it clear that Hal Steinbrenner is simply not the owner that his Dad was and not knowing how long he really wants to be owning the Yankees you begin to wonder wouldn’t there be no better to hand over the reigns of the Yankees over then to Derek Jeter himself.

            It would a very interesting next chapter for the Yankees, with or without Jeter but for now all eyes are on Jeter as he enters his final season in the Bronx.  Opening Day will be April 7th vs. the Orioles, and his last Regular Season game in the Bronx will be against that same team on September 25th and his last Regular Season game in the big leagues will be September 28th vs. the Red Sox in Fenway.