Jeter Off to Hot Start

Derek Jeter, a future 1^st-ballot Hall of Famer, is off to a great start this year after many of his critics said he should retire and hang up the spikes. The 37-year old shortstop, who has been a hero around New York throughout his 17-year career for the Yankees, is arguably one of the best Yankees ever to play.

The captain of the Yankees has accomplished so much in his amazing career, including winning 5 World Series, 5 gold gloves , and 12 all-star team selections.

Jeter posted his 3,000th hit last season during a down year to be one of 28 players to achieve this milestone. He has an overall career batting average of .313. Last year, his batting average was significantly lower than usual at .297. This year, through almost 2 months, Jeter is hitting .341 and has 5 home runs, one fewer than he hit all of last year.

Jeter keeps moving up the ladder of the all-time hit leaders and is now tied at number 15 on that list. He has the most career hits of all active players and is the only active player with 3,000 hits. He is 1,000 hits away from the all-time hit leader Pete Rose.

If he keeps up this high level of play this season, he could finally win his first Most Valuable Player award and make his 13th all-star game. If Jeter can keep up his high level of play and avoid sustaining injuries, he could also lead the Yankees to their 28th World Series title as well.

Most baseball fans are excited to see if he can keep playing at this level while getting older. Derek Jeter is definitely going to break many more records, but everyone is excited to see if he can pass the great Pete Rose for the most hits all time.