Joba Belongs In Rotation

New York Yankees young hurler Joba Chamberlain should be used as a starter in 2009. At least until it is proven that Chamberlain cannot handle the work load.

It is not rocket science. The more innings a pitcher logs, the more valuable he is to his team.

Now that the Yankees have officially brought back Andy Pettitte on a one-year deal, though, the Joba Debate has again hit the front burner. Some fans and writers theorize that the addition of Pettitte—combined with the depth of Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves—opens up the gates for Chamberlain to move back into a relief role, where he has been dominant bridging the gap to Mariano Rivera to this point of his young career.

Not so fast.

New York general manager Brian Cashman informed Chamberlain in November that he will begin the year in a starting role—where he can add the most value to his club. The flamethrowing right-hander, outside of his brilliant run pitching high-leverage situations for the Yankees in 2007, has been a starter for most of his life, from his days as a prep/collegiate pitcher in Nebraska to his time in the minors.

There are certainly concerns about whether or not Chamberlain can remain durable pitching more than 150-plus innings. At such a young age, it is obviously in the Yankees’ best interest to be conservative with such a rare talent; hence the Joba Rules. Those in the relief camp cite this as key factor in their argument, saying that he is more likely to remain healthy pitching in the bullpen, where there will be less of a toll on his arm. He also has the make-up to close, they say, and is a potential successor to Rivera, who unseated John Wetteland after he left the organization following the Yanks’ World Series championship in 1996, as the closer in the Bronx. He certainly proved himself to be a worthy future closing candidate in ’07, when he posted a 0.38 ERA, 1,192 ERA+, 1.82 FIP, fielding independent pitching, clip and 0.750 WHIP in 24.0 innings pitched. The youngster quickly became a Yankee fan favorite, as the fans were enthralled by his demeanor, mid-90s heat, intensity and tremendous success. He did what any team wants out of a reliever, avoiding home runs and walks while missing bats; he struck out 12.75 hitters per nine innings, with 34 Ks against only six walks.

While there are legitimate injury concerns and Rivera cannot possibly pitch so effectively forever, though, why not give Chamberlain the chance to prove that he can handle the workload and stress on his arm that comes from pitching every fifth day? The bottom line is this: a pitcher with his stuff and talent could emerge as an elite front-line arm, adding depth to a pitching staff that is already among the best in the league. Even an average starter adds more value over the course of a regular season than a plus relief man, which is really the main thing to consider here.

Chamberlain, though, has a chance to be special even at this stage. Although it was a small sample size, he was effective taking the hill in the early innings in 2008. In 12 starts, he struck out 74, against 25 walks, while posting a 2.76 ERA in 65.1 innings pitched. Overall, he was again a dominant force in Pinstripes, producing rates of 10.58 K/9 and 0.45 HR/9 in 42 total appearances combined between both roles. The 23-year-old right-hander finished the year with a 2.60 ERA, 171 ERA+ and 2.65 FIP mark.

While injuries held him back, Chamberlain was lights-out when he was on the hill. His stuff is just off the charts. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder threw his fastball 62.3 percent of the time in ’08, averaging 95.0 MPH on the radar gun. He mixed in a slider (avg velocity: 85.1) 25.2 percent of the time, and also flashed a curveball and changeup. While he certainly would throw with more velocity in short bursts (97.0 MPH avg fastball MPH as a reliever in ’07), he has shown the ability to sit in the low-to-mid-90s for multiple innings.

What GM would not give a pitcher with that stuff a chance to start if they can handle the duty? Sure, the Yankees have some other options, with less depth in its relief corps. However, the American League East is a division that may end up being decided by which is team is least affected by injuries, especially when it comes to starting pitching. It is unlikely that every pitcher penciled in the New York five will avoid going to a DL at some point. Whether it is the injury-prone A.J. Burnett or even Chamberlain, an arm will go down. It is a numbers game, though. Having more options prepares the Yanks better for any potential injury situation. Aceves is not exactly a sure thing to replicate his success, either, and there is no telling what New York will get from talented-but-inexperienced Hughes.

Plus, Chamberlain is good enough to emerge as one of the best starters on the roster as he continues to get more seasoning at the major league level. One good thing about the return of Pettitte and the other free-agent signings, though, is that he will not need to be. He can be put in a four or five spot, potentially missing a few starts here or there to limit his innings. If he does indeed get injured, he can always go back to relieving, regaining his title as the successor to Rivera. The all-time great closer is amazingly coming off one of his best stints ever at 39 years old, though, and still has a few years left in him.

In the meantime, the Yankees have the opportunity to see if they have something special in Chamberlain. Thus, there is no rush. He would have to be dominant in the pen to provide more value than if was even an average starter; the Yankees, therefore, have a much greater chance of winning the AL East with him in the rotation.

Most relievers are relievers for a reason: they could not cut it in a starting role, either due to arm trouble or ineffectiveness. The verdict is still out on whether or not Chamberlain falls into that category. The Yankees are doing the right thing.

Thursday Links:
Want to be a GM? Well, check out MLB Front Office Manager from 2K Sports. This looks like a really fun video game. Billy Beane is the perfect guy to be on the cover, but will there be a Front Office Manager curse?

Will McDonald offers his take on the Zack Greinke extension here.

Desmond Jennings was ranked as the third-best hitting prospect in the Rays system over at RaysProspects.com. Andrew Leslie has a nice profile on Jennings, who was recently named by Keith Law as one of the premier outfield prospects in the game.

Leslie writes,

"Jennings’ tools all rate as average or better. An excellent defensive outfielder, Jennings uses his elite speed to chase down balls in center and has an average arm. At the plate he has the ability to drive the ball to all fields and has some power potential, although it has not shown up in games yet. Jennings’ strike zone judgment is also exceptional as he works counts well and isn’t afraid to take a walk. His willingness to take pitches and get on base coupled with elite speed makes Jennings a model leadoff hitter."

If Jennings can stay healthy, he is going to be a special talent. I am anxious to see what 2009 will hold in store for him.

Poster rglass44 takes a look at the 2009 projections for Tampa Bay relievers over at DRaysBay.

Dany Perry comes up with some potential suitors for Ben Sheets in his article over at Fox.

Back at it with another edition of Around The Majors tomorrow. Devin Mesoraco, the Reds' first-round pick in 2007, is scheduled to come on as a guest. The show is at 1:00 Eastern on Thursday. Use the media player to listen live.

Pettitte holding onto his pinstripes

NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte never needed to hear the offers that might have awaited him in free agency. He had decided that by the time winter turned to spring, he would have somehow wound up back with the Yankees.
It took longer than expected, but Pettitte has finally crossed the finish line. The veteran left-hander agreed Monday to a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Yankees, with incentives that could push the total value of the deal to $12 million.

"There was no other team ever brought into the equation," Pettitte said. "My mind never changed. I wanted to come back to the Yankees, and in my mind, I was going to be back."

Discussions between Pettitte's representatives and general manager Brian Cashman had continued for weeks, with both sides insistent that they wanted to work out a deal. But, as Cashman said at one point, it had grown more complicated.

"Andy said every step of the way that he wanted to be a Yankee," Cashman said. "I remember him telling me at one point in this process, 'Cash, if you guys want me back, we will find a way to get this thing done.' He honored that."

While the negotiations were described as cordial, the two sides had one major stumbling block to get past. The 36-year-old's agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, advised Pettitte that the Yankees' initial offer -- one year at $10.5 million -- represented too large of a pay cut it represents from the $16 million he earned in each of the last two seasons.

Pettitte said that he believed Cashman's word that the Yankees wanted him back, and once he had decided to pitch in November, he decided that it would only be for the Yankees.

He did check in with Joe Torre at one point about possible relocation out west, but even the Dodgers manager expected Pettitte would eventually hammer something out in New York.

"I felt quite sure that one way or the other, we were going to get something worked out," Pettitte said. "I'd be lying if I didn't say, 'Heck, is this going to ever get done?' It was taking so long. I was very impatient, and it tried my patience. But I just trusted that things would work out."

Though Randy Hendricks said that he was certain Pettitte could have found more money in free agency, he was tethered to his client's wishes of pitching for only the Yankees. Pettitte isn't thrilled about the pay cut, but the end destination is what he was more concerned with.

"I guess it does take a shot at your pride a little bit," Pettitte said. "But when you put all that aside, I wanted to play for the New York Yankees. That was the bottom line. I wanted to be there and play in that new stadium."

The Yankees remained unwilling to budge from the neighborhood of their original offer, exhibiting tight wallets in harsh contrast to the $423.5 million in combined commitments that wooed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira.

After the Yankees inked Teixeira to an eight-year, $180 million deal two days before Christmas, even Pettitte began to wonder if there would be anything left in the organization's coffers for him.
Had Pettitte not agreed to get creative with the structure of his deal, there might not have been. After completing business at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, Cashman met with Pettitte face-to-face in Houston on Dec. 11, a detour that set the negotiations back on track.
There, Pettitte informed Cashman that he had "absolutely no problem" with the idea of an incentive-based contract, a concept that the Steinbrenners signed off on. With less than three weeks remaining before Yankees pitchers and catchers report to Tampa, Fla., Hendricks called Pettitte and informed him that the club had made its last offer.
"I think Cash and I both knew that if we don't get it done now, we'll probably never get it done, and time will pass this by," Hendricks said. "We just made a committed effort to roll up our sleeves and put a pencil to everything."
Pettitte said that, having heard the final parameters, his response did not require much thought.
"We were at the end of the line and I needed to make a decision," Pettitte said. "I'm extremely happy to be coming back."
Hendricks was asked if his camp had any regrets in not taking the original flat offer of $10.5 million, which would have represented a $5.5 million cut. Instead, Pettitte is taking a gamble by decreasing his base pay by $10.5 million.
"I think time will tell," Hendricks said. "If in fact Andy does in 2009 what he's done before, he'll actually make more money, so in that case we'll have no regrets. If things go wrong, we might be in a position to say we should have taken the left fork in the road."
If Pettitte remains healthy and performs to caliber, an increase should be reachable. Last season, Pettitte was 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA in 33 starts last season and has logged at least 200 innings in four straight seasons.
But he was hampered by a shoulder injury that forced him to falter down the stretch last year, going 2-7 with a 6.23 ERA over his last 11 starts. The Yankees ordered a medical exam on Pettitte late in September and were pleasantly surprised when it came back clean, with only rest needed to restore Pettitte's strength.
Pettitte slots in as the likely fourth starter in a rotation that will be headlined by Sabathia and Burnett. Chien-Ming Wang is expected to serve as the No. 3 starter, coming back from his season-ending foot injury, and Joba Chamberlain rounds out the rotation as the No. 5 starter.
"I'm very excited about it," Pettitte said. "With every signing that we did, for me, it was, 'OK, I'm coming back. I want to be part of this.' I just think that we're going to have an unbelievable staff."
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

New York Yankees

New York Yankees

"Yankees" redirects here. For defunct football teams of the same name, see New York Yankees (football). For other uses of "Yankees" or "Yankee",
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York. The Yankees are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, and moved to New York City in 1903, becoming known as the New York Highlanders before being officially renamed the "Yankees" in 1913.[3] From 1923 to 2008, the Yankees' home was Yankee Stadium. In 2009, they are scheduled to move into a new stadium, also to be called "Yankee Stadium".[4]

The Yankees lead Major League Baseball with 26 World Series championships and 39 American League Pennants. They have more championships than any other North American franchise in professional sports history, passing the 24 Stanley Cup championships by the Montreal Canadiens in 1999

David Wells calls Joe Torre a 'punk' for telling all in 'The Yankee Years'

David Wells, the author of both a perfect game and the literary classic "Perfect I'm Not," is an expert at causing a stir in the Yankees clubhouse with a tell-all tome.

That certainly didn't prevent the hefty lefty from lowering the Boomer Thursday on fellow writer Joe Torre in radio interviews on both coasts.

After first joking on New York's ESPN-1050 that he would "knock out" his former manager the next time he sees him, Wells, who himself was decked by a 5-7 patron of an upper East Side diner in 2002, amended that answer to say he would "just laugh" at Torre over the controversy created by the current Dodger skipper's book, "The Yankee Years."

Later in the day, Wells went on ESPN-710 in Los Angeles and similarly cracked that he would "punch Torre in the face" or "have a friend do it." He also called Torre "a punk" for breaking the sanctity of the clubhouse, a code he always preached as Yankees manager.

"What we do as athletes, that's our problem and our business. And a lot of guys have come out and destroyed that," Wells said on the L.A. station. "That's why they don't have any friends. … People just don't do it, and that's what Joe did.

"When you break the code, you're a punk. If he broke the code, he's a punk, absolutely."

In Wells' book, "Perfect I'm Not: Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches and Baseball" - released before the 2003 season - he wrote that he pitched his May 1998 perfect game "half-drunk," but later claimed to have been misquoted often in his ghostwritten autobiography.

Wells said Torre informed him then that he was responsible for the contents of the book because his "name was on the cover," and the lefty insisted the Yankees fined him a sum larger than the widely reported $100,000 for writing it.

"Well, it was 165 (thousand). I wish it was 100, but it was somewhere in that range," Wells said on the Michael Kay Show on ESPN-1050. "Joe ran his thing, he called guys out from time to time. But it's just something you do indoors. He says you'll never hear anything from him in the media or in the paper. And that was BS."

In his soon-to-be-released book, co-written with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, Torre takes swipes at Alex Rodriguez as well as GM Brian Cashman and others in the team's front office over his departure following the 2007 season.

"He's always saying, 'Boomer being Boomer.' Well, this is Joe being Joe," Wells said.

Torre also is quoted as saying, "The difference between Kevin Brown and David Wells is that both make your life miserable, but David Wells meant to."

New York Yankees Derek Jeter postgame interview

Derek Jeter

Derek Sanderson Jeter (pronounced /ˈʤitɚ/, born June 26, 1974 in Pequannock Township, New Jersey) is an American Major League Baseball player. Jeter is a nine-time All-Star shortstop, and he is currently the captain of the New York Yankees.

Jeter has spent his entire career with the Yankees, beginning in 1995 when he was 20 years old. He has won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, a Silver Slugger Award, and three Gold Glove Awards. In 2000, he became the only player to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award in the same year. His .317 career batting average through the 2007 season ranks him with the 5th-highest lifetime batting average of all active baseball players. He has been in the top seven in the American League in both hits and runs scored for nine of the past ten years. During the 2000s he ranks second in the major leagues in hits (1,504), fourth in runs (857), and tied for seventh in batting average (.317) (stats accurate as of July 28, 2007).[1]

Early life
Jeter was born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey, at Chilton Hospital, to an African-American father, Dr. Sanderson Charles Jeter; his mother Dorothy is of Irish/German descent. The family lived in North Arlington, New Jersey, before moving to Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he was 4. He also has a sister named Sharlee. As a child his grandmother made him a passionate fan of his future team, the New York Yankees
The captain of the Yankees (2003–present)
In 2003, Jeter started the season by dislocating his left shoulder on opening day at the SkyDome in Toronto. With Jeter on first base and Jason Giambi at bat, Toronto used an extreme shift that left third base uncovered. Giambi hit a soft grounder to the pitcher, Roy Halladay, who threw to first baseman Carlos Delgado for an out. Jeter, seeing Toronto out of position, rounded second and ran to third. Toronto catcher Ken Huckaby ran up the line to cover third and fielded Delgado's throw. Jeter dived headfirst into the bag, while Huckaby attempted to catch the baseball and block Jeter from reaching third. In doing so, Huckaby fell onto Jeter, his shin guard driving into his shoulder.[10]

Jeter's shoulder popped out the front of the socket, and Yankee trainers and Blue Jay doctors tried to pop it back. After unsuccessfully attempting to reset his shoulder in the socket, Jeter was taken to the Yankees' clubhouse, where his shoulder was put back in place. Jeter, who had never played fewer than 148 games in the prior seven full seasons, was subsequently on the disabled list for six weeks, missing 36 games.[11] However, he still led the major leagues in batting average on balls in play that year (.380).[12]

Reaction of Yankee players, including Jeter, were highly critical of Huckaby's play, believing that Huckaby, a marginal player, had foolishly jeopardized the All-star shortstop's season. Willie Randolph, who was the Yankees' third-base coach, called Huckaby's play "unnecessary," while Enrique Wilson described it as a "dirty play."[13] Jeter was unsupportive of Huckaby, demurring when asked whether the play was dirty by ambiguously saying, "I don't know, it's tough." Jeter's perception of Huckaby's play became clear when Huckaby reported that Jeter was unresponsive to his apology. "He stonefaced me," Huckaby said. "He just stared at me. He didn't say one word."[14] On June 3 in Cincinnati, Jeter was named the 10th Captain in Yankees history
The New York Yankees named Jeter the 11th recognized captain in Yankees history on June 3, 2003, after 8 years without one (Dispute over the true count was noted in a lengthy article in the New York Times on March 25, 2007, by Vincent M. Mallozzi).[16] Jeter became the first official captain of the team since Don Mattingly retired in 1995. His contract, which has a total value of $189,000,000 is the 3rd largest contract in baseball history, behind two contracts of Alex Rodriguez.

The beginning of the 2004 season saw Jeter mired in a slump; on May 25, he was hitting only .189. This included a personal career record 0-for-32 skid in April. In June, however, Jeter broke out of his slump. He hit nearly .400 for the month and set a personal best with 9 home runs. He finished the season with a .292 average and 23 home runs, the 2nd most of his career, as well as 44 doubles.[5]

During a July 1, 2004, game against the rival Boston Red Sox, Jeter made a play which has helped perpetuate the perception of him as a clutch player. In the top of the 12th inning, with the score tied at 3, the Red Sox had runners on second and third with 2 outs and right fielder Trot Nixon up at bat. Nixon hit a pop fly down the left field line. Jeter ran from his position at shortshop and made an over-the-shoulder catch. In dramatic fashion he launched himself over the third base side railing, landing three rows into the left field seats, and lacerating his chin and bruising his face in the process. Jeter was later taken out of the game. This catch ended the inning and later the Yankees went on to win the game in the bottom of the 13th inning.[17] The "Dive" was awarded Play Of The Year in the This Year In Baseball awards competition, as voted on by fans at MLB.com. The play is also currently seen during the introduction of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

The question surrounding this play is whether the ball would have landed in fair territory. If the ball was fair and not caught, Nixon would have driven in two runs to put the Red Sox up 5-3. If the ball had landed foul, it simply would have been a strike. Either way, the play ended the inning, and helped the Yankees win. The third base umpire, Fieldin Culbreth, called it a fair ball.


The captain of the Yankees (2003–present)
In 2003, Jeter started the season by dislocating his left shoulder on opening day at the SkyDome in Toronto. With Jeter on first base and Jason Giambi at bat, Toronto used an extreme shift that left third base uncovered. Giambi hit a soft grounder to the pitcher, Roy Halladay, who threw to first baseman Carlos Delgado for an out. Jeter, seeing Toronto out of position, rounded second and ran to third. Toronto catcher Ken Huckaby ran up the line to cover third and fielded Delgado's throw. Jeter dived headfirst into the bag, while Huckaby attempted to catch the baseball and block Jeter from reaching third. In doing so, Huckaby fell onto Jeter, his shin guard driving into his shoulder.[10]

Jeter's shoulder popped out the front of the socket, and Yankee trainers and Blue Jay doctors tried to pop it back. After unsuccessfully attempting to reset his shoulder in the socket, Jeter was taken to the Yankees' clubhouse, where his shoulder was put back in place. Jeter, who had never played fewer than 148 games in the prior seven full seasons, was subsequently on the disabled list for six weeks, missing 36 games.[11] However, he still led the major leagues in batting average on balls in play that year (.380).[12]

Reaction of Yankee players, including Jeter, were highly critical of Huckaby's play, believing that Huckaby, a marginal player, had foolishly jeopardized the All-star shortstop's season. Willie Randolph, who was the Yankees' third-base coach, called Huckaby's play "unnecessary," while Enrique Wilson described it as a "dirty play."[13] Jeter was unsupportive of Huckaby, demurring when asked whether the play was dirty by ambiguously saying, "I don't know, it's tough." Jeter's perception of Huckaby's play became clear when Huckaby reported that Jeter was unresponsive to his apology. "He stonefaced me," Huckaby said. "He just stared at me. He didn't say one word."[14] On June 3 in Cincinnati, Jeter was named the 10th Captain in Yankees history
The New York Yankees named Jeter the 11th recognized captain in Yankees history on June 3, 2003, after 8 years without one (Dispute over the true count was noted in a lengthy article in the New York Times on March 25, 2007, by Vincent M. Mallozzi).[16] Jeter became the first official captain of the team since Don Mattingly retired in 1995. His contract, which has a total value of $189,000,000 is the 3rd largest contract in baseball history, behind two contracts of Alex Rodriguez.

The beginning of the 2004 season saw Jeter mired in a slump; on May 25, he was hitting only .189. This included a personal career record 0-for-32 skid in April. In June, however, Jeter broke out of his slump. He hit nearly .400 for the month and set a personal best with 9 home runs. He finished the season with a .292 average and 23 home runs, the 2nd most of his career, as well as 44 doubles.[5]

During a July 1, 2004, game against the rival Boston Red Sox, Jeter made a play which has helped perpetuate the perception of him as a clutch player. In the top of the 12th inning, with the score tied at 3, the Red Sox had runners on second and third with 2 outs and right fielder Trot Nixon up at bat. Nixon hit a pop fly down the left field line. Jeter ran from his position at shortshop and made an over-the-shoulder catch. In dramatic fashion he launched himself over the third base side railing, landing three rows into the left field seats, and lacerating his chin and bruising his face in the process. Jeter was later taken out of the game. This catch ended the inning and later the Yankees went on to win the game in the bottom of the 13th inning.[17] The "Dive" was awarded Play Of The Year in the This Year In Baseball awards competition, as voted on by fans at MLB.com. The play is also currently seen during the introduction of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

The question surrounding this play is whether the ball would have landed in fair territory. If the ball was fair and not caught, Nixon would have driven in two runs to put the Red Sox up 5-3. If the ball had landed foul, it simply would have been a strike. Either way, the play ended the inning, and helped the Yankees win. The third base umpire, Fieldin Culbreth, called it a fair ball.

In 2005 he was 2nd in the AL in runs (122) and batting average on balls in play (.394),[18] and 3rd in the league in at bats (654) and hits (202).

In 2006 Jeter led the major leagues in highest groundball/flyball ratio (3.23; 313/97) and batting average on balls in play (.394),[19] and tied for the American League lead in steals of third base (12). He was 2nd in the league in batting average (.343) and runs scored (118), 3rd in hits (214), SB success % (87.2), and batting average with runners in scoring position (.381), and 5th in infield hits (26).[20] He finished 2nd in American League MVP voting to Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins (320 points to 306 points). Jeter has finished in the top 10 in the MVP balloting 6 times in his 11 full seasons through 2006 (including also a 3rd place finish in 1998).

As of August 25, 2007, Derek was named the Face of the Yankees by staff and fan voters on ESPN.com. One day before the Yankees completed what was thought of as an improbable comeback by winning a playoff spot on September 26, Jeter reached 200 hits for the 6th season, and the third consecutive, tying former Yankee great Lou Gehrig.

In 2007, Jeter was 3rd in the AL in hits (203), 4th in at bats (639) and plate appearances (714), 6th in times on base (276), 7th in hit by pitch (14), and 9th in batting average (.322).[5] He also was involved in a career-high 104 double plays, and his 4.02 range factor was the lowest of all AL shortstops, and his .765 zone rating was the lowest among all major league shortstops.

2008 was a sub-par offensive year for Jeter. His slugging percentage was .410, his lowest since 1997. Some theorized that one possible cause for the slump was a May 20 game that saw Jeter get hit by a pitch on his wrist.[21] Before the injury, Jeter was hitting .324 with a .774 OPS. After the injury, his batting average dipped as low as .269 by the end of the month.

His offense took an upward turn after May as he hit .322 with a .824 OPS after June 1. Jeter was elected to his ninth All-Star game as the starting shortstop, batting in the 2-hole and going 1-for-3.

Derek tied the "Iron Horse" Lou Gehrig for the most hits at Yankee Stadium (1,269) with a home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price on September 14, 2008. On September 16 he went on to break the record off of the Chicago White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd.

Awards
9-time AL All-Star (1998-2002, 2004, 2006-2008)
4-time NY Yankees Player of the Year (1998-2000, 2006)
3-time AL Gold Glove Award (SS) (2004-06)
2-time Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (SS) (1999, 2004)
3-time AL Silver Slugger (SS) (2006-08)
South Atlantic League All-Star (SS) (1993)
Florida State League All-Star (SS) (1994)
Baseball America 1st Team Minor League All-Star (SS) (1994)
Minor League Player of the Year (1994)
NY Yankees Minor League Player of the Year (1994)
Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year (1994)
Florida State League Most Valuable Player (1994)
International League All-Star (SS) (1995)
AL Rookie of the Year (1996)
Babe Ruth Award (2000)
All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (2000)
World Series Most Valuable Player (2000)
TSN Award (SS) (2006)
Hank Aaron Award (2006)
This Year In Baseball Awards Top Hitter (2006)