Derek Sanderson Jeter (pron-en?d?i?t?r; born June 26, 1974) is an American professional baseball player. He is a Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop who has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He has served as the Yankees team captain (Major League Baseball team captains) since 2003. Jeters presence in the Yankees lineup, highlighted by his hitting prowess, played an instrumental role in the teams late 1990s dynasty (dynasty (sports)).

Jeter debuted in the Major Leagues in 1995, and the following year he won the Rookie of the Year Award (Major League Baseball 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 (1998 World Series), 1999 (1999 World Series), 2000 (2000 World Series), and 2009 (2009 World Series). In 2000, Jeter became the only player to win both the All-Star Game MVP Award (Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award) and the World Series MVP Award (World Series Most Valuable Player Award) in the same year. He has been selected as an All-Star (Major League Baseball All-Star Game) ten times, and he has won the Silver Slugger (Silver Slugger Award) and Gold Glove (Rawlings Gold Glove Award) awards on four occasions. He is regarded as a consummate professional, by teammates and opponents alike, and has a reputation as a reliable contributor in the postseason (Major League Baseball postseason).

Jeter is considered to be one of the best players of his generation. He is the all-time hits (Hit (baseball)) leader among shortstops 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. He is the all-time Yankees hit leader, passing Hall of Fame (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum) member Lou Gehrig in 2009.