Derek Jeter Remains Humble in Push for 3,000 Hits

Following a rocky offseason of contract disputes, New York Yankee's Captain Derek Jeter entered the 2011 major league season with 2,926 hits, just 74 shy of gaining entry into baseball's elite 3,000 hit club. Despite a slow start offensively, Jeter seems poised to reach that number well before the season's end.

Safely assuming that Jeter reaches the milestone, he would become the 22^nd player to record 3,000 hits, and the only one to do so in a Yankees uniform. This is a striking fact, considering that the Yankees have won 27 championships and inducted close to 40 players into the Hall of Fame. The list of memorable Yankee sluggers who fell short of 3,000 hits reads like a "who's who" of baseball greats: Babe Ruth (2,873), Lou Gehrig (2,721), Mickey Mantle (2,415), and Joe DiMaggio (2,214), just to name a few.

In 2010, Jeter had the worst statistical year of his career, batting just .270 and barely cracking double digits with home runs, hitting only 10. But the bigger disappointment for the Captain was failing to bring home a 28^th championship to New York. In a city that expects greatness, Jeter feels right at home. Since his first major league hit back on May 30, 1995, he has publicly shied away from individual statistics and comparisons. Derek wants to win, at any cost. If he steps up to the plate for his final at bat of the season with 2,999 hits and the situation warrants a sacrifice bunt, don't be surprised to see him lay one down.

When Derek Jeter finally does reach hit number 3,000 fans can appreciate the absence of an asterisk next to his name in the record books, something that is becoming a rarity in the modern baseball era. His avoidance of performance enhancing drugs or other league policy violations en route to achieving this milestone just further solidify Jeter's accomplishments. Last August, teammate Alex Rodriguez reached his own milestone by hitting career home run number 600, a story which became muddled amidst steroid accusations. When both storied careers are over, A-Rod will no doubt have the flashier numbers, but only because Jeter's pride and selflessness cannot be measured statistically.

Does reaching 3,000 hits even matter to Jeter? Of course it does. "I've always been one to shy away from anything that was personal because I really didn't like the focus to be on me. But I think it's something that should be appreciated," he stated in a preseason interview.

Baseball gurus are predicting that Jeter will reach the magic number sometime around mid-June, right around the time he celebrates his 37^th birthday. Others have already begun to speculate whether he might rack up 4,000 hits, something achieved by only two players in major league history, Ty Cobb and Pete Rose. Both of their legacies were clouded by controversy (Cobb's for bigotry and racism, and Rose's for gambling on baseball.) Thus far in his career, Derek Jeter has managed to avoid the negative publicity that haunts so many professional athletes. Will his 3,000^th hit erase the scandals and steroid-fueled sagas that have defined the sport of baseball in recent years? No. But from a fan's perspective, watching Jeter humbly enter the record books asterisk-free certainly will feel refreshing.

Sources: baseball-reference.com
Mathews, Wallace. Derek Jeter Eye's 3,000 Hits, espn.com