Even though he was a little early to the party for Major League Baseball players earning insane salaries, Derek Jeter sure made a ton of money during his career with the New York Yankees and built a gigantic net worth.
One of the most famous and popular players in MLB history, Jeter played his entire career in pinstripes before moving on to a career in a front office. His popularity allowed him to also make stacks of cash with endorsements, so it should be no surprise that the legendary shortstop is loaded.
Derek Jeter's Baseball Career
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Derek Sanderson Jeter was grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but was born in Pequannock Township, New Jersey in 1974. He began playing little league baseball while growing up in Michigan, making a name for himself while at Kalamazoo Central High School and winning multiple awards such the 1992 Gatorade High School Player of the Year Award and USA Today's High School Player of the Year.
Because he was such a talented prospect, Jeter was taken with the sixth-overall pick during the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft of his favorite childhood baseball team, the New York Yankees. Instead of accepting a scholarship offer from the Michigan Wolverines baseball team, Jeter decided to join the Yankees.
Although he was a top prospect, Jeter played in the minor leagues until 1995, when he was finally called up to the majors due to some injuries. The following season, Jeter would start at shortstop for the Yankees on Opening Day and hit his first career home run. Jeter would go on to win the Rookie of the Year award that season as well as a World Series trophy — the first of five in his professional baseball career.
Jeter spent 20 seasons as a baseball player in the American League, being selected to 14 All-Star games, winning the 2000 All-Star Most Valuable Player, 2000 World Series MVP, five Gold Glove award, and five Silver Sluggers all with New York. Jeter is also one of just 32 players to have 3000 careers hits. He finished his career sixth all-time in hits with 3,465.
In 2020, Jeter was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, missing out on a unanimous selection by just one vote. Jeter was joined by Larry Walker, the only other selection of the 2020 class.
MLB Salary and Contracts
As one of the best players in Major League Baseball history, it should come as no surprise that Jeter made a lot of money over the course of his 20-year career. In February 2001, Jeter signed a 10-year, $189 million contract extension after more than a year of negotiations. By the time he called it quits in 2014, he had $266.2 million in salary earnings.
The only players to have higher career earnings in league history are Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera. Rodriguez was by far the highest-paid in league history with $450.2 million earned throughout his career.
The crazy thing is that current baseball players will likely blow these numbers out of the water. Players such as Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton have hundreds of millions of dollars left on giant contracts and long careers ahead of them.
Endorsements Off the Diamond
Derek Jeter made a lot of money for his playing on the field, but he also made a ton more in endorsement deals, his career in the front office, and other business ventures.
He has always been one of the top faces of Nike and received one of the coolest commercials I have ever seen when he was about to retire in 2014. He also had deals with Gatorade, Discover Card, VISA, and Ford, among others during his career.
In 2014, Jeter also started the website ThePlayersTribune.com.
What he is now known for is his work for the Miami Marlins. He became a part-owner of the team in 2017 and was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the team. These combinations have only driven his net worth up even more. During his time with the Marlins, Jeter and others began rebuilding the team, bolstering the farm system with the hopes of eventually taking over the NL East. That success never truly made it on the field as the Marlins posted a 218-327 record under the Hall of Famer's direction. Jeter's Marlins also hired the first female General Manager in Kim Ng, who worked for the Yankees during Jeter's time in pinstripes. Unfortunately, Jeter stepped down from his front-office role with the team and is no longer a shareholder within the franchise in February of 2022, citing differences in vision for the future of the Marlins franchise.
Jeter has a long dating history, and has been linked to Mariah Carey, Jessica Biel and Minka Kelly over the years. He is currently married to model Hannah Davis.
Derek Jeter Net Worth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilhm4zGM8zg
One of the most valuable athletes in United States sports history, Jeter has continued that success in making money since he retired with multiple investments.
Combining his success as a baseball player and all of the money he has made in endorsement deals, publications, and as a baseball executive, he has piled up a giant value.
If you want to see his value in physical form, check out his house in Tampa, Florida that he is renting to Tom Brady.
Right now, Derek Jeter's net worth is an estimated $200 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. And that's a number anyone would #Re2pect.
This article was originally published April 6, 2020.
