Nick Markakis

Nicholas William "Nick" Markakis (/mɑːrˈkeɪkɪs/ mar-KAY-kis); (born November 17, 1983) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Baltimore Orioles from 2006 to 2014. Markakis is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner.

Early life

Markakis was born in Glen Cove, New York, but moved to Woodstock, Georgia when his family, which includes his parents, Dennis and Mary Lou and his brothers Dennis, Greg and Michael relocated. He is of Greek and German descent.

College/Olympic career

Markakis was originally drafted in 2001 by the Cincinnati Reds, from Woodstock High School in Woodstock, Georgia but did not sign. Markakis instead attended Young Harris College, where he played college baseball for the Young Harris Mountain Lions baseball team. The Reds drafted him again in 2002, but he returned to Young Harris. Markakis played as both an outfielder and a pitcher, hitting .439 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs, while also gathering a 12–0 win–loss record as a pitcher with 1 save and a 1.68 earned run average in 15 games. He was twice named Georgia Junior College Player of the Year and was awarded Baseball America's 2002 National JUCO Player of the Year.

Derek Jeter

Derek Sanderson Jeter (/ˈdʒiːtər/ JEE-tər) (born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter is regarded as a central figure of the Yankees' success of the late 1990s and early 2000s for his hitting, baserunning, fielding, and leadership. He is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits (3,465), doubles (544), games played (2,747), stolen bases (358), times on base (4,716), plate appearances (12,602) and at bats (11,195). His accolades include 14 All-Star selections, five Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, two Hank Aaron Awards, and a Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter became the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits and finished his career sixth all-time in career hits and the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop.

The Yankees drafted Jeter out of high school in 1992, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. The following year, he became the Yankees' starting shortstop, won the Rookie of the Year Award, and helped the team win the 1996 World Series. Jeter continued to contribute during the team's championship seasons of 1998–2000; he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1998, recorded multiple career-high numbers in 1999, and won both the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP Awards in 2000. He consistently placed among the AL leaders in hits and runs scored for most of his career, and served as the Yankees' team captain from 2003 until his retirement in 2014. Throughout his career, Jeter contributed reliably to the Yankees' franchise successes. He holds many postseason records, and has a .321 batting average in the World Series. Jeter has earned the nicknames of "Captain Clutch" and "Mr. November" due to his outstanding play in the postseason.