5 Chapter 4 Waiting and Wondering

Chapter 4 Waiting and Wondering The night before the draft, Derek didn't fall asleep until 4:00 a.m. Derek knew which teams had the first five picks. He knew the Yankees went later. No way would he get to play for New York, he thought. He expected to be one of the first players chosen. He felt so sure, he didn't even know which team chose sixth. June 1 was the big day. Across the country, each team met on its own. Everything was done over the phone. The draft wasn't televised. The Houston Astros went first. Their scout wanted Derek to be an Astro. But the team chose a college player instead. The scout felt it was such a big mistake, he quit his job.

Teams two and three, the Indians and the Expos, took pitchers. The fourth team to pick was Baltimore. They had the premier shortstop in the league, Cal Ripken Jr. They didn't need another. So they didn't pick Derek. Cincinnati, the fifth team, also had an all-star shortstop. The team went with an outfielder. The first five teams were done, and Derek hadn't been chosen. Derek wasn't a major leaguer. And he had no idea what would happen next. Meanwhile, a cheer rang out in the Yankees draft room. Derek's dream team had the number six pick! And Derek Jeter was still on the list! A Yankees official made the call.

They'd take Derek Jeter of Kalamazoo Central. In Kalamazoo, a local sports reporter heard the news first. He called Derek right away. "I can't believe it!" Derek shouted. "I just can't believe it!"

Of course, one phone call didn't make Derek Jeter a New York Yankee. He had to sign a contract, and that took time. Everyone had to agree on a salary. And what about college? Education was important to Derek's

parents—and to Derek, too. They talked it over with Yankees officials. And the Yankees agreed to pay for Derek's college, whenever he decided to go. When all was said and done, the Yankees' offer was too good to turn down. On June 28, two days after he turned eighteen, Derek's dream came true: He became a New York Yankee.