6 Chapter 5 On His Own

Chapter 5 On His Own Now Derek had a contract with the Yankees. Did that mean he'd be putting on pinstripes and playing in Yankee Stadium? No! That was the major leagues. Like all the other new players, Derek would have to prove himself in the minors first, with teams owned by the Yankees organization. By now, Derek was two weeks late for Rookie League play in Tampa, Florida. So he had to get ready quickly. He felt terrible saying good-bye to Sharlee. She'd be starting high school soon. Leaving his family was just about the hardest part of playing baseball. Derek boarded the plane to Florida "with a lump the size of a golf ball in my throat."

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THE MINORS MINOR LEAGUE (OR "FARM") TEAMS FIRST FORMED THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUES IN 1901 AND PLAYED ORGANIZED GAMES. EVENTUALLY, THESE LOW-LEVEL TEAMS JOINED MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS TO "FEED" PLAYERS INTO THEIR HIGH-LEVEL CLUBS. ALSO CALLED PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS TRAIN ATHLETES FOR THE MAJORS. AS PLAYERS IMPROVE, THEY MOVE UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL, USUALLY IN THIS ORDER: ROOKIE LEAGUE CLASS A CLASS AA, OR DOUBLE A CLASS AAA, OR TRIPLE A AND FINALLY, THE MAJORS!

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In Tampa, everyone already had a roommate. Derek felt like an outsider. Derek was alone in a strange city, barely eighteen. It was hard getting used to everything—even baseball. Derek went 0 for 7 in his first game. After a week, he still hadn't had a hit. For the first time, Derek wondered if he'd be good enough to make it. He called home throughout the day and sometimes in the middle of the night. Almost always, he was in tears. His parents were so worried, they flew to see him twice in six weeks. Derek felt lost. But he didn't show it. He kept calm on the field and with his teammates. Slowly, he made progress. In the fall, he went to the University of Michigan. Then in the spring of 1993, it was

back to baseball for his first full season as a pro. Derek was heading to Class A in the minor leagues. One more step on the way to the majors.