Derrek Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Derrek Lee |
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Lee with the Baltimore Orioles in 2011
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: September 6, 1975 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 28, 1997, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 28, 2011, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .281 | ||
| Home runs | 331 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,078 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Derrek Leon Lee (born September 6, 1975), also known as "D-Lee", is a former professional baseball player from America. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lee played for several teams, including the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Lee achieved many great things in his career. He was a World Series champion with the Marlins in 2003. In 2005, he won the National League batting title, meaning he had the best hitting average in his league. He was also chosen twice to be an All-Star player, and he won the Gold Glove Award three times for being an excellent fielder.
Early Life and Family
Derrek Lee was born on September 6, 1975, in Sacramento, California. His father, Leon Lee, and his uncle, Leron Lee, both played professional baseball in Japan. Derrek lived in Japan during his elementary school years. He also spent many summer breaks there during high school. He played Little League Baseball and graduated from El Camino High School in 1993.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting with the Padres
The San Diego Padres chose Derrek Lee in the first round of the 1993 MLB draft. He was the 14th player picked overall. Lee made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on April 28, 1997.
Playing for the Florida Marlins
A year after joining the Padres, Lee was traded to the Florida Marlins. He became a key player for the Marlins and was part of the team that won the 2003 World Series. This was a huge achievement for him and the team.
In 2003, Lee also won his first Gold Glove. This award is given to the best defensive players in baseball. In Game 5 of the World Series, Lee made an amazing play. He caught a hard-hit ball and got an unassisted putout, which means he got the player out by himself. This play stopped a rally by the New York Yankees and helped the Marlins win that game. The Marlins then went on to win the World Series in Game 6.
Time with the Chicago Cubs
Lee was traded to the Chicago Cubs. In his first year with the Cubs, he hit for a .278 batting average, had 32 home runs, and 98 RBIs (runs batted in).
In 2005, Lee had an incredible first half of the season. He led all of MLB with a .376 batting average. He also had 72 RBIs and was tied for the most home runs with 27. The Cubs had traded their star hitter, Sammy Sosa, before the 2005 season. Lee quickly showed that he could fill that role and had a fantastic year.
Lee finished the 2005 season with a career-high 46 home runs. He also led the National League in several important hitting categories:
- Batting average (.335)
- Slugging percentage (.662)
- On-base plus slugging (1.080)
- Hits (199)
- Doubles (50)
- Extra-base hits (99)
- Total bases (393)
- Runs created (167)
His batting average was the highest for a Cubs player since 1976. He was the first Cubs player since 1980 to win a National League batting title. Lee also made history by becoming the first player in MLB to have 50 doubles, 40 home runs, and 15 stolen bases in one season. He finished third in the voting for the NL MVP award. That year, he also won the NL Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards for his play at first base.
Lee was chosen to play for the U.S. team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He was the first player to hit a home run for Team USA in that tournament.
In April 2006, Lee signed a five-year contract extension with the Cubs for $65 million. This deal kept him as the Cubs' first baseman until the 2010 season. However, less than two weeks later, he broke his wrist in a collision with another player. He missed 59 games because of this injury. The Cubs struggled while he was out. Later, he had to go back on the disabled list due to wrist inflammation.
In 2008, Lee hit 20 home runs, had 90 RBIs, and a .291 batting average. The Cubs had the best record in the National League that year, winning the NL Central championship. However, they lost in the playoffs to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2009, Lee started slowly but then had a 21-game hitting streak. He finished ninth in the voting for NL MVP, with a .306 batting average, 35 home runs, and 111 RBIs.
On June 9, 2010, Lee hit his 300th career home run in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. On June 25, 2010, Lee was involved in a dugout disagreement with Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano was later suspended for his behavior.
Moving to the Atlanta Braves
In July 2010, Lee used his right to veto a trade to the Los Angeles Angels. This right allows players with a certain amount of experience to approve or reject trades. On August 18, 2010, Lee agreed to be traded to the Atlanta Braves. He became the Braves' starting first baseman on August 20, 2010, and played with them in the postseason.
Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
After becoming a free agent, Lee signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles for the 2011 season. He played in 85 games for the Orioles, hitting .246 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs.
Finishing with the Pittsburgh Pirates
On July 30, 2011, Lee was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit two home runs in his very first game as a Pirate. However, on August 3, he was hit by a pitch and broke a bone in his left wrist. He missed most of the next month but finished the season strong as the Pirates' first baseman. In 28 games with the Pirates in 2011, Lee batted .337 with 7 home runs and 18 RBIs. He retired from baseball after the 2011 season.
Personal Life and Charity Work
Family Connections
Derrek Lee's father, Leon Lee, played professional baseball in Japan. Today, he works as a scout for Major League Baseball. Interestingly, Leon was the scout who discovered Hee-Seop Choi, the player who was later traded for Derrek. Derrek's uncle, Leron Lee, also played in Major League Baseball for eight seasons. He played for teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and Dodgers. Currently, Leron works with the Cincinnati Reds as an advising batting coach.
Project 3000: Helping Children with Vision Loss
In September 2006, Lee's three-year-old daughter, Jada, was diagnosed with Leber's congenital amaurosis. This is a rare genetic eye disease that causes vision loss. To help find a cure, Lee teamed up with Boston Celtics co-owner Wycliffe Grousbeck and the University of Iowa. They started Project 3000. This project aims to find a cure for the disease, which affects both their families.
Lee even appeared in an episode of the TV show ER in October 2007. He did this because the show aired an episode in January 2008 about Leber's congenital amaurosis, helping to raise awareness. Lee's efforts have helped raise over $1,000,000 for research. His support has been very important in getting more research funds and testing patients with the disease.
In 2009, Lee shared that Jada had been misdiagnosed and does not have the disease. However, Lee continues to actively raise money for Project 3000 to help other children.
1st Touch Foundation: Supporting Education
In 2005, Lee and his wife started the 1st Touch Foundation. Their goal was to encourage and support young people's educational dreams in their community. They initially planned to build The 1st Touch Academic Youth Center in Sacramento, California. In 2009, Lee launched a wine called CaberLee through Charity Wines. All the money from the wine sales went to the 1st Touch Foundation. The foundation closed in September 2012 after helping children in Sacramento for seven years.
Lee has also traveled to countries like Uganda and Israel to help with baseball programs. In 2015, he visited the Israel Baseball Academy to help players improve their skills.
See Also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
