Mark DeRosa

Mark Thomas DeRosa (born February 26, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2013.

DeRosa was born on February 26, 1975, in Passaic, New Jersey.

His parents, father Jack and mother Mickey, were descended from Italian immigrants.

Jack played college baseball as a pitcher for the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, for whom he once threw a no hitter.

Growing up in Carlstadt, New Jersey, a New York City suburb, Mark regularly watched the New York Yankees on television.

His favorite player was Don Mattingly.

His early playing experience came with Carlstadt's Little League team, which was sponsored by General Tire and coached by his father.

He attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey, where he earned all-state honors in baseball and in football.

Offered football scholarships to the College of William & Mary as well as Rutgers University, DeRosa instead attended the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), preferring its academic reputation and the opportunity to play baseball as well.

A Carlstadt, New Jersey, native, DeRosa attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he led the football team to consecutive Ivy League championships as their quarterback in 1994 and 1995.

After redshirting as a freshman, he became the starting quarterback for the Quakers in 1994, leading them to an undefeated season and an Ivy League championship.

He led them to another Ivy League championship in 1995.

Passing for 3,895 yards and 25 touchdowns during his career, he became one of the top quarterbacks in school history.

Meanwhile, DeRosa played shortstop on the baseball team.

In 1995, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Bourne Braves.

Originally expected to be a reserve, he became the team's starting third baseman when Troy Glaus departed to play for a national team.

Batting over .300, he was selected to the league's All-Star team.

At Penn, DeRosa was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

He also played baseball for the Quakers, and he chose to sign when the Braves selected him in the seventh round (212th overall) of the 1996 MLB draft.

Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round (212th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, DeRosa chose to forego participating in college sports as a senior to instead pursue a professional baseball career.

DeRosa made his professional debut in 1996 with the Eugene Emeralds of the Class A short season Northwest League.

However, he continued to take classes in management and marketing, graduating from Penn's Wharton School in 1997.

He played for the Atlanta Braves (1998–2004), Texas Rangers (2005–2006), Chicago Cubs (2007–2008), Cleveland Indians (2009), St. Louis Cardinals (2009), San Francisco Giants (2010–2011), Washington Nationals (2012), and Toronto Blue Jays (2013).

DeRosa primarily played third base and second base, but he started at every position other than center field, pitcher, and catcher.

He currently works for MLB Network as a studio analyst.

He managed the United States national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, leading them to a silver medal.

Originally a shortstop, DeRosa debuted with the Braves briefly in 1998.

Progressing through Atlanta's minor league system, he joined the Braves for the first time as a September callup in 1998.

He made his MLB debut on September 2, pinch-hitting for Greg Maddux and striking out against Randy Johnson in a 4–1 loss to the Houston Astros.

On September 20, he had his first MLB hit, a pinch-hit single against Vladimir Núñez in a 10–0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He gradually got more playing time over the next few seasons, especially after transitioning to a utility player in 2001.

In 2004, the Braves tried using him as their starting third baseman, but he was benched in June after struggling.

Not offered a contract after the season, he signed with the Rangers.

After playing just 66 games with them in 2005, he became an everyday player in 2006, batting .296 and setting career highs in several offensive categories.

Prior to the 2007 season, DeRosa signed a three-year contract with the Cubs.

He set a career high with 149 games played in 2007, then equaled that total in 2008, hitting over 20 home runs (21) for the first time in his career.

DeRosa was traded to the Indians in 2009, then to the Cardinals in midseason.

He hit a career-high 23 home runs but injured his left wrist during the year.

Offseason surgery was unsuccessful, and left wrist issues severely limited his playing time with the Giants in 2010 and 2011.

DeRosa appeared in 48 games with the Nationals in 2012, then hit his 100th career home run with the Blue Jays in 2013 before retiring after the season.