| Mark DeRosa | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DeRosa with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 | |||||||||||||||
| Utility player | |||||||||||||||
| Born: February 26, 1975 Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| September 2, 1998, for the Atlanta Braves | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| September 29, 2013, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .268 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 100 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 494 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Mark Thomas DeRosa[1] (born February 26, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2013. 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.
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. 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. Originally a shortstop, DeRosa debuted with the Braves briefly in 1998. 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.