All-Diamond Team: Mark DeRosa

In 2025, The Diamond hosts its 40^th and final season of professional baseball in Richmond. Between the Richmond Braves from 1985-2008 and the Richmond Flying Squirrels since 2010, countless future major leaguers have taken the steps from the first base dugout onto The Diamond’s playing surface.

Prior to the season, fans voted for The All-Diamond Team, selecting one manager as well as 14 of their favorite players who have gone on to MLB stardom after suiting up for the R-Braves and Flying Squirrels.

We continue the announcement of the All-Diamond Team with the fans’ choice for utility player, Mark DeRosa.

Manager: Grady Little
Starting Pitcher: John Smoltz
Starting Pitcher: Tom Glavine
Starting Pitcher: Logan Webb
Relief Pitcher: Mike Stanton
Relief Pitcher: Hunter Strickland
Utility Player: Mark DeRosa
Catcher: TBA
First Baseman: TBA
Second Baseman: TBA
Shortstop: TBA
Third Baseman: TBA
Outfielder: TBA
Outfielder: TBA
Outfielder: TBA

Mark DeRosa was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1996 out of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an infielder and played quarterback for the Quakers’ football team, winning back-to-back Ivy League titles.

Football was initially his primary focus, but after a successful summer in the Cape Cod League after his sophomore year, baseball became his more lucrative path forward.

DeRosa signed with the Braves and spent the summer of 1996 with short-season Eugene and played with High-A Durham in 1997. In 1998, he spent the season with Double-A Greenville, where he was the Southern League’s top defensive shortstop, and earned a September call-up with Atlanta for his MLB debut, playing five games.

In 1999, DeRosa arrived in Richmond as the team’s highest-rated shortstop prospect since Chipper Jones in 1993.

DeRosa made his Triple-A debut for the R-Braves on April 8, 1999, in Durham. He started at shortstop and went 2-for-4.

He spent most of the 1999 season as the starting shortstop in Richmond, batting .272 in 105 games.

After a slow start offensively, he broke out in June. On June 1, he went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, including a go-ahead, two-run double, in a comeback win over Syracuse. Riding a hitting streak, he was called up by Atlanta a week later.

DeRosa spent about three weeks in June with Atlanta while Walt Weiss was injured, coming off the bench for seven games. He was optioned back to Richmond on July 1 for the rest of the season.

He returned to Richmond for the 2000 season as Richmond’s primary shortstop.

In early May, he was called up to Atlanta to again fill in while Weiss was injured. He played five games off the bench and went 2-for-2 at the plate before returning to Richmond after 17 days.

Back in the International League, he hit .426 over his next 13 games.

DeRosa was riding a hot offensive stretch into mid-June when Rafael Furcal suffered an injury. He went back to the majors and saw action in eight games before returning to Richmond again at the end of the month.

By the All-Star Break, he was putting together the best offensive season of his professional career to date. He held a .313 average when the mid-July break arrived, which would have been the ninth-best average in the IL if he had enough plate appearances to qualify, having spent 34 days in the majors with Atlanta.

Into the summer, DeRosa continued to find success at the plate. On July 21, he hit a late two-run triple to tie the game and scored the winning run in a comeback win over Toledo. On August 2, he hit a walk-off, two-run double in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 win over Rochester.

He was a bright spot on an otherwise struggling Richmond team that finished the season with the worst record in the IL.

In the late part of the 2000 season, DeRosa began working at second and third base for the first time in his professional career, looking ahead to creating an opportunity as a utility player.

He rejoined Atlanta after the Triple-A season ended in September but did not see any plate appearances, playing in nine games as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.

Entering his sixth professional season in 2001, DeRosa again returned to Richmond to begin the season for a third year at Triple-A.

Still primarily playing shortstop, DeRosa saw more time at second and third base, adding to his defensive resume.

After a hot May that included a two-week hitting streak, DeRosa was called back to Atlanta at the beginning of June. That was essentially the end of his minor league career.

He spent the rest of the year in the majors, including some stretches as the starting shortstop filling in for an injured Furcal. He hit his first MLB homer in July, a walk-off shot for a 10-inning win over the Expos.

In 2002, DeRosa briefly returned to the R-Braves on a rehab assignment. Soon after taking over the as Atlanta’s regular shortstop in May, he tore tissue in his ankle. He spent 16 games with Richmond before returning to Atlanta in mid-July.

DeRosa played 16 total seasons in the majors, including seven with the Braves. He also spent time with the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays.

He played 1,241 games in the big leagues from 1998-2013. Defensively, he split his career between all four infield positions as well as some games in left and right field.

In his post-playing career, DeRosa has worked as a studio analyst for MLB Network. In 2023, he managed Team USA to a silver medal in the World Baseball Classic. He will return to that role for the 2026 WBC.