Derek Dietrich Comes Home With All-Star Game On His Mind

Derek Dietrich wants to play in the All-Star game this season as every player does. This year, having the best season of his life, there is an added bonus that it is in his home town, Cleveland.

"I don't want it given to me, I want to earn it," Dietrich emphasized but he would give nearly anything for it to happen.  The Cleveland Indians are the reason that Dietrich was born and raised in this metropolis on Lake Erie. 

Dietrich has a tattoo on his left bicep.  It has the initials SD and the date July 28, 1959.  The initials are for his maternal grandfather, Steve Demeter.  The date is his grandfather's Major League debut. Demeter from Homer City, Pennsylvania broke into the Major Leagues that July.  In April 1960, Demeter was traded for Norm Cash, who became a star in Detroit.  Demeter played for games for the Indians but liked the area enough to settle in Parma, Ohio.

The Reds new outfielder went to St. Ignatius High School and passed up football to play baseball for the Wildcats.

While a student Dietrich won a home run hitting contest in 2006 here at Progressive Field putting several into the upper deck in right field.  He passed up a chance to sign with Houston in 2007 after high school and accepted a scholarship at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.  Dietrich was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2010 but ended up breaking in with the Marlins.

The Reds signed him as a free agent after spring training started with the thought that his ability to play multiple positions would make him a threat off the bench.

That theory didn't last long.  Dietrich hit five home runs in April and started to get more playing time, getting key hits and driving in runs even though he was hitting in the low .200's and his teammates were struggling.  On May 28, he hit three home runs against Pittsburgh and established a career high in just 52 games.  Dietrich hit a career-high 16 last season for Miami in 149 games.

That is All-Star stuff.  His slash line is on the rise too at .248/.349/.634.

The difference?

"The Reds believed in me and let me be myself," Dietrich said.  He is realistic enough to understand that professional baseball does not allow you to choose where you will play, all the time.  "I love this team (the Reds).  I understood that I may not be able to be a Cleveland Indian.  I used to come here a lot with my mom, dad and grandfather, who passed away in 2013, two months before Dietrich made his debut on May 8. The date is also tattooed on his left arm. I remember the Indians in the 90's, the big crowds, the excitement.  You can't stay in the past or look too far in the future.  I can't sit here and say playing with the Indians has never crossed my mind to play in my home town one day but I love the Reds.  It is going to be a great series no matter what."

Dietrich also had the luxury of spending an off-day in his home town. 

"We dusted off the VCR and watched the tape of the home run contest," Dietrich said.  "It has probably been 10 years since I watched it.  It was a cool moment."

A month from now the Major League All-Star game will be played in Cleveland.  Dietrich would like another crack at a home run derby on this site.  An appearance in the Mid-Summer Classic would be his first.  It is not far fetched that he could get chosen to play in it.

"Lord willing, I will be able to do it as a Major Leaguer this time," Dietrich said.  "I'm a Cleveland kid.  I've played the game a long time in the Major Leagues. I'm having the best year of my career,  I've ever had.  I'm hoping for an opportunity to represent the Reds in my home town.  It would be a dream come true."