Derek Richard Dietrich (born July 18, 1989) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder.
One of the top high school players in the country, he took part in the East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase and the AFLAC All-American game while he was a senior.
Following injuries to Donovan Solano and Chris Valaika, the Marlins promoted Dietrich to the major leagues on May 8, 2013, and he made his MLB debut that day.
They optioned Dietrich to the New Orleans Zephyrs of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League in June due to his poor defense.
[19] On February 19, 2019, Dietrich signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, receiving a non-roster invitation to spring training.
[20] In his Reds debut on March 28, Dietrich hit a three-run home run as part of a 5–3 win on Opening Day over the Pirates.
Home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg issued Archer a warning, much to the irritation of Reds manager David Bell.
As Bell argued with the umpire, benches cleared and Yasiel Puig attempted to throw punches at the Pirates players.
[22] When play resumed, Dietrich was struck out by Chris Archer, but got another two-run home run, also hit into the river, later in the game off of Pirates pitcher Nick Kingham.
On July 23, 2020, Dietrich signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs and joined the team's 60-man player pool.
[27] On February 12, 2021, Dietrich signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees for the 2021 season, receiving a non-roster invitation to spring training.
[29] On July 9, 2021, Dietrich signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals organization and was assigned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.
[37] His specific title was announced as the "culture and accountability coordinator.”[38] Dietrich's grandfather, Steve Demeter, played in Major League Baseball.
[3] Dietrich was in a relationship with professional tennis player Monica Puig; the two met when he was playing for the Miami Marlins and she was invited to throw the first pitch; they began dating in early 2017.