Over eight seasons in Major League Baseball, Derek Dietrich’s magic number is 14 – as in 14 games is the closest any team he has ever played on has come to winning a division title, and that was with the moribund Texas Rangers in the truncated 2021 season.
That, in part, explains why Dietrich, a career .245 hitter with double-digit homers in three straight full seasons (not counting 2020), took a minor-league deal from the Yankees with an invite to spring training, but no guarantee of a roster spot.
“Each season has its own competitions, whether it’s making the roster or battling to win a championship, and I live to compete, every day,” Dietrich said Monday before his first spring training game as a Yankee. “Whatever I have to do to help and earn an opportunity to win a World Series, I’m willing to do it at this point in my career, and there’s no better team to do it with than the Yankees.”
Dietrich was once the longest-tenured Marlin, but that ended when he signed with the Reds prior to 2019. As he says, “all tenure eventually comes to an end,” and the Yankees are his fifth organization, as he had a short stint in Cubs camp in 2020 as well.
But Yankee Stadium has long called him, and even though he has only played four games in the Bronx in his career (and gone 2-for-15), he has long heard that his game is tailor-made for the Stadium.
“I’ve always gotten a resounding positivity, and encouraging words that my game would play well in Yankee Stadium, and my left-handed pull power would be rewarded,” Dietrich said. “It’s always something I’ve thought about, and people have mentioned over the years, so to have that opportunity would be something I would look forward to. I know I can help the team with that power.”
He’s hoping he can help the team with his versatility, as well; in an era where, even with 26-man rosters, the bench is very short, a strong hitter who is versatile like Dietrich – who has played first, second, third, and left field in his career, with a two-inning cameo in right – could be a very valuable bench piece.
“I’m most comfortable at second base, I’ve played most of my games there, but I’ve played a lot of third and first in recent years, and some in the outfield. I’ve always kind of been that Swiss army knife, just get my bat in the lineup and I’ll play pretty good defense wherever I am,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in my defense, and I work hard at it. Like anything, the more you play somewhere, the more comfortable and consistent you get, so for me, it’s a matter of finding out where the manager needs me or wants me to get reps, and going to work. I just have to continue to get my reps in, because I know I can hit.”
If he can do all of that, and do it well this spring, he could win a spot on the Yankees’ bench, and who knows what could come from that. Dietrich, for one, hopes that end is a ring.
“When I had the opportunity to come here, I jumped at it, because you may only get one shot to put on the pinstripes,” he said. “It’s such an honor – the reputation, and all the great players that have been a part of this organization…I want to take this opportunity and make the most of it, and win a World Series.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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