Iván DeJesús, Jr.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Iván DeJesús, Jr.
DeJesús Jr. being interviewed by Ball State students.
DeJesús, Jr. returns to his ideal fielding position.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Iván DeJesús, Jr.
For Iván DeJesús, Jr., baseball is life. It has been that way ever since he can remember.
“That’s part of my life, baseball. I grew up on a baseball field, being a son of [a] former big league player, baseball is my life since I was little,” DeJesús said.
Baseball isn’t just something DeJesús picked up on by watching television or catching a local game in Puerto Rico. It runs in his blood.
DeJesús’ father played for seven different major league teams in a career that spanned 15 seasons. He began teaching his son the game when the younger DeJesús Jr. was just a boy. DeJesús served as a batboy for the Houston Astros, where his father was employed as a hitting instructor. He took ground balls with the team even though he was just a youngster.
DeJesús was selected 51st overall in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent the next few seasons bouncing around the minors until making a name for himself during the 2008 season.
“One of my best seasons [2008], player of the year for the Dodgers, 2 All-Star Games, Futures Game, so I’d say that was one of my best years of my career,” DeJesús said.
The following year the Dodgers invited him to Major League camp for spring training. All signs were pointing in the right direction. With a solid spring training DeJesús would be a strong candidate to make the big league roster.Unfortunately he broke his leg in a home plate collision during a spring training game.
DeJesús played sparingly over the next two seasons while recovering from his injury. He once again bounced around from Double-A and Triple-A squads before finally making his Major League debut on April 1, 2011.
“It’s a wonderful experience. You learn everyday in this sport. You learn everyday something new and when you get older, when you get different levels; Double-A, Triple-A, big league, the baseball has changed a little bit,” DeJesús said. “You just got to learn the good things and keep going.”
That’s exactly what he has done. The road might not have been exactly like he imagined, but he’s making due.
DeJesús was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2012 offseason and began the season on the Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians. It’s a second chance for a player that once was one of the top prospects in the league. A chance to prove to his father that he’s got what it takes and a chance to follow in his footsteps as a consistent major league shortstop.
“There’s a little bit of competition [between] me and my dad. He did all of his stuff, now it’s my turn to do my stuff,” DeJesús said.
By Brian Weiss
Video By: Rachel Fagan