Georgia Tech Baseball: Former Jacket Derek Dietrich finds new home

Former Georgia Tech baseball star Derek Dietrich has found a new home, signing a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds.

Former Yellow Jacket and Miami Marlin Derek Dietrich has a found a new home to continue his professional baseball career. That new home is with the Cincinnati Reds, whom he signed a minor-league deal with on Monday with an invitation to spring training.  The six-year MLB veteran is entering his age 29 season.

Dietrich has spent his entire career with the Marlins leading up to this season including six-years in the Majors. Through those six-years, Dietrich has played in 608 games, playing in 128+ each of the last three. Last year, he played a career-high 149-games but saw a dip in his numbers including his advanced statistics such as WAR.

Over his six years in the Major, Dietrich has turned out to be a quality hitter, a .254 career hitter with 60 home runs and 204 RBI. He doesn’t strike out all too often either, amassing just 481 over his six seasons. He did, however, have a career-high 140 strikeouts this past season. He has a career WAR of 4.6.

Whether it’s with the Reds or another team this season, Dietrich has a solid chance of finding himself in the majors once again. His ability to play multiple positions could allow him to become a good utility player for a team in need while also providing someone who has experience starting.

Either way, the former second-round pick will need to put together a strong spring in order to make the Reds or another team right out of spring training.