Don DiPetta
For Don DiPetta, that’s very much the case.
After spending his senior season at Reinhardt, DiPetta is looking for any opportunity he can find to continue playing baseball professionally. He’s taking that first step by playing for the Somerton Stingers of the Arizona Winter League, where many players like DiPetta are trying to hone their skills and attract attention from a major league team.
“It’s kind of fitting,” he said. “This baseball thing has been a very long journey — hasn’t been an easy one. I’m still kicking and still going.”
Even by his own description, DiPetta is hardly the prototype for a professional ballplayer. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, he isn’t especially big. And though he played mostly at third base through his high school and collegiate careers, he doesn’t have enough power to play the position professionally.
At 23 years old, DiPetta is now trying to catch on at different positions, including catcher and second base. But it’s been an uphill climb to sway scouts who still look for prototypical “tools” over hard statistics.
“I guess growing up in Cobb (County) and seeing guys that have had success, a lot of them are my friends,” said DiPetta, a Kennesaw native who played at Kennesaw Mountain High School said. “I’ve always been the undersized guy. I’m not a small guy, but I’m not the prototypical, big, tall Greek god that every scout is looking for.
“Every scout is drawn to size. If you are a left-handed bat or 6 feet tall, they automatically zone in on those guys. … Just being overlooked, it keeps me going. I feel like I have something to prove — not only to them but also to myself. I’m just out here trying to prove them wrong.”
DiPetta follows the philosophy laid out in the book “Moneyball,” which inspired the Oscar-nominated movie released last year. It’s the case of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, who managed to build a successful franchise by delving deep into the statistical realm, as opposed to how a player may look.
“I’d wish every major league scout would take Billy Beane’s advice,” DiPetta said. “But the old scouts are still like that, drawn to the look of a player more than anything else. The cliché, and what was portrayed in ‘Moneyball,’ is still what it is. It’s definitely a harder path, but I feel like, if I am able to succeed and make something out of this, it will be that much more fulfilling.”
Despite having a hard time finding his way in the professional baseball scene, DiPetta said that there is no way he could see himself doing anything else. He graduated from Reinhardt with a communications degree last year and had the option to give up baseball and get a job in another industry, but he chose not to.
“My mother is a principal and has always valued education,” DiPetta said. “‘Get your degree.’ ‘Get your degree.’ Having that was definitely important. It was as important for (my parents) as it was for me.
“Like I said, it’s something that I will always have, but really I have been focused on (baseball). That’s all I have thought about. I’m going to put all of my eggs in this basket and give as much as I can.”
DiPetta had his chance to compete on a daily basis at the professional level. The Cincinnati Reds invited him to Kentucky for a workout last summer, with the chance to sign with one of the team’s minor league affiliates, but the Reds ultimately cut him.
“I almost signed last year with Cincy as a catcher,” he said. “They had a lot of interest. They even had a couple of guys who asked if they thought I could catch. I started to put on gear, got out there and was the guy they were looking at. Then, the head guy said, ‘Sorry, but you are a little old for what we are looking for to try and turn someone into a new position.’
“Part of me understands that scouts just feel like, if they have an 18-year-old, and he doesn’t pan out, they have four years for him not to pan out. If he doesn’t, then they have an excuse. It’s almost now that if they sign a 22-year-old, it’s a job security thing.”
After graduating from high school, DiPetta began his college career at Siena College in upstate New York. After starring as a freshman for the Saints, his stock as a player went up dramatically.
However, he suffered a freak knee injury that required surgery in November of his sophomore year. Still, DiPetta was listed as a preseason All-Metro Athletic Atlantic Conference pick and expected to play a key role for Siena.
“I was preseason all-conference, then hurt my knee after workouts one day and everything just kind of spiraled out of control after that,” he said. “I had knee surgery at the end of November. Three months go by, and I’m starting opening day. I wasn’t really ready to play. They wouldn’t take no for an answer, but I probably should have sat and took a redshirt. (Siena coach Tony Rossi) wasn’t happy, and so we decided to part ways.”
After the falling out at Siena, DiPetta decided it would be best to return home. He found a home at Valdosta State, which has had its share of baseball success at the Division II level. In 2010, the lone season DiPetta was with the Blazers, the team finished 43-17 overall and won the Gulf South Conference championship.
DiPetta, however, had little to do with the team’s success. He rarely saw opportunities to play, and in 21 games only hit .200 with one home run.
“My junior year at VSU was a trainwreck,” DiPetta said. “Only four guys ended up staying out of that club of 65 guys that showed up the first week of practice. By the end of the season, we had 24 guys, and then everyone pretty much transferred out. I just fell off the map and wasn’t seen.”
With only one more season of eligibility remaining, DiPetta’s options were limited. He couldn’t play at another NCAA school because he would have to sit for a year, which was time that he didn’t have.
That left his options limited to NAIA schools. He wanted to stay close to his Kennesaw home, so he chose between Reinhardt, Southern Poly and Shorter in Rome.
After working out for Southern Poly, Reinhardt’s then-coach, Bill Popp, had his chance at DiPetta.
“I think he finally found a place where he could settle here,” said Popp, who gave up coaching after the 2011 season to focus on his role as Reinhardt’s athletic director. “We were proud to have him with us, and he provided a lot of punch for us. … We had no conflicts. He provided a little bit of leadership for us, but he was a one-year guy for us, and we knew that. He helped tutor some of the younger guys that are doing well for us this year.”
DiPetta signed with Reinhardt and led the Eagles’ offense in nearly every category. He hit .340, and finished with eight home runs and 38 RBIs.
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