The journey of 1,000 miles, the old saying goes, begins with a single step. But for Mark DeRosa, the journey of 3,000 miles, from Eugene, Oregon, to Atlanta, started with a single game. On June 18, the former Penn shortstop made his professional baseball debut for the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League. After being selected by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the June 4 amateur baseball draft, DeRosa decided to forego his remaining year of NCAA baseball eligibility and turn pro. By signing a contract with the Braves, which included a $90,000 signing bonus, Penn's starting quarterback the past two seasons is no longer eligible to play Ivy League football. It had been an open question whether DeRosa would leave Penn, but the Braves offered just the opportunity that the Carlstadt, N.J., native was looking for. "I think the family had a line, and he fell right about at the bottom of that line," said Penn baseball coach Bob Seddon, who spent several days with DeRosa watching the College World Series in Omaha. "He got fifth-round money in the seventh round." DeRosa also cited the Braves recent success working with young players as instrumental in his decision. "My decision could have been different," he said. "The Braves offered me a more than adequate contract for my draft position. I like the way they do things -- six out of eight players in their starting lineup have come through the minor league system." Another point in Atlanta's favor was the team's desire to start DeRosa as a shortstop, the position he played at Penn and wanted to continue at as a professional. At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, DeRosa is quite a bit bigger than the average shortstop. "A bunch of teams wanted me to move to third base," DeRosa said. "The Braves were one of five or six teams that wanted me to play short." Getting the call from the Braves was not a surprise. DeRosa was contacted by most big league teams, but Atlanta had expressed more interest than most. After negotiating a contract for about five hours, DeRosa signed. He was then assigned to Eugene, the Braves short-season A ball team in the Northwest League. On opening night, which drew over 5,000 fans to the Emeralds' 60-year old Civic Stadium to see the local team host the Portland Rockies. The first contest of the 76-game schedule ended in disappointment for the home fans, as the Emeralds' pitchers were hammered for 15 hits en route to an 8-2 loss. Among the few bright spots for the home nine was the play of their shortstop. DeRosa, batting fifth, picked up one of Eugene's three hits, a single, for his first professional hit. He also played an errorless shortstop. DeRosa finished the season with a .246 batting average, 40 runs, two homers and 26 RBIs. The adjustment to pro ball is often difficult, especially hitting with wood bats instead of the aluminum ones college players use. DeRosa, though, has already tackled that obstacle. Last summer, he played in the Cape Cod League, an amateur league that attracts some of the best college talent in the country and which bans aluminum bats. He had begun playing in the league again this summer, but headed out to Eugene after he gave up his amateur status. "That was probably the biggest thing I did that helped me," DeRosa said. "Just the experience of playing with the country's No.1 talent and using the wood bat." DeRosa enjoyed a stellar two-sport career for the Quakers. He logged most of the playing time at quarterback for Penn during the past two seasons. The strong-armed, but sometimes erratic, field general missed his freshman year of football with a back injury. Had he decided to continue his collegiate athletic career, DeRosa was a lock to become the school's all-time leader in all major passing categories. He ended last season a scant 69 yards short of Jimmy McGeehan's mark of 3,954 yards, meaning that the record would likely have fallen on opening day at Dartmouth. Instead his two-year backup, senior Steve Teodecki, is expected to take over behind center. But under less pressure, DeRosa truly excelled at baseball, where his ability to make the long throw across the diamond dazzled scouts. Only a poor year at the plate kept him out of the top five rounds. By draft day, he saw his future in the horsehide, not the pigskin. "Football was not a factor. He's a baseball player," Seddon said. Although his Penn athletic career is a thing of the past, he'll be on campus this fall fulfilling a promise to his mother by completing the requirements for a Wharton degree. Whether he can fulfill another promise, his baseball talent, is now the question.
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