Promising High School Baseball Player is Distant Relative to Joe DiMaggio

California freshman baseball player Mattias Di Maggio is related to the great Joe DiMaggio, and is already living up to the name.

Dos Pueblos freshman Mattias Di Maggio is related to late, great baseball player Joe Di Maggio. | Mike Bouffard

The last name DiMaggio is so well known in the baseball world, the first name you think of to go with it is: Joe. That's because Joe Di Maggio is known as one of the greatest baseball players to ever live.

He was a 13-time All-Star and 9-time World Champion with the New York Yankees from the 1930s to the 1950s. The man is a legend.

Well, the last name has resurfaced on the baseball diamond in California, where DiMaggio was born (Martinez, Calif.). Dos Pueblos High's Mattias DiMaggio is a standout freshman who is a distant relative of the baseball great.

Joe DiMaggio is the cousin to Mattias' great grandfather. This connection was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

MATTIAS IS THE REAL DEAL

As a ninth-grader, DiMaggio leads the team in hits (35), RBIs (22) and homers (10). He's batting .500 this spring through 27 games. He's a lefty and contributes from the pitching mound, too. He's got four saves in eight appearances with 13 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings of work.

“The most impressive thing hitting is he has over 20 walks and one strikeout,” Dos Pueblos coach George Hedricks told the LA Times. “He’s a pretty physical kid who can hit to all fields.”

DiMaggio is also a problem on the basepaths, he's second on the team in steals with 22.

Another impressive stat, according to MaxPreps: DiMaggio has only struck out one time this season.

When combining the name and the talent, Mattias will certainly be one to watch over the next three seasons.

“He can beat you 100 different ways,” Hedricks said.

PLAYOFF TIME

The CIF Southern Section will start its playoffs on May 14. Dos Pueblos had a good year, going 18-10 and 10-4 in the Channel League (good enough for second place).

The Chargers are currently ranked No. 81 in the latest computer rankings, which will be used to place teams in their respective divisions this postseason. That position is likely to land Dos Pueblos in the Division 3 playoffs.

Dos Pueblos has never won a CIF title, but has been a runner-up twice. The Chargers lost in the Division 2 final in 1993 to Lompoc, 3-1 (9 innings), and lost in the Division 4 final to Ganesha, 8-2, last spring (2025).

BASEBALL CONTROVERSY

Bishop Amat rallied from down 5-0 and 8-5 to beat La Salle 9-8 in walk-off fashion, but the Amat celebration might've gone too far.

Video below. Full story, HERE.