Mark DeRosa, Ex-MLB Star & Team USA WBC Manager, Reminisces on Bergen Catholic Two-Sport Glory

DeRosa's journey began at Bergen Catholic in New Jersey, where he laid the foundation for MLB success as a dual-sport star.

Mar 13, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; USA manager Mark DeRosa prior to game against Canada during the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Mark DeRosa's path to a 16-year Major League Baseball career, his role as an MLB Network studio analyst, and his leadership as manager of Team USA in next month’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), is deeply anchored in his transformative high school years at Bergen Catholic in Oradell, New Jersey.

This is DeRosa’s second stint as manager of Team USA of the WBC as he was also the skipper in 2023 which ended in dramatic fashion when two of baseball’s biggest stars and Los Angeles Angels teammate, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, faced off in a moment that instantly became iconic. With Japan leading the United States 3–2 and two outs in the ninth inning, Ohtani came in to close the game on the mound and struck out Trout on a full-count pitch to clinch the title for Japan.

The Transfer and Crucible of Competition

Long before his role in that famous WBC game and eventual MLB playing career, it all began for DeRosa when the Carlstadt native chose to attend Bergen Catholic, an elite all-boys Catholic school renowned for its unmatched competitive environment in academics and athletics. It was at Bergen Catholic where he built the toughness, patience, and confidence that would come to define his journey.

Encouraged by his baseball-loving father Jack (a Fairleigh Dickinson Hall of Famer) and older brother Kevin, DeRosa sought to measure himself against New Jersey's best. A local inspiration, Tom Kearney, a Bergen football legend who later starred at Yale, further motivated the move.

"I come from a great family and I go back to my days in eighth grade and my dad was just like, ‘listen, I want you to give this a shot. You deserve it. I want to put you in the most competitive environment, both academically and athletically and see where you stand,'" DeRosa told High School on SI in a recent phone conversation. "That was my reasoning for going up to Bergen Catholic."

Kevin added: "Listen dude, you owe it to see where you stand. You’re really good and you’ve got a chance to do some special things. Go see where you stack up against New Jersey’s best players."

At Bergen Catholic, under the Christian Brothers' guidance, DeRosa thrived as a dual-sport star, a quarterback on the grid iton and shortstop on the diamond.

Football: Patience, Then Championship Glory

DeRosa backed up two strong quarterbacks, Zeke Rodgers (future UConn QB) and Mike Bajakian (current QBs coach for the Cleveland Browns), before seizing the starting role as a senior in 1992. Coached by the legendary Fred Stengel, DeRosa learned grit and preparation.

"I had to bide my time," he said. "And playing for Fred Stengel who was an absolute legend as a high school football coach in New Jersey, it just instilled a toughness in me and toughness in a lot of guys who went there."

The 1992 unbeaten Crusaders dominated Non-Public Group A. The season's peak was  the December 13 state championship at Giants Stadium against rival Paramus Catholic- dubbed “The Game of the Century" per The Record.

In a high-scoring affair, DeRosa delivered key throws, including three completions over 50 yards, including a 67-yard TD to Mark Fabish (current head football coach at the Peddie Schoo.) Bergen prevailed 44-34.

Even after his eventual success at the University of Pennsylvania and in the big leagues, this remains his top sports memory: "This is no lie. I’m about to be 51 years old, played 15 years in the big leagues and got a chance to have a really nice college career and I still say winning the state championship in football my senior year at Bergen, with those guys, and playing in that game against Paramus Catholic, is still like the greatest sports memory in my life."

Baseball Foundation and the Cape Cod Turning Point

DeRosa earned all-state baseball honors as Bergen's sure-handed shortstop and slugging hitter, showcasing instincts that MLB scouts noticed. His passion leaned toward football's team dynamic, but his father's baseball wisdom prevailed.

A pivotal shift came after his sophomore year at Penn, where he quarterbacked the Quakers to consecutive Ivy League titles. DeRosa played summer ball in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League for the Bourne Braves in 1995. He gained the starting spot at third base when future 13-year MLB infielder Troy Glaus went to Team USA. DeRosa performed exceptionally against elite college talent.

Although he loved football, that summer convinced him of his baseball potential.

"I was lucky. I had a chance to go to Cape Cod and play in the Cape Cod League after my sophomore year... And that led to the whole MLB Draft and the scouts started to take notice. My mindset sort of flipped (from football to baseball) when I returned to campus for my junior year. Although I loved baseball, I’m thinking I just went against the supposed greatest college guys in the country and I held my own. So, I was like, ‘maybe my dad was right.’"

That success elevated his profile, leading to his selection by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round (212th overall) of the 1996 MLB Draft.

MLB Career: Versatile Across Eight Teams

DeRosa debuted briefly with the Braves in 1998 as a shortstop, gradually earning time as a utility player from 2001. After modest roles, he was non-tendered and signed with the Texas Rangers, becoming an everyday player in 2006 (.296 average, career highs).

He signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs prior to 2007, playing 149 games each in 2007 and 2008, hitting 21 homers in the latter. Traded mid-2009 to the Cleveland Indians, then to the St. Louis Cardinals that season, he set a career-high 23 homers despite a wrist injury. Wrist issues limited him with the San Francisco Giants (2010–2011). He played sparingly for the Washington Nationals in 2012, then hit his 100th career home run with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 before retiring.

Versatile enough to start at every position except center field, pitcher, and catcher, DeRosa epitomized the grinder.

Legacy from Bergen Catholic Forward

Bergen Catholic nurtured his resilience: "I feel it was the first true stepping stone in me having the confidence to go to the Ivy League and to play two sports and to pursue playing major league baseball and staying mentally tough and to grind it out. All of that was kind of nurtured at Bergen, it really was."

Inducted into both the NJSIAA and Bergen Catholic Halls of Fame, DeRosa stays connected to the school. As he prepares for Team USA's 2026 WBC push—with stars like Aaron Judge—the Oradell forge remains central, turning a patient high school backup into a major-league mainstay and eventual manager of Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.