Ex-Giant Mark DeRosa turns baseball career into MLB Network analyst job

Editor’s note: “As Told To Amy G,” presented by Toyota, will feature exclusive conversations with Giants staff, players and alums, as well as interesting figures around Major League Baseball, throughout the 2019 season. Stepping to the plate is Mark DeRosa, MLB Network analyst and member of the Giants' 2010 World Series championship team.

I first met Mark DeRosa at spring training in 2010. I had two seasons under my belt covering the Giants, and they had signed “DeRo” to a two-year deal.

I still was very green, but my duties and our coverage were expanding. We were launching heavy website content, and I was tasked to come up with some interesting interview ideas. You might recall a few of our features such as “Diamond Girls”, “Bull Shootin' " and one of the originals, “Dishin' With DeRosa."

I'll admit now that I was super nervous asking Mark, who I didn’t know, to spend a portion of his time with me each homestand so we could get an episode in the can. if you know ballplayers, you know asking one for time consistently goes against the grain -- way against the grain. Especially in 2010, when social media was just getting underway.

I had heard Mark was a “nice guy,” and when I gathered up the courage to approach him on that spring training day, he really was … very nice. He agreed to my offer (not sure he was thrilled about it), but he probably knew it was a good opportunity for him as well in trying to win over a new fan base in San Francisco. We went on to do two seasons of "Dishin' with DeRosa,” and better yet, we forged a longtime friendship.

Today, Mark is one of the hosts of "MLB Central," a morning show on MLB Network, and he also does game and player analysis for several of their shows. I tease him that I gave him his start in television, but the truth is he was bound for this industry, and he has combined a successful playing career with an amazing work ethic to become a respected broadcaster. He’s just one of those guys who's good at everything he does.

Here's a look at a recent conversation we had. Enjoy. ...

DeRosa spent numerous years in Major League Baseball playing against San Francisco and watching from the other side how the Giants organization went about its business. The New Jersey-born boy had the Giants on his radar for a long time, and when the opportunity to don the orange and black presented itself, he grabbed it.

Unfortunately for Mark, his days in a Giants uniform were plagued by injury -- he played in just 73 total games in two seasons -- but he still found a way to make an impact. He also was a bit of a prophet, sensing that particular group had something special.

I always wanted to be a San Francisco Giant. I actually was almost one in 2007 when I signed with the Cubs. It was the Cubs or San Francisco, and I went to Chicago, and [I] circled back three years later, and Brian Sabean called again. I remember Christmas Eve 2009, he called, and goes, 'C'mon, let's put something nice under the tree for both of us,' and I was like, 'All right, let's do it.'

I wanted to wear the uniform. Every time I came out as a visiting player, I loved the atmosphere. I loved the city. I would always walk around -- I liked the vibe of San Francisco -- and I said if I ever got a chance to play there, I wanted to. It was an easy sell for me.

It ended up being super far away from the family. I had two young kids at the time, so it made it tough, especially not being able to play [because of injuries]. But I was gung-ho, spring training [in] Scottsdale [in] 2010, ready to be a jack of all trades for [manager Bruce Bochy]. I think I started the first game in the outfield, if i'm not mistaken, not a huge stint. I was going to bounce around and be completely happy with that, hopefully hit toward the 5 or 6 hole. ... I wanted to be around the good young pitching. I thought we had a chance to do something special -- you could kind of tell that that group, and you know that group was authentic. From Day 1 of spring training, there was something for everyone in that clubhouse.

As he mentioned, Mark thought the 2010 team had something special in spring training. but as fans will fondly recall, the Giants picked up pieces along the way that ultimately electrified the club and fan base.

Pat Burrell and Cody Ross became key components and complements to the team's core strength -- pitching. Mark knew the team would be good, but I was curious if there was a point he recalled thinking that team was World Series bound.

I did because of the arms we had. Timmy [Lincecum] was amazing. Matt Cain was amazing. and Madison [Bumgarner] didn't even realize how good he was at the time.

The thing I was super impressed with, and why I felt like we were going to have a really good chance, we struggled offensively to kind of piece it together and score runs. I remember Kuip used to call it torture, but the way that Boch could manipulate a bullpen -- I mean, I could close my eyes and pretty much, like he's bringing this guy in, he's bringing this guy in. ... Sat next to Dave Righetti [the Giants' pitching coach] and kind of picked his brain.

I don't know if there was so much like a signature moment throughout the course of the season. I just felt like, we were battle-tested when we got in.

Like so many others, Mark treasures his two seasons with Bochy. Although he wasn't able to actually play much, Mark gained priceless knowledge spending countless hours next to Boch on the Giants' bench during games. It was clear to Mark, even then, that Boch would have an everlasting impact on America's pastime.

I wish I would have been healthy to play for him. Because I was super sensitive, and I could tell when he looked down at me like, 'I can't use you.' It upset me.

What i loved about Boch is he was a player's manager -- super smart. I think he kind of wants to give the impression he's not. ... He could put managers in the opposing dugout in a bind. I appreciated that.

His presence ... the door was always open, and it didn't always have to be about baseball. He had the huge rack of wine, he was awesome. He was everything I thought he was going to be. I just wish I would have been able for him to see me [play] ... I felt like I never got that shot.

So, what is the jump like from the diamond to the desk? Many former players-turned-analysts struggle with the requirements of their new gig, to actually critique players fairly and avoid the “homer” title. But Mark has found a way. He analyzes the game the way he played it, staying true to who he is.

I love it. Obviously, 'Dishing with DeRosa' is when I started to moonlight in there, and it was kind of just my agent's idea. Like, 'Hey, go up there [to MLB Network] and I enjoyed it. ... You walk in that building, and their passion for baseball is just ridiculous. I was like, 'All right, this is my kind of place.' And then i looked back on my career later, and I was like, 'I played in every dvision, and I played with a lot of guys,' and a lot of them have really cool stories. Not everyone gets to the big leagues. ... There's a lot of grind for some people. I always had a voice in the clubhouse, and I felt like, 'Man, if anyone is going to tell their stories, I want to be the guy.' 

On the flip side of that, working in TV, you better have an opinion. You don't want to watch someone up there that says this could happen, but this could happen, too. No, you could be wrong. You gotta have an opinon. And I always say this: If I'm going to do something on Buster Posey, I shoot him a text. 'Hey, I want to do this on you, you're 15-20, I see this. Am I wrong?" I kind of stick to the guys I really know, too. Sometimes I get a response back, sometimes I don't, and I have to roll with what I think.

But, for the most part, the guys want their stories told the right way. There have been some guys that have been upset with me, but I get it. There's some tough topics that, who am I to bash a player or ban the shift? I never lose sight of what kind of player I was. I never hit third for a team consistently. I never was asked to carry an offense. I was never the highest-paid guy. I kind of knew my role, and I wanted every other guy in that clubhouse to know their role, and some guys don't. It's amazing that some guys don't. Some guys are very sharp, and I tried to keep that rhythm in the clubhouse for everybody because there is a hierarchy.

Even though DeRosa only has been removed from the game for a short time, it has changed immensely in the last few years. I was curious how an old-school grinder-type player feels about where the game is going. In or out?

Man, I would have loved the opportunity to play in this era and have a manager come up to me and say, 'I'm not worried about strikeouts.' I was in full panic mode about strikeouts.

Honestly, if I would have played the game the way the guys are playing it today, Bobby Cox would have sent me down. It's just not the way I was taught. That being said, I'm open to change, and I love the idea of ... Oracle Park is not a ballpark that's condusive to that type of play, and I felt that's what made our 2010 team so special. The Andres Torres of the world. Freddie Sanchez -- he could throw a bullet with the best of them.

I'm not in favor of banning the shift, I know that. It's not my talent versus your talent. It is, but if I can beat you, why wouldn't I? Unless everyone is on the same payroll and the team signs the exact same guys. I just can't throw my gloves on the field against the Red Sox and think I'm going to win. I want to find a way to beat them.

The Giants connection has far outlasted Mark’s time in a San Francisco uniform. He currently lives with his lovely wife, Heidi, and their beautiful children in Atlanta, nowhere near the City by the Bay. But with their magnetic personalities, they're now surrounded by former Giants teammates Javier Lopez, Ryan Vogelsong and Jeff Francoeur, who all live in the same neighborhood and often get together. it probably should be renamed “Giantsville.”

Yeah, it's funny ... we play golf a lot, but I'll be driving down a fairway, and Ryan Vogelsong's there. [In] 2010, 2011, those guys came through there and fell in love with the place, and it's a nice in-between for Javi and his family. I know he went to UVa [the University of Virginia] and he's got family close, and Vogey loved it. ...

I came up with Atlanta [in 1998] and kind of carved out that niche and loved golf and wanted to live around the golf course, so now everybody comes to play. Jeff Francoeur is actually my next-door neighbor -- legitimate next-door neighbor. ... I told him very early on when he broke ground, I'm like, 'Listen, ... I don't play the whole front door's always open. You’re ringing the doorbell, dude!

As a player, DeRosa was a true grinder -- tough as nails. I mean, he’s from New Jersey, for crying out loud. But as a broadcaster, the demands are a lot different, and there are a few components to the job I thought Mark might struggle with … like wearing makeup!

It was the toughest thing for me. ... Yeah, when i saw myself without it because I fought it, and they said, 'Go look at yourself on camera without it,' ... and I was like, 'Ooh, I look busted up,' and then I was like, 'Put a little on,' and then i was like, 'All right, I guess i gotta do it.' Yeah, I'm a little vain in that regard. I don't wanna look busted on TV, all right?

You're looking and doing great, Mark. And to those fans in the Bay Area, you are forever Giant.

One last remark from a fan -- let’s make it our Toyota fan question for Mark:

From Steven Babb, @babbsports on Twitter: “The 2010 championship team was affectionately known as the 'band of misfits,' what’s your favorite memory of being on that team, or maybe a moment that sticks out to you from that amazing season?

One moment from behind the curtain was, late in the year, we called a team meeting, and a few of us spoke to the team. I remember Edgar Renteria getting emotional about this being his last chance at a ring. He was so respected, and to see that raw emotion really hit home for the guys. It’s exactly what i thought of when he hit the homer off Cliff Lee in Game 5. Right man, right time.

Follow Amy G on Twitter @AmyGGiants, on Instagram @amyg, on Facebook, and, of course, watch her on NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants coverage all season.