Infielder Jon Berti made it to the major leagues in the latter weeks of the 2018 campaign. Tom Berti, his father, was a minor league player.
Berti set school records for runs scored (66), hits (66), steals (40), and triples as a senior in high school, hitting .467 overall (8).
He debated playing baseball or hockey as a teenager because he was a skilled goalie, but he chose the summer sport. He was selected by the Oakland A’s one choice before Jack Armstrong Jr. in round 36 of the amateur draft in 2008.
He continued playing baseball in college, with the best freshman batting average (.368) in 33 years at Bowling Green. He scored 62 runs in 54 games as a sophomore in 2010, producing at a .423/.483/.577 pace while fielding .934 percent.
He was sixth in hits with 93, tied for second in triples (6, 3 behind Adam Eaton), led the MAC in average, tied for eighth in runs scored with Drew Turocy, and second in steals (one behind Eaton).
At shortstop, he was named All-Conference. In 2011, he went 18 for 23 in tries to steal the ball while hitting .356/.448/.500 and fielding .923.
His average was fifth, his OBP was third, he tied for third in triples (6), and he was fifth in steals.
Berti became the highest-drafted player from Bowling Green since Nolan Reimold when the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the 18th round of the 2011 amateur draft; Nick Manno served as the scout.
With the Vancouver Canadians, where he made his professional debut, he hit .291/.387/.376 with 23 steals in 28 attempts and 37 runs scored in 60 games.
Where Is Jon Berti Now?
Jon Berti is at the Miami Marlins.