Owen J. Roberts pitcher Tristan Dietrich selected by Miami Marlins in MLB Draft; LHP to stick with college commitment to Florida International University

Tristan Dietrich was out to dinner with his parents in South Beach on Monday when he got a call from his advisor. He was told other calls came through, that he needed to be ready.

On Tuesday, Dietrich was picking up a book for his public speaking class at Florida International University’s bookstore when he received the follow up.

“Hey, you might want to turn on the Draft here.”

Dietrich, a left-handed pitcher who graduated from Owen J. Roberts in June, was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft with the 533rd pick.

“I was very surprised, very grateful,” Dietrich said. “This was the goal I’ve been working towards since I was 12 and just being able to get this experience and have that feeling of, ‘Wow, all the hard work actually paid off’ was an amazing feeling.”

While Dietrich, 18, begins his negotiation period with the Marlins organization this week, the Phoenixville native currently intends to stay put in the Sunshine State where he’s committed to FIU.

Dietrich has sat a 90 mph fastball (87-90 average), averages 82-85 on his changeup, 73-76 on his curveball and a 76.6-77 slider, according to Prep Baseball Report. But he wants to get bigger, stronger and faster, aiming to bolster his pedigree.

“Right now, I’m very grateful for the opportunity, but I think I’m going to stick with FIU,” Dietrich said. “I’ll still go to college down here, hopefully have a very good career down here and come out in a few years and see where I can get to in the Draft then. Maybe get myself a little higher, get some more stock options and stuff like that.”

Dietrich joins elite company with two other Owen J. Roberts pitchers drafted out of high school since the turn of the century, Matt Murray in 2008 (taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 39th round) and Tim Ponto in 2011 (taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 39th round).

In his final varsity season at Owen J. Roberts, Dietrich started eight games, earning three wins without any losses while finishing with a 2.48 ERA. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound southpaw struck out 67 batters against 23 hits with 25 walks over 31 innings of work.

Owen J. Roberts finished 14-8 overall and qualified for the first round of the District 1 Class 6A tournament.

“It’s very well deserved,” Owen J. Roberts coach Alex Condello said. “He’s a very hard worker, a very good kid on the baseball field, in the classroom in school, he’s a very likable kid. It’s a very good person to have this happen to. I think he’s very deserving of it.”

Condello has seen Dietrich’s growth firsthand, as well as his biggest moment for Bucktown’s ball club. In last year’s District 1-6A championship against West Chester Henderson, Dietrich had the start, going five innings with three strikeouts, two hits and five walks while working around two runs, one earned.

Up 4-3 in the top of the seventh inning, Dietrich unleashed a two-out double to clear the bases and break open the game, 7-3 to ride out a 10-4 win. It was the first District 1 baseball title in program history for Owen J. Roberts.

“We kind of saw that talent and potential he had as a sophomore. In the last couple years, he’s really turned it on,” Condello said. “He won the district championship for us on the mound and at the plate. He turned into the guy we thought he could be.”

While Dietrich’s pitching talents have been sought by the Marlins, his batting has also been stellar this past season. Dietrich finished his senior year with a .483 batting average, finishing with 29 hits (four doubles, four home runs) and 20 RBIs. He also had a .568 OBP and .750 SLG.

After attending the Draft combine in Phoenix, Ariz. Dietrich immediately settled into FIU to get a head start with college. Taking three classes this summer, public speaking, humanities and a SLS course, Dietrich is currently adjusting to the same humid, slimy 95-degree weather that feels like 105. Miami Marlins weather, in other words.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Dietrich said. “I don’t think it’s still hit me yet, the severity of what just happened because there’s never going to be another 18th-round, left-handed pitcher in the 533rd pick and that in the 2023 Draft, I got picked. It’s just surreal. It’s good that I’m a little busy with school and baseball down at FIU right now because I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I had a lot of free time.”

Much of his time now is spent managing a cell phone that’s been blowing up over the past 24 hours.

“It’s been a little hectic. I’m getting phone calls left and right,” Dietrich said. “I got those ones where they’re calling at the same time and I have to say, ‘Hey, I’ll call you back,’ so it’s probably the most chaotic it’s ever been on my end.”

Nineteen hours away from home, Dietrich is a busy man. Wherever his future endeavors take him, there’s no denying that Dietrich has left a significant mark and legacy at Owen J. Roberts.

When looking back on his high school journey, he was resolute.

“Couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.”