Mastroianni and the NECBL Article

NYdad, thanks for posting that.

 

What a great article. What a great kid! He surely must have taken after his mother!

 

What a lesson for young players.

 

We saw Darin at our 2002 underclass showcase. We graded him a 6. Not sure why we graded him that low, he actually showed some good skills. Maybe we pissed him off and he set out to prove us wrong.  I really do love it when that happens.

 

Whether Darin becomes a hall of famer or just another Big League player, he should be a true inspiration for young people that listen to his message.  Dad, you have every right to be so damn proud of that kid. And I know you're proud of all your kids.

as in life timing is key-I MET Darin when he  was a hs frosh when his AD who had been my sons ad phoned me and said I had  to meet Darin--- in addition his hs coach had  played summer ball  with my son---one never knows do they  ?

Nice article, thanks for posting it!

 

Great story from Darin:

 

Ironically, Span was one of the veterans who made Mastroianni feel the most comfortable in the Big Leagues.  “I had come off a good June and July and was struggling in August,” Mastroianni described.  “I was in the clubhouse and said to Denard Span, ‘Dude, this is tough.  I feel kind of overmatched.’  Denard said, ‘Darin, you belong here.  This is where you should be.  And I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.’  Denard and I were good friends and that really changed my outlook.  I felt like I could breathe again.  It relaxed me and made me believe that I did belong there and I could help the team win.

My husband and I were just reading the local (Minneapolis) sports section and discussing Twins prospects over lunch today. It's too soon to tell whether Darin will come out of Spring Training as the starting CF. But it is pretty cool that for the first Spring Training in his career, everyone knows he belongs on the Big League club!

 

Julie

Love stories like this.hard working player with a will and desire to play the game.Best of luck to his this season.

Glad I could post something positive.  Best of luck to him this year.  He played pretty close to our neck of the woods in HS (we're in Westchester), so we always pull a little harder for him.

NYdad2017- Where in Westchester?

 

Great article. Hard work pays off. Looking forward to continuing to follow his career. I played a season with his younger cousin...a great young man and a very hard worker as well. Must run in the family.

Great young man from a tremendous family. His younger brother was a stud as well. It's always nice to see great things happen for outstanding people.

Thanks for all of the kind words and well wishes.

 

We are all hoping for another exciting season!

 

Go Twins!