Carter Dierdorf Ryan Pesciotta interview on Mets signing

The Carter Dierdorf Ryan Pesciotta interview began with the New York Mets prospect explaining a path that nearly stalled when a shoulder problem left him unable to throw. Dierdorf told Pesciotta how he moved through three colleges, signed with the Mets after going undrafted and is now rehabbing a grade two UCL sprain while preparing for another professional season.

How did Carter Dierdorf's injury shape his college baseball journey?

Carter Dierdorf's college baseball journey took him from North Greenville University to the University of West Georgia and then Pittsburgh. A shoulder problem changed his role during a strong freshman season, and a later reduction in his pitching scholarship helped prompt his first transfer. West Georgia gave him his first full ride.

The shoulder problem at North Greenville

Dierdorf began at North Greenville as a starting outfielder and earned freshman of the year and second-team all-conference honors in Conference Carolinas. About three-quarters of the way through the season, he woke up unable to throw a baseball more than about 20 feet. He recalled no injury or pain; an MRI showed a cyst in his labrum area that was affecting nerves.

He said a cortisone shot made his shoulder feel much better, allowing him to finish the season as the designated hitter and leadoff batter. North Greenville reached the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, North Carolina. Dierdorf remembered playing alongside John Michael Faile, Pat Monteith, Mark Loop and David Lewis. He had surgery on his labrum in July 2023, then worked back toward live at-bats during rehab.

West Georgia's scholarship and a year at Pittsburgh

After his return, Dierdorf struggled, was benched and eventually worked back into North Greenville's lineup. He said a conversation with head coach Landon Powell followed the conference tournament: because Dierdorf no longer pitched, the program would remove the pitching portion of a scholarship that also covered his hitting. With the school already expensive, he decided to transfer.

West Georgia offered what Dierdorf described as his first full-ride scholarship, plus roughly $2,000. A game against Georgia Tech later drew interest when he entered the transfer portal again. He chose Pittsburgh for ACC competition, a first-base opening and a scholarship that covered school. He earned a communications degree there before his professional opportunity arrived.

How did Carter Dierdorf learn to build connections through baseball?

Carter Dierdorf told Ryan Pesciotta that baseball helped him practice building relationships as he joined new teams and met new teammates. Diagnosed with dyslexia and high-functioning autism as a child, he said connecting with people had been difficult. He now wants others, particularly young players, to feel seen and cared for.

Growing up in Bradenton, Florida, Dierdorf played baseball from early childhood. He said his mother worked to get him into Little League when he was around two or three. The idea that he might play professionally did not feel realistic to him until his junior year of college, when local hitting coach Danny Morris told him he could reach that level.

His parents were central to that path. Dierdorf said his father, a former pastor, found time to hit with him and take him to games while providing equipment. His mother missed Sundays at church to attend games, and he remembers helping her cut coupons at the kitchen table. A coach who told him at 13 that he would never play college baseball also motivated him to get stronger and faster.

Today, Dierdorf spends time with young players at Hit Lab in Palmetto, Florida, which he said Cory DeHaan runs. He wants those sessions to be enjoyable as well as useful. When the Mets later asked Pittsburgh coach Mike Bell about him, Dierdorf said they wanted to know whether he would work hard and fit with teammates.

What did Carter Dierdorf value about the ACC tournament and his teammates?

Carter Dierdorf called the ACC tournament his favorite college baseball memory because Pittsburgh's players rallied around the chance to reach a regional. Moving among three colleges also taught him how long it can take to find a place within a team. He valued the friendships that formed alongside the competition.

He remembered the tournament atmosphere in Charlotte, North Carolina, and games that finished around 2 a.m. or later. North Greenville's Division II championship appearance mattered to him too, but Pittsburgh gave him the experience of pursuing a regional berth with a group he felt was focused on the same goal.

Adjusting to stronger pitching

On the field, Dierdorf said the clearest difference between levels was the consistency of the pitching: harder throws, better location and better command. He described hitting four home runs at North Greenville, 13 at West Georgia and 11 at Pittsburgh. At Pitt, he said he drew 60 walks and struck out 38 times. His offseason work now includes using video to make deliberate swing changes rather than taking swings simply to increase their number.

Craig and Kim Penland's support

Support away from the field mattered during those moves. While helping park cars at a North Greenville football game, Dierdorf met Craig Penland at a church tent. Penland and his wife, Kim, lived close to campus and began inviting Dierdorf and a friend to meals. Dierdorf said they became like a second set of parents while he was far from home; Craig later came to watch him play for Pittsburgh in California.

How did Carter Dierdorf sign with the New York Mets after going undrafted?

Carter Dierdorf signed with the New York Mets after the draft ended without his name being called. He had considered independent baseball, and his agent raised the possibility of returning to college. Then, on a Wednesday about two hours after that conversation, a New York number called while Dierdorf was at Chick-fil-A.

During the draft, Dierdorf was coaching his younger brother's summer team and checking the selections on his phone. He said he had heard interest from other organizations, but the Mets had not come up in his conversations. After their call, he contacted his father and his Pittsburgh coach to make sure he understood what had happened. The coach told him the Mets had called about Dierdorf days earlier but had not wanted to raise his hopes.

Within six hours, Dierdorf was driving to the Mets' facility in Port St. Lucie because team doctors were due the next day. He later told his friend Ryan Kates in person. Kates began to cry, Dierdorf recalled, because he knew how much the opportunity meant to him.

What did Carter Dierdorf say about faith and baseball?

Carter Dierdorf said his faith helps him accept a career that has not followed the route he once imagined. His family's word for the year was trust, a theme he returned to through injuries, benchings and the wait after the draft. For him, faith also means giving thanks when baseball is going well.

He pointed to the timing of Pittsburgh's first-base opening after Luke Cantwell was drafted as one of the turns he believes made his path possible. He also recalled worrying that shoulder rehab might not restore his ability to throw and later dealing with an elbow problem during his time at Pitt. Those experiences shaped how he understood both setbacks and opportunities.

Dierdorf said he does not want to turn to God only when he needs help. He hopes to keep faith at the front of his mind during the coming season, including when he strikes out or loses playing time. He also encouraged Christians to show care in ordinary conversations rather than force them, while acknowledging that he is still working on doing that himself.

What has Carter Dierdorf learned about professional baseball and injury rehab?

Carter Dierdorf said professional baseball's daily schedule challenged him as much as its level of play. He is preparing for those demands while working on his swing and rehabbing a grade two UCL sprain. His goals for the next season are steadier improvement, more extra-base power, better baserunning and a full healthy year.

At High-A, he described being at the facility from roughly 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. six days a week. Rookie-ball work began much earlier, with mornings at the facility and practices that ran into the afternoon. He has started getting up at 7:30 a.m. to make the early routine less of a shock when spring training arrives.

Dierdorf said the Mets provide extensive hitting data and coaching, but he wants to identify which adjustments suit his body and communicate when one does not. His current swing work includes trying to flatten a path he said had become too steep. He wants to keep drawing walks while showing that his college power can carry into pro ball, and he hopes to become more of a threat to steal bases.

Health is part of that plan. Dierdorf said an MRI after he joined the Mets showed a grade two UCL sprain. He has worked with a physical therapist in Bradenton and said his arm now feels great. Continuing his shoulder exercises matters too: he has noticed elbow discomfort when he stops that work.

What does Carter Dierdorf want people to know beyond baseball?

Carter Dierdorf wants people to know him as a caring friend rather than only as a baseball player. He said an encounter with Brett Phillips showed him how much attention and genuine interest can mean to someone. That is the kind of connection he hopes to offer teammates, young players and people he meets away from the field.

Dierdorf recalled recognizing Phillips near an elevator at a game and going over to ask him a question. Before Phillips knew Dierdorf played professionally, Dierdorf felt that Phillips was fully engaged in the conversation. The experience stayed with him because Phillips made him feel heard.

Dierdorf summed up the principle he wants people to remember:

You're more than what you do

He said a job or a sport should not define a person's entire identity. For Dierdorf, being someone who gives others his time and makes them feel seen matters alongside whatever he accomplishes on the field.