‘It’s Kind of Surreal’: Lakeland Grad Eager to Toe the Mound in Summer Olympics
Over the last few years, Jonathan de Marte has experienced the highs and lows associated with being an athlete.
The 2011 Lakeland High School graduate had his share of injuries while playing Division I baseball at Richmond and then played with several independent minor league teams while pursuing his dream of making it to Major League Baseball.
In 2018, de Marte, 27, who grew up in Yorktown Heights with his parents and triplet siblings, obtained his dual Israeli citizenship. Two years later, he qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo on Israel’s national team, only to have the Olympics canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When COVID hit no one expected it to last so long,” de Marte said during a recent interview. “The most devastating thing was hearing the Olympics were canceled. That really hit me very hard. Qualifying for the Olympics was the coolest thing I have ever done in my life. Then the biggest thing you have ever accomplished is canceled.”
On Feb. 26, 2020, de Marte reached the pinnacle of his baseball career to date, signing a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.
However, with the pandemic forcing the postponement of the minor league season last year, de Marte never got a chance to toe the mound for the Cubs or any of its minor league affiliates. And a few weeks ago, de Marte received a call that every professional athlete dreads: he had been released.
“I never threw a pitch for the Cubs. I thought I would get a chance to throw a few innings before any decisions were made,” he said. “Hopefully. I’ll have other opportunities in pro ball.”
But with the Olympics back on, de Marte is looking forward to being on one of six teams that will be competing for an Olympic medal. As one of 24 players on the Israeli squad, de Marte is slated to be the team’s closer.
“It’s everything we have been training for the last two years,” de Marte said. “That is something that has pushed me and kept me going.”
Eric Holtz, owner of Game on 13 in Elmsford, is the manager of the Israel Senior National Team, which lost in the European Championship to Austria last January. He was the head coach for the 2017 Gold Medal winning USA team in the Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Holtz is counting on de Marte to be a key contributor on the Israeli team in the Olympics, which get underway in July.
“Jonathan has really established himself as our closer,” Holtz said. “Two years ago in Europe in the qualifying tournament he really stepped up. He’s an incredible human being, a great clubhouse guy, a great teammate. He’s the kind of young man you would want to marry your daughter. He’s truly been like a son to me.”
Holtz said he would not be making any predictions on his team’s chances, but is grateful to get an opportunity to return to the diamond.
“For me it’s kind of surreal. It almost seems like it’s not real because of the delay,” Holtz said, noting Israel was the first team to qualify for the Olympics in September 2019. “As it gets closer, I’m getting very excited. It’s an amazing opportunity. It’s something I will cherish the rest of my life.”
For de Marte, whose love of the game began in the Shrub Oak Athletic Club, he’s hopeful of winning a medal and getting another chance to eventually realize his dream of reaching the Major Leagues.
“I’ve had an absolute blast traveling for baseball. I love seeing new cities and experiencing new cultures,” de Marte said. “I (understand) every year how hard it is to get there (MLB). I have noticed steady gains in my on-field performance. My confidence level has gone up. I really enjoy the whole process and the routine. I like all the pieces that go into making a complete athlete. There are other ways to make a career out of baseball.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/