West Point Grad and MLB Hopeful Derek Berg Balancing 2 Career Goals

Pittsburgh Pirates minor league catcher Derek Berg is concentrating on moving up in the organizational depth chart—for now.

Berg, on Tuesday, was among the traveling squad of Pirates being bussed from their spring training home of Bradenton, Florida, 95 miles south to Fort Myers, for an exhibition game with the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park. Sandwiched in the 16–7 Pittsburgh win, Pirates’ skipper Don Kelly called on Berg to pinch hit, and remain in the game in the designated hitter’s role.

The box score reads Berg’s work for the day—two at-bats, one hit, and one run scored. Contributing to his team’s success, and at the same time catching Kelly and his coaching staff’s attention for a possible future call-up to the major leagues, concluded Berg’s workday.

Since being drafted by the Pirates in 2024, Berg is attempting to do what only a handful of athletes have accomplished. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Berg, while he still plans to serve his country when his baseball playing days are over, beginning as a second lieutenant, is now jockeying for position somewhere between Double-A and the Pirates’ 26-man roster.

In the 2025 season, his first full season of pro ball, Berg began at Single-A with the Bradenton Marauders, moved up a notch to the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the High-A level, and then settled in with the Double-A Altoona Curve for nine games.

Military school ballplayers reaching the MLB level are far and few between. The most recent Black Knight to taste the major leagues is outfielder Jacob Hurtubise. Currently in training camp with the Milwaukee Brewers, Hurtubise made his MLB debut in 2025 with the Cincinnati Reds, appearing in 12 games. Prior to Hurtubise, Chris Rowley, who pitched four seasons at West Point (2010–2013), appeared in eight games for the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

From being the 294th player picked during the 2024 MLB Draft to seeing four catchers—Henry Davis, Joey Bart, Endy Rodriguez, and Rafael Flores—in camp this spring battling for two roster spots, nothing has dissuaded Berg from working hard to make lasting impressions.

Becoming a better leader and mastering time management at West Point has transformed Berg into a patient athlete with an abundance of confidence. Becoming a cadet, at first, at the nation’s most famous military academy wasn’t on Berg’s radar when contemplating where he would attend college.

“I was raised to respect the military. My great grandfather flew for the Army Air Corps in World War II,” Berg told The Epoch Times. “I was recruited for baseball by West Point. Texas schools are what I was looking at. When West Point came calling and asking if I wanted to take a visit and see the campus, I did. But, I still wasn’t interested in going to school 1,600 miles away from my home.”

Once he arrived at the Orange County, New York campus, Berg was hooked. From the winning baseball culture at Army to the quality of people he encountered, Berg knew that he wanted to live his dream of playing Division I ball for four years for the Black Knights. In speaking with seniors during his tour, Berg was impressed when baseball players were sharing their excitement with him about preparing to go to Army Ranger School and Special Forces training. He wanted to be like them. After receiving his nomination for West Point from his local congressman in Montgomery County, Texas, Berg received approval to attend the military academy.

For now, the Pirates’ hopeful is fully committed to baseball. His professional pride is galvanized by the four conference championships collected at Army, while dominating the NCAA’s Patriot League.

Being in a position to continue to be employed by the Pirates and not having to go directly into the Army post-graduation from West Point comes from a 2019 policy allowing service deferment for professional athletes.

“I’m in the inactive reserves right now. It (deferment) gets reapproved by the military on an annual basis. When baseball is over for me, I go back to West Point to fill out some paperwork, and officially become a second lieutenant and serve five years,” said Berg.

One college baseball highlight that Berg shares brings new meaning to the concept of teamwork today in the Pittsburgh camp. During Berg’s freshman year as a cadet, he received his first start as a first baseman. During this 2021 Army versus Air Force Academy game, the starting catcher for the Falcons was Paul Skenes. The same Paul Skenes who over the past two MLB seasons has been selected the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and 2025 Cy Young Award winner, and current Pirates teammate.

“We (Army) knew they had a pretty good freshman catcher with a good arm behind the plate. In that game, Paul went down to the bullpen, warmed up, and pitched in the ninth inning. He was a two-way player back then,” Berg explains.

The next few weeks of the Grapefruit League schedule are pivotal for Berg. How he performs, and any injuries that may pop up among the catching corps, will dictate if he is dispatched to the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, or a second stint with the Curve for the start of the season. From his actions to his training regimen, there is no quit in Berg’s commitment to be the next West Point baseball player to reach the MLB.