Diamondbacks prospect Varsho familiar with professional lifestyle
Jul 20, 2019, 12:09 PM | Updated: Jul 21, 2019, 8:29 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks No. 4 prospect Daulton Varsho is no stranger to the professional baseball lifestyle.
During his youth, Varsho’s father, Gary, played eight Major League seasons before later becoming an MLB bench coach; most notably with the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Currently, Varsho is batting .280 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI for the Double-A Jackson Generals.
During the MLB All-Star Weekend, where he participated in the Futures game, Varsho spoke to Cespedes Family BBQ about his upbringing and what growing up in Chili, Wisconsin did to help him find success.
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Living in the woods, and with two older sisters, Varsho’s patience and competitive nature developed.
“I’m a big time hunter so I love going out into the woods and sitting in my stand. I don’t even have to bring my bow. I can go out there and just enjoy it,” he told CFBBQ.
“Being the youngest of three siblings, I had to come out and be that person who would be controversial.”
While his father was coaching with the Phillies, the No. 6 MLB catching prospect recounts the fond memories he had being in a Major League clubhouse with Philly greats like Jim Thome and Charlie Manuel.
Varsho would start the school year in Wisconsin then go to school in Florida for a month during spring training. He would go back to finish the year in his home state before living with his father in Philadelphia during the summer.
A nitty-gritty backstop out of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Varsho first started to stand out to scouts during his time in the Northwoods League.
“My sophomore summer in the Northwoods I put up some good numbers and had like 15 homers,” he said. “I think teams started realizing I had some potential.
“I took it from there and tried to stay humble and tried to be myself. When I try to not be myself things start to go the opposite way.”
A second round draft pick by the D-backs in 2017, Varsho is quickly climbing the minor league ranks and could play a big role for the club in the future.
