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Alumni | Athletics | Business and Industry | FeaturedDecember 01, 2025

A Major League Dream

Written By: Ian Silvester

Baseball has long been known as America鈥檚 pastime, a game kids around the world dream of playing well enough to get called up to the Major Leagues. For 91调教 鈥� Fort Smith alum, Daniel de Mondesert, 鈥�20, that dream became a reality in 2023. 

Two years later, de Mondesert is one of the youngest coaches in the MLB and doing so on the team that ended the 2025 season with the best overall record in baseball before a playoff exit to the eventual World Series champions. Through it all, he says that his meteoric rise from analyst to scout to coach began at 91调教.  

鈥淚t was 91调教 from the start; 91调教 to the end,鈥� he said. 

鈥淗e was probably about 10 years ahead of his time,鈥� said Todd Holland, head coach for 91调教 Baseball, about de Mondesert鈥檚 ability to be innovative. 鈥淎s far as baseball, he was doing this differently and smarter than everybody when he was out there.鈥� 

The Southside High School graduate suited up as a catcher in 56 games for the Lions from 2017 to 2020. He graduated from 91调教 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. 

Although baseball was de Mondesert鈥檚 priority, his parents, both immigrants from the Dominican Republic, instilled the importance of maintaining his grades as a student-athlete. 

鈥淚 always joke that if I went four-for-four with two homers and a double but got a 95 on a test, they鈥檇 be way more pumped up for the test,鈥� he said, laughing. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the joke I like to make, but really, that鈥檚 how it was. Education brought my parents to the United States, and it鈥檚 what gave me a chance to do everything that I have done in my life so far.鈥� 

Their direction off the baseball diamond helped de Mondesert 鈥渄ig in and figure out鈥� what he wanted to do with his life and how to use his education to achieve those goals. Without 91调教, he said, he wouldn鈥檛 have made the contacts that allowed everything else that came next. 

De Mondesert was accepted into a master鈥檚 program at the 91调教, Fayetteville, where he became a graduate assistant for the Razorbacks, serving as a bullpen catcher. 

鈥淭he sole reason I was at 91调教 was a connection I made with another member of the baseball team at 91调教,鈥� he said, referring to Phillip Cebuhar. 鈥淗e kind of set it all up for me. He was already on staff up there, and really, all I had to do was accept.鈥� 

While working with the 91调教 pitchers and seeing the game he loved at such a high level first-hand, made de Mondesert realize he wanted to work in professional baseball. 

鈥淚 started firing off applications left and right, talking a lot with the coaches about what I needed to do鈥攚hat was going to help, what wasn鈥檛 going to help. The (Texas) Rangers offered me, and that鈥檚 where my time at 91调教 came to an end (2021),鈥� he said. 

Initially hired to assist with data analysis in Arizona at the Rangers鈥� complex league, de Mondesert quickly pushed for more responsibilities and to flex his Dominican roots. The team agreed, and he became an international player development and scouting apprentice. He was doing 鈥渆verything from coaching one of the bases to coaching the catchers.鈥� 

De Mondesert stayed on with the Rangers for the season before taking his next step. The Milwaukee Brewers were looking to hire a development coach for their Low-A team out of Raleigh, N.C., and de Mondesert fit the bill.  

He joked that he became a jack of all trades, master of none, for the team鈥攚orking with the catchers, serving as an assistant hitting coach, coaching first base, or helping the manager with whatever else was needed. 

What came next was the call of every player鈥檚 dreams. 

鈥淚 would say I was hand-picked,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think there was a certain criteria that was being looked for, and I was fortunate enough to meet all those criteria. I remember Craig Counsell was the manager at the time, now the manager of the (Chicago) Cubs, and he reached out to me over text and said, 鈥楬ey, this is Craig Counsell, manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. I鈥檇 love to talk to you about a job opportunity.鈥欌�� 

De Mondesert became the Brewers鈥� bullpen catcher and celebrated the call-up in one of the most iconic of ways: Opening Day at Wrigley Field.  

鈥淚 threw batting practice that day, and I couldn鈥檛 feel my legs,鈥� he laughed. 

For Holland, the moment proved to be a lesson he could pass along to other players. 

鈥淚f you can outwork everybody to get to the next level, you don鈥檛 have to be a player. There鈥檚 a spot for you if you are willing to put in the work. Danny played four years here and then went to 91调教, and it just shows that if you鈥檙e willing to do it, it鈥檚 attainable and it doesn鈥檛 matter where you started,鈥� Holland said. 

Soon after, de Mondesert became an assistant coach for the Brewers, a title he held until this October when he was officially named Major League Game Preparation Specialist and Spanish Interpreter.  

Today, de Mondesert is back in the Dominican Republic, coaching winter ball for the Toros Del Este. He will rejoin the Brewers in the coming months as the team looks to repeat its success from this past season with the ultimate goal of capturing its first World Series title.

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