A native of Orlando, Florida, the Cardinals selected DeJong in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft after he attended and played college baseball at Illinois State University (ISU). In 2017, his rookie season, he led National League (NL) shortstops in home runs with 25.\n', '

DeJong was born and raised in Orlando, Florida before moving to Antioch, Illinois at the age of 11. He grew up an Atlanta Braves fan. DeJong graduated from Antioch Community High School in 2011. As a senior, he batted .430 with four home runs and 30 RBIs, leading his team to a 21-10 record.\n', '

After graduating high school, he then attended Illinois State University (ISU) where he played college baseball for the Redbirds. He was a preferred walk on. As a freshman in 2013, he batted .260 in 100 at bats with no home runs. After increasing his dedication to weight training between his freshman and sophomore years, DeJong noted, he gained approximately 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of muscle mass, and in strength and speed, thus improving his play on the field. In 2014, he played second base, third base, and catcher, batting .349 with nine home runs and 48 runs batted in (RBIs). After the 2014 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates chose DeJong in the 38th round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft as a catcher. He did not sign with the Pirates and instead returned to Illinois State. \n', '

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