Amateur career

DeNato attended Torrey Pines High School in the North County section of San Diego County, California.^[1][2] He attended Indiana University and played college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers.^[3] In 2011 and 2012, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.^[4][5] In 2014, he was named the Big Ten Conference's Pitcher of the Year.^[6]

Professional career

The Philadelphia Phillies selected DeNato in the 19th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.^[7]

DeNato signed with Philadelphia and spent 2014 with the Williamsport Crosscutters and Lakewood BlueClaws, posting a combined 4–1 record with a 1.93 ERA in 23 games.

In 2015, he pitched for both Lakewood and the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and compiled a 2–3 record, 1.67 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 46 total relief appearances between the two clubs. After the season, he played for the United States national baseball team in the 2015 WBSC Premier12.^[8]

DeNato spent 2016 with the Clearwater Threshers and the Reading Fighting Phils, pitching to a 4.76 ERA in 56.2 relief innings.

In 2017, he played with Reading and Lehigh Valley, compiling a 6–2 record and 2.65 ERA in 33 total games between both teams.^[9]

In 2018, DeNato made four scoreless appearances for Reading before he was released from the organization on May 29, 2018.