Alfred Delia was just a normal kid from Middletown, New Jersey, who grew up by the Jersey Shore. He attended youth basketball and baseball camps at his local middle school and high school, making tons of friends throughout his youth. It was at these camps that he first heard the nickname, “Big Al.”
At the time, it was just a nickname to him that had to do with his size as a youth. It was his first experience of “fame,” where almost everyone at the camps knew who “Big Al” was. He played baseball and basketball at Thorne Middle School in Middletown and played Little League for Middletown. It was the summer of 2018 when Delia made the 12U Little League All-Star team for Middletown, playing with his best friends.
That team would go on to win the state of New Jersey and advance to regional championships, which were featured on ESPN. It was then that the whole world was introduced to “Big Al” with his unforgettable intro on national television.
“Hi, my name is Alfred Delia. At home, they call me ‘Big Al,’ and I hit dingers.”
The clip went viral, and Al’s life seemingly changed overnight. Within the next week, he was being interviewed on ESPN broadcasts of the Little League World Series, talking to MLB players one-on-one, and gaining over 60,000 followers on his Instagram.
Over the next few months, he would throw out first pitches at Mets and Yankees games, hang out with both teams, receive “Big Al” custom merch and make an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
High school came around, and he spent his freshman year at Middletown High School North before transferring to Red Bank Catholic for his sophomore year. Al said it was a turning point in his life, making tons of new friends after having the same group of friends for his whole life. It was his first time attending a school different from the one where he grew up, and he started to form new habits.
He transformed from “Big Al” to just “Al,” losing a ton of weight and slimming down to play baseball for a highly talented RBC team. He had a successful senior season, recreating his famous clip in his first game after hitting a home run, which went viral again for his transformation. He committed to continue playing baseball at Felician University in Rutherford, New Jersey.
Delia would transfer to Brookdale Community College after his first semester to be closer to home and his new friends. He continued to work out to stay in shape for baseball, but ultimately decided he was done and would focus on trying to transfer to a larger university. Delia plans on transferring to Auburn University or the University of South Carolina and has picked up golfing as his new hobby.
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