Brock Stassi overcome with emotion after making Phillies roster

Drafted in the 33rd round of the 2011 draft with the 1,021st overall pick, Brock Stassi never gave up on his dream of playing in the major leagues.

His dream came true Thursday.

The 27-year-old "got a little choked up, to be honest with you" when manager Pete Mackanin approached Stassi in the clubhouse and asked him what number he wanted to wear for thePhiladelphia Phillies this season.

"A dream come true," Stassi told MLB.com while choking back tears. "I made it to the big leagues and can finally say I'm a big leaguer. It's special."

Stassi, who has spent time in the offseason working as a substitute teacher, hit .333 with six home runs in 57 at-bats for the Phillies during spring training.

"It's a special moment. I don't have the words for it right now," said Stassi, who plays first base and right field. "But it's not done. I just don't want to get there; I want to stay there. I've accomplished one of my goals and just looking forward to the next one."

Max Stassi, who reached the majors as a catcher with the Houston Astros in 2013 and has played in 30 games at the major league level over the past three seasons, was "thrilled" in congratulating his older brother on Twitter.

Philadelphia opens the regular season at Cincinnati on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.