How Savannah Bananas star ‘Stilts’ became the world’s tallest baseball player
Dakota Albritton’s life changed after he received a Christmas gift a decade ago.
Albritton’s parents always gave him a unique present each year designed to challenge his natural coordination and balance skills. One year, they gave him a pogo stick. The next year, they went bigger: Stilts.
“They always tried to find something I couldn’t do,” Albritton said.
Inches taller in his new gift, Albritton still felt like he was walking on solid ground. He used the stilts all through Christmas. He washed the top of his dad’s semi truck once or twice. Then, Albritton put the stilts away and forgot about them.
Becoming ‘Stilts’
Ten years later, Albritton was pouring concrete, working a job in construction when his mom called. Her coworker had shown her that the Savannah Bananas baseball team was hosting open tryouts. She signed up her son.
Albritton hadn’t played in two years. His high school career ended in the same stadium where the Bananas played. But Albritton missed baseball, and his parents were having withdrawal. They wanted one last weekend, even if it was a tryout. But Albritton’s mom had one more thing to share with her son.
She told the Bananas her son could walk on stilts.
Since then, the Georgia native has become known by a moniker befitting his leg extensions: “Stilts.” He’s also known as “the world’s tallest baseball player,” and most importantly, he’s become a full-time Savannah Banana, standing 10 feet, 9 inches.
Albritton is a fan favorite, and he proved that when he took the field at Bank of America Stadium during a two-day stop Friday and Saturday as part of the Bananas’ world tour. The games sold 74,000 tickets in five hours.
But Stilts almost wasn’t part of the show.
He went to the tryout. Halfway through, none of the coaches had paid him any attention. He didn’t stand out. It was now or never.
“I’m gonna get on these stilts and they’re gonna say my name for something,” Albritton said. “Whether it’s that guy’s crazy, or something. I would get recognized for something I did in that trial.”
He told Jesse Cole, the owner and creator of the Bananas, he had his stilts if he wanted him to put them on. Cole asked Albritton if he could hit a baseball in them.
Albritton hadn’t worn them enough to know. The Velcro on the leg straps was so dry rotted that he had to stop at Tractor Supply on the way to the tryout and buy dog collars to hold them together. He didn’t know if he could still walk on stilts, let alone hit.
But, of course: “Dang right I can hit a ball in them,” Albritton said to Cole.
Feeding the vision
He went to the plate wearing the stilts that had become his lifeline. He was shaking. Albritton had never been in front of a camera or an audience like that. But in his words, he started “smacking the ball.” The natural talent was still there.
The players and evaluators at the tryout fell silent. The Bananas hadn’t developed into the nonstop entertainment they are today. They were still developing the idea of what they would become.
Albritton said every eyeball in the stadium was locked on him. Cole loved it. The coaches working the tryout were unsure. The owner called Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum, who has been at the helm since 2018.
The other coaches didn’t get it. What could a guy in stilts bring to a baseball team? Cole told Gillum they didn’t understand their dreams. So Gillum gave him some advice.
“I’m like, ‘Jesse, you just got to just tell the vision, right?’” Gillum said. “Tell the vision. We got to take him. They’ll understand as we continue to build this thing.”
Albritton was signed as the first-ever entertainment player for the Bananas in 2021. He still worked in his hometown during his first two seasons with the Bananas, building dog kennels and chicken coops, but now his full-time job is to be “Stilts.”
He’s one of the players most beloved by fans. The stilts are custom to his height and shoe size now. He no longer needs the dog collars.
Other players have tried to walk in his stilts, including teammate Maceo Harrison, who Albritton describes as the most coordinated person he knows. He couldn’t do it. No one else can. He’s never had a coach. He doesn’t need one.
“I was just blessed with a cool, weird talent,” Albritton said.
After hiring Albritton, Cole committed to signing on more entertainment, including Vincent Chapman, who is known as “The Dancing Umpire.” He typically dances between innings and while behind the plate. Two weeks before Chapman was contacted by the Bananas, his son showed him a video of Stilts running to first base. Chapman said he believes Albritton is a success because he took a risk.
“That’s what I like to say is courage,” Chapman said. “And we all need courage. It might be courage in different situations, but it’s OK to step out of the box and do something you’re uncomfortable with because if you never do it, you’ll never know. So, that’s what he did. And now look at him, he gets the biggest pop.”
What started as a simple wish by Albritton’s parents to see their son play one more weekend has turned into a full-time career. He travels the United States, playing in sold-out stadiums. His parents can see him play the whole year — only now, he’s the tallest player on the field.
“It makes me feel good,” Albritton said. “I know that much. I’ll never take these people hollering for me for granted. It gives me chills every time I do it, whether we’re playing in front of 5,000 or 75,000.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How Savannah Bananas star ‘Stilts’ became the world’s tallest baseball player."
