[ad_1]
MIAMI – The Future of Marlins Baseball – Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr. – sat on stage Monday, wearing broad smiles and white Marlins uniforms.
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter and baseball presidents Mike Hill, equally pleased, announced the signing of the contract with the Mesa brothers, Cuba's largest independent international operators. The Mesas have been declared independent players by Major League Baseball and the Marlins have been widely seen as forward thinking to sign them.
Monday was a good day for the Marlins, Jeter, Hill and Mesas, as they offered potential and hope to their fans looking for both.
"We want Miami to be the Jeter said, "This organization should reflect the diversity of the South Florida community."
"This is an important element in creating lasting success for the major leagues, and we look forward to engaging the brothers in the field as quickly as possible, watching them continue to grow, and feeling that our fans will be extremely competitive. excited to see them. " both play. "
Miami is one of America's most diverse cities and is home to one of the largest Hispanic populations in the United States. The Mesa brothers, from Cuba, both explained how the city and culture of Miami had played an important role in their choice of the Marlins at the expense of several other contenders.
"It's not a secret, there are a lot of Latinos, a lot of Cubans here, we feel at home here," said Victor Victor Mesa, 22, via a Spanish translator. "But it's mostly the seriousness and the plan of this organization that attracts us the most."
Victor Mesa Jr., 17, added via a Spanish translator: "This is a reconstruction team that we are doing here and I am very proud to be part of it … All Latinos here, all culture is one of the things I love most. "
The Marlins, who changed their Twitter account to Miami Miami Marlins, tweeted to welcome the brothers.
The Marlins add to the familia. pic.twitter.com/xeWSxjjj6o
– Miami Miami Marlins (@Marlins) October 22, 2018
Jeter said that these signatures were one of the earliest examples of the aggressiveness of the Marlins in the free agent signing periods. He noted that baseball was the number one sport in many Spanish countries, such as Cuba, and he planned to look for these areas to find talent.
Victor Victor Mesa, the head of the peloton, started playing in Cuba's first division at 16 and is considered a quick defender. He played for Cuba at the 2017 World Baseball Classic and went 3 for 7 with two doubles and three RBIs in six games. He was the potential prospect at the forefront of international free agents and is now ranked No. 1 among Marlins prospects, by MLB pipeline.
"For me, it's a dream to be part of the major leagues," said Mesa Mesa, who has described himself as an "aggressive offensive player and very comfortable with the plates." "I want to get ready as early as possible for spring training, work as hard as possible and wait for this call … I will do my best to play here in the coming year in this beautiful stadium. . "
The younger brother, Mesa Jr., is a ranged hitter who played in the Cuban national team of 18 years old. The two men left Cuba last spring to pursue a career in the major leagues. Two weeks ago, the two brothers tried to recruit major league recruiters at Marlins Park.
"When I was doing the showcase, I thought it might be my park," said Mesa Jr. "It was beautiful, I felt like a great player."
Marlins Park undergoes several significant changes during the off season, including the approval of the Miami-Dade County Council to move the seven-story family sculpture named "Homer" to a new location outside the stadium.
The Marlins have entered into several agreements to increase their number of international slots, including the $ 1 million they received when they exchanged a right-handed lifter. Kyle Barraclough in Washington this month.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link
