“THE BASEBALL ON THE FIELD IS THE SAME GAME” Jose Iglesias discusses his first year playing in the United States by David Laurila
J
ose Iglesias is on the fast track to Boston, and he is acclimating to a new culture and language just as quickly. Signed out of Cuba for a franchise-record $6.25 million signing bonus prior to last season, the 20-year-old shortstop was impressive on multiple fronts in his first year stateside. Rated as the best defensive infielder in the system, even before playing his first professional game, he hit .285 in Portland despite being one of the youngest players in the Double-A Eastern League. Iglesias talked about his introduction to professional baseball, and life in the United States, on the final weekend of the 2010 season.
play very good in Cuba—it’s a good league—but everything is different when you come to the USA. Not just the baseball; it’s a different culture and everything is new for me. I have to learn. I come from a simple country. We don’t have big stadiums and big fans, but the baseball on the field is the same game. What is harder for [Latin-American players] is the language, and the country is different—the people are different. But I love the USA. This is my country right now. Cuba is in my past, so I have to learn a different culture, learn different food, learn a different language. But I try, because I need it. I’m here now, so I have to figure it out.
David Laurila: What has it been like coming from Cuba to play baseball in the United States?
DL: We used a translator when I talked to you in April, and
Jose Iglesias: Coming here, the baseball is different. We
now we don’t need one. You’ve obviously worked very hard to improve your English language skills this season.
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DOWN ON THE FARM JI: Yes. I try myself; I talk to my teammates a little more every day. I watch TV in English, but subtitled in Spanish. I want to learn, and if you want something, you can get it. Knowing the language is important in baseball, because you can talk to your teammates. In baseball, you have to do your job, so I think it is very important to learn. Everybody has to learn.
DL: When people in the United States think of Cuba, they often picture poverty, and kids playing baseball with makeshift equipment. Is that at all accurate?
DL: When did scouts first begin to watch you play? JI: Not in Cuba. In Cuba, that is not going to work; Cuba is a closed country. My first time being scouted was in Mexico, in 2007, in the world championships. When I defected, everybody knew who I was. I [established residency] in the Dominican Republic [in order to sign]. It is the process, you know? My agent was talking about [either] free agent or draft, and I said I wanted [to be a] free agent because you have more chances for more teams.
DL: Why did you choose to sign with the Red Sox? JI: Yeah, yeah. Cuba is a poor country. It is very difficult with pay stuff, you know, when you don’t have a lot of money to have everything that you need. It is difficult, it is difficult… especially compared to here. But it is where you’re born, so you have to work, but one day… you never know. Maybe one day.
JI: Every team was interested, but I loved Boston. I think that it is a great organization, a great, great organization. My dad talked to me about Boston, about years ago when Luis Tiant was pitching here. I followed my dad. He told me Boston is a great organization.
DL: Was your own family poor, or did they have money? DL: Can you talk a little about Luis Tiant? JI: No, no, no. I grew up poor. It’s a tough life. My dad JI: Luis, he was born in Cuba and has a long history, a long history. He got a chance and he came back to Cuba one time. That was a great experience for him, and I’m happy for him to [have seen] his family and his country. It has to be a great experience. Everybody wants that. One day, I think. One day.
DL: Were you able to watch any Major League Baseball games on television when you were in Cuba?
JI: Never in my life. My first time was in Canada. I went to Canada a couple of years ago, in 2008 [for the World Junior Championships]. That was the first time I saw a game on TV.
DL: There have been a number of very good Cuban-born shortstops in the big leagues. I assume you’re familiar with them?
JI: Yes. Cuba has a lot of talent. Everybody has talent, but Cuba has very good talent. There are a lot of Cuban players here in the big leagues right now, especially shortstops. Yuniesky Betancourt, Alexi Ramirez, Yunel Escobar. There are a lot of players.
DL: Earlier this year, you told me that your all-time favorite player in Cuba was a shortstop named German Mesa, who never played professionally in the United States.
Jose Iglesias’s fielding prowess has earned him universal praise throughout the baseball world.
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JI: No, no, he stayed in Cuba. He [was] not going anywhere. He can’t. Cuba is a closed country, different than the USA.
Photo on previous page: DVM Sports courtesy Portland Sea Dogs Photo this page: DVM Sports courtesy Portland Sea Dogs
worked every day of the week for just $10 a month. My dad, he worked in the factory in Cuba. It’s hard, you know? He worked every single day, every week, for $10 a month. My family is happy for my decision to come here, but it is still a little sad. Sometimes, I feel a little sad.
“The Baseball On The Field Is The Same Game” [DiSarcina] helps me with a lot of little things. He doesn’t change my mechanics or anything like that. It’s just little things in the game that you learn by playing a lot.
DL: How close to big league ready are you? JI: I don’t know that I can say that, because it’s not my decision. But I feel good. I do my job and can do my plays. I feel great. I just focus on my job and I can’t control when I go to the big leagues. If you’re going tomorrow, perfect. If you’re not going to go, just focus on your job. I’m ready when they tell me.
DL: How much better of a hitter are you now than when you signed?
JI: A lot better. I’ve learned a lot. I’m more disciplined. I feel
In his first season stateside, Iglesias hit .295 and posted a .719 OPS across two minor league levels. But he could have played in the big leagues. Absolutely. It’s like he is playing together with Rey, with Rey Ordonez. You know, the same talent. Rey Ordonez took three Gold Gloves in the USA and did a very good job at shortstop. So everybody… if you love baseball, if you love playing the game, you can do it. Nothing is impossible.
DL: Why are you such a good defensive shortstop? JI: I don’t know. I think that God gave me a gift, but I still
Photo: Jim Allen courtesy Portland Sea Dogs
work at it. I’m not going to sit down at the church and say, “You gave me the gift, so I’m not going to do any work.” I’m going to work hard and practice every single day. But the special thing is that I was born with that talent. Still, I learn. I learn a little bit, because professional baseball is different for me. It is for everybody.
DL: Who has helped you most to become a better shortstop since you signed with the Red Sox?
very happy after my first year. My mind changed at home plate; I’m not going to swing at every ball. I have my plan and try to figure out a little more every day. I am happy with my season. I think it was fantastic. It was my first season and I hit almost .300, I played good defense, I learned about my teammates, I learned the language, I learned about everything, you know? I learned about the injury [a broken finger], too. That’s going to happen, but never in my life before. Little things like that you learn. Everything is new and everything is fantastic for me, my first year.
DL: Has anything about living in the United States surprised you?
JI: The weather. Here in Portland, the first two months, the weather is freezing. But the USA is a big country and everybody is different. The food is different. In Cuba, every day we eat rice and beans, and here it is different stuff. But I like it here.
DL: Do you miss Cuba? JI: I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my culture. But I figure out how to live here in the USA, because I have to. I want to play baseball here. I want to play in the major leagues. MSP
JI: Sometimes [minor league infield coordinator] Gary DiSarcina; he comes. I talk to him a little bit. He played in the big leagues for many years. He talks to me and I listen to him, because he has experience and that’s what I need, experience. He has helped me a lot, but so does everybody in the system.
David Laurila is a lifelong Red Sox fan who grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, MA. He authors the weekly Prospectus Q&A series at BaseballProspectus.com and has been a contributor to Baseball America, Boston Baseball, DieHard, and Red Sox Magazine. His book, Interviews from Red Sox Nation, was published by Maple Street Press.
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