Albert’s birthday, baseball’s best #AgingChallenge and Nelson Cruz plays dentist
By Andy Martinez
Nelson Cruz – el dentista!
Nelson Cruz is a big fan of giving back. He is hosting dental clinics in his hometown of Las Matas de Santa Cruz. He’s getting directly involved with the clinics, too. Cruz was seen working on the teeth of a young boy in this Instagram post on Wednesday. Cruz has a big heart!
Manny Money
Well, it seems we know what Manny Machado’s offer from the White Sox is. Per Buster Olney of ESPN, the White Sox offer to Machado is a seven-year, $175 million deal. It’s not as much money as some people were expecting, and apparently isn’t accurate. On Wednesday afternoon Dan Lozano, Machado’s agent, released a statement about the rumors.
Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group, the agent for Manny Machado, released the following statement regarding recent reports: pic.twitter.com/MmKy9doaFz
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 16, 2019
White Sox Dominican trip
Speaking of the White Sox, their prospect trip in the Dominican Republic is in full swing. A contingency of Chicago prospects is training and living in the Dominican Republic for a few days. Plus, top prospect Eloy Jiménez is down there and hitting bombazos!. We’re DEFINITELY here for that.
Betances’ baby shower
Delin Betances shared a priceless moment with all of us on Tuesday. Betances and his wife Janisa are expecting the couple’s first child and had a baby shower. Betances is seen listening to the heartbeat of the baby while Janisa holds his hand. ¡Que bonito!
El Titan hosting showcase
First baseman Adrián González is hosting a showcase on Friday in Los Angeles. González is hoping to make a Big League roster after being released by the New York Mets in June. González played 62 games, slashing .237/.299/.373. Here’s hoping A-Gon can have one final go around in the Big Leagues.
Pro Posts of the Day
We’re cheating a bit with the term “post.” The #10YearChallenge or #AgingChallenge has been trending and seeing peloteros share theirs has been fun. Here’s some of our favorites:
Futuro
We might still consider Eloy Jiménez a young player, but that didn’t stop him from sharing his aging challenge. Young Eloy still looks like a hitter we wouldn’t want to face!
Presente
Kenley Jansen is one of the most feared closers in baseball. But before he became the star of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen, Jansen was a catcher, and, by the looks of it, wasn’t too bad behind the plate, either!
Pasado
We all know Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez’s merits as a catcher. But these days, you can find Pudge on a golf course, but man, does he look like he still can go 2-for-4 and catch a full nine innings!
Fan Post of the Day
This little man showed off some awesome hitting skills. First his patience, waiting for the right pitch, then his contact on the ball and, to top it all off, he did it from both sides of the plate!
Happy Birthday!
Albert Pujols, Angels first baseman (b. 1980)
Junior Guerra, Brewers pitcher (b. 1985)
OTD
1996 – The San Francisco Giants sign Cuban amateur Osvaldo Fernández, who defected from Cuba.
2001 – José Canseco agrees to terms with Anaheim Angels.
Featured Image: Rich Schultz / Getty Images Sport