Brasilero brothers, Yadi has surgery and Canó’s biggest fan/teammate
By Andy Martinez
Molina goes under the knife
Yadier Molina has had a busy offseason. Traveling the globe, coaching Puerto Rico’s U-23 team and playing for MLB in the Japan Series, he’s been a man on the move. Now he’s revving up for 2019. After yesterday’s successful knee surgery to clear up “nagging irritation in his left knee,” Molina posted an upbeat selfie on Instagram. The Cardinals expect him to be back in time for Spring Training.
Castillo taking some new cuts (sin bat)
Welington Castillo has proven himself to be a force behind the plate. In nine seasons, the Dominican has accumulated a 12.5 WAR and a slash line of .259/.318/.427. Thursday, however, he showed he has skills with the shin guards and the shears. Castillo posted a photo of himself giving White Sox prospect Juan Mercedes a haircut. While there are no “after” pictures, we’ll assume Mercedes’ cut was on point.
Os Irmãos Brasil
Friday morning, White Sox pitcher Thyago Vieira and Diamondbacks pitching prospect Bo Takahashi were active on Instagram stories, sharing an interview they were recording with Brazilian TV station Globo for its daily sports show, Globo Esporte, and journalist Ivan Moré. The Brazilian duo then snapped a picture together. The caption on Vieira’s Instagram post read, “A brother that baseball gave me.” We can’t wait to see some more Brasileros in baseball!
Santana returns to home base
Carlos Santana was been traded twice in the last two weeks, but it’s clear that he’s OK with the final move, posting “Home sweet home” on Instagram. After spending last season with the Philadelphia Phillies, then being traded for a hot minute to Seattle, Santana is headed back to Cleveland, where he spent the previous seven seasons of his career. Last season was a down year for Santana, so maybe the return to his casa will be beneficial.
Cora, coaches hosting baseball clinics
Álex Cora must not believe in days off. After spending some time in Las Vegas for the Winter Meetings, Cora and other Latino coaches are hosting baseball clinics for niños in his native Caguas in Puerto Rico. Cora, following the example of Puerto Rican great Roberto Clemente is hosting a clinic with fellow Red Sox coaches Andy Barkett (Cuban-American), Carlos Febles (Dominican), Ramón Vázquez, Astros coach Alex Cintrón and Los Angeles Angels coach Jesús Feliciano. It would definitely make Clemente proud.
Pro Post of the day
Amed Rosario is just as excited as any Mets fan for his new teammates. But he’s extra stoked for one particular new teammate: Robinson Canó. Rosario shared a throwback Thursday post of his younger self with Canó. Think how excited little Rosario would be to know he’d one be able to play alongside one of his favorite players growing up.
Fan Post of the Day
From today forward, we’re including a new section in El Bullpen: a Fan Post of the Day. If you have awesome béisbol social posts, make sure to tag @LaVidaBaseball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and you might find yourself on the next El Bullpen!
Our first Fan Post of the Day goes to this little man, who shows off his hustle in T-Bol. It’s never too early to begin developing a pasión for the Americas’ Game!
Happy Birthday!
Rodrigo López (b. 1975)
OTD
2012 – Anibal Sánchez re-signs with the Tigers on a five-year, $80 million deal
2015 – Johnny Cueto signs a six-year, $130 million deal with San Francisco
Featured Image: Thyago Vieira Instagram