Ortiz incident rattles Yankees, MLB
Twice every year, during spring training and before heading into the off-season, the Yankees speak to their players about safety and security. The message is mostly rooted in common sense – know your surroundings when you’re in a public place, be aware of who’s around you.
But in the wake of David Ortiz’ recent shooting at a club in his native Dominican Republic, the Yankees emphasize a point that’s more relevant than ever: there’s no such thing as too much caution.
Both in the clubhouse and in the front office, the Yankees were rattled by the news of the attack on the Red Sox legend. Security officials were reviewing their protocols to re-emphasize the hard lessons that were learned this week. That was especially true for foreign-born players like Luis Severino and Gary Sánchez, who are from the Dominican Republic, Gleyber Torres of Venezuela and Luis Cessa of Mexico.
Although the Yankees provide security for their players during the regular season, the safety net becomes more porous during the winter months. It’s up to Major League Baseball to monitor the potential threats to foreign players.
They have assets in all the countries that fall under the MLB umbrella. Should a problem arise, a player can notify the commissioner’s office and an investigator will be assigned to the case within days.
It’s a fairly sophisticated system, as proactive as it can be under the circumstances. But in a case like Ortiz’s, where a lone-wolf assailant sought out his target without warning, the options are far more limited.
One Yankees official said, “there’s only so much you can do. There’s nothing that you can call foolproof. Put it this way: if a president can be assassinated, then someone who’s motivated can certainly get to a ballplayer.”
The only recourse, the Yankees say, is preventative. That goes back to the original advice about situational awareness, and staying off social media if necessary. The club strongly recommends disappearing from Twitter and Instagram, or at least keeping the posts vague enough to deter the bad guys.
“I know it’s a hard thing to tell players of this generation, but you don’t need to announce your whereabouts at all times,” said one major league official who asked to remain anonymous. “There’s no upside to that.”
The advice is already being heeded in various quadrants of the Yankees clubhouse. Torres, for one, is especially cautious to give the current instability in Venezuela.
“The situation there is not safe,” he said. “But I know my country and I know where I can go. I try to be prepared for any situation.”
Torres, who hails from Caracas, is one of several foreign-born Yankees who travels back and forth to the U.S. during the off-season. Last off-season he split his time between Venezuela and his second home in Tampa, although he’s unsure about his future plans.
Cessa, who is from Cordoba, Mexico, takes the Yankees’ warnings seriously when he’s outside the team’s protection.
“When I’m home, I never post anything. I treat everything like a secret,” said the right-hander. “They only people who know I’m in Mexico are my parents. Otherwise, when I go out (in public), it’s in the afternoon. I never go out at night, I just don’t want to take any chances. It’s safer this way – both for me and my family.”
Although the domestic climate in Curacao is more stable than in Venezuela or Mexico, Didi Gregorius is just as wary as Torres or Cessa about his visibility. During his nine-month rehab from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, Gregorius stayed indoors and taught himself how to play piano. Along with his other hobby – painting – the shortstop made sure he was out of harm’s way from beginning to end.
“I’m not the kind of person who goes out – ever,” Gregorius said. “So if you’re asking, ‘are you more careful now (after Ortiz’ shooting)’ my answer is I’m always in my house anyway. I’m with my family, that’s it.”
One thing remained certain, though: even the most safety-obsessed Yankees know anything is possible in an already-crazy world. The fact that the attack on Ortiz happened in his native Dominican Republic was nothing short of “weird” in Severino’s words.
“You don’t see that happening often in the DR,” the right-hander told the New York Post. “They have respect for the players there, somebody like him.”
“How could anyone want to hurt David Ortiz? I don’t understand it,” Gregorius added. “He does so much for his country. It goes to show you even the good guys aren’t safe. I don’t know what the circumstances were, but it was a terrible thing.”
Torres agreed that popularity is no guarantee of security – not in the Dominican, Venezuela or anywhere else.
“It’s just so sad,” he said. “A big star like him and he gets shot. It doesn’t seem right. It’s scary.”
Featured Image: Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport