Spring Training Journal: Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco in three pictures
by César Augusto Márquez
Day Four
Our last day in the Cactus League was also one of the busiest. We visited Goodyear Ballpark to catch one of the American League’s perennial contenders, the Cleveland Indians, who also happen to be one of the teams with the most Hispanic players in Major League Baseball.
As spring training wanes and the start of the season approaches, teams seem to hold more meetings to deliberate the shape of the final roster. Although a decent number of Latinos such as Carlos Carrasco, Edwin Encarnación, Francisco Lindor, José Ramírez and Yonder Alonso, among others, have a solid spot, other Latino players — like the Cuban Yandy Díaz (3B, LF) and the Colombian Giovanny Urshela (3B) — have been making an impact. Urshela leads the Indians in batting average at .542 and an OPS of 1.388 in 13 games this spring. Díaz has 9 RBIs, just behind veteran second baseman Jason Kipnis.
Before and after practice, we were able to speak to several players. We, learned how Francisco Lindor and Edwin Encarnación reached the majors, as well as what Vladimir Guerrero means to young Dominican pitcher Danny Santana. However, our chronicle of Day 5 will focus on the many faces of Indians starter Carlos Carrasco.
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The citizen
While preparing to train, Carrasco can be an intimidating presence, much as he is when he climbs the mound. When he goes to work, he does not like to be interrupted — but once he sits down, he gestures kindly and begins to tell his story.
“My first week in the United States was very hard — I was 17 years old and the only thing I could ask for was cheese pizza. I did not speak English,” Carrasco says with a smile, a stark contrast to his usual, stern game face. From that moment in 2004, Carrasco spent over a decade adjusting to his move from Venezuela until August 4, 2016, when he ended up becoming a citizen of the United States.
“I was preparing for a long time for that [citizenship] interview,” he says. “I think the most difficult thing was to study for the questions. There were 100 possible questions — and, finally, they asked me three. It was a great day.”
The artist
The Indians are known for their sluggers, and maybe also for that smile of Francisco Lindor’s. But Carrasco is responsible for another emblem known in Cleveland — the baseballs bearing the likenesses of many of the team’s players.
Carrasco smiled, took a ball in his hands and explained that the whole process was an initiative that he started, inspired by his daughter.
“Last year, we did several things with the mini baseball and we had fun, as with right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer’s ball [which has eerily real-looking facial hair and a propeller on its head, signifying Bauer’s love of drones];[and one with] the characteristics of José Ramírez.”
Carrasco, who has an artistic collaborator in Bauer, says they don’t know exactly what they are going to come up with this year, but he promises there will be something.
The traveler
Carrasco took advantage of the winter downtime, as he and his wife, Karelis, decided to travel the world. Their jaunts lit up Instagram.
“We went to India, Paris, Milan and Barcelona —but of all the places I had the opportunity to see during the winter, I think one of the most magical was the Maldives,” says Carrasco. “I really enjoyed that destination, and it was one of the best things I did during my vacation.”
For 10 minutes, Carlos continued to tell stories, such as the origin of his nickname “Cookie” (after Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster) or the work he does with his foundation, not only in the United States, but in countries such as Venezuela or the Dominican Republic.
It was a laid-back, springtime chat, one to remember in the dog days of summer.
Featured Image: David Maxwell / Getty Images Sport