C’s inspired by former major-leaguers
Young Canadians determined to make their own mark as they climb through the minors
Vancouver Canadians slugger McGregory Contreras says longtime major league backup catcher Henry Blanco was his favourite player growing up.
C’s starting pitcher Jose Espada was a Mariano Rivera guy, keeping close tabs on the New York Yankees’ stalwart closer.
The childhood hero stuff is the batting practice fastball of interview inquiries, but you often receive engaging exchanges from such routine questions.
Almost every C’s player from the southern U.S. over the last four or five years has cited Chipper Jones, the Atlanta Braves’ RBI machine, as an influence. Former Vancouver infielder Ryan Metzler grew up in the Baltimore area and pegged himself a massive fan of Cal Ripken, Jr., even though he passed on talking to the Baltimore Orioles’ mainstay the various times they saw each other while Metzler was playing alongside Ripken’s son Ryan on a collegiate all-star summer league team.
The Espada and Contreras answers about role models are compelling in that they aren’t ones you’d automatically expect.
Espada, 21, is a righthander from Ponce, Puerto Rico, and is in the Vancouver starting rotation for a second straight summer. He often tries to rely on five pitches to get hitters out.
Rivera, also a righty, didn’t start a game in his final 18 years in the majors. A native of Panama City, Panama, Rivera was renowned for utilizing his cut fastball almost solely every outing to shut down offences.
Espada’s connection shows the power of the Yankees. It shows, too, the clout Rivera, 49, has still with young Latin American hurlers, even though he’s been retired since 2013.
Blanco, meanwhile, wrapped up his major league career five seasons ago as well. He spent 16 seasons in the bigs, but only played over 100 games in a year in two of them. He hit 72 home runs in his career 971 games, highlighted by 10 in his 114 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2004.
Contreras, 19, belted four home runs in his first 16 games with the C’s this season, including one on the last homestand that cleared the Hey Y’All Porch in left field. He’s only 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, but he’s wiry strong with quick hands, and it’s easy to suggest the right-handed hitter will gain even more pop in his bat as he fills out.
He’s from Tucacas, Venezuela. He was a catcher growing up and fellow countryman Blanco, now 46, would often come home to train at the same baseball academy that Contreras was at.
“He was a good worker. I liked his work ethic. Every time he was at the park he was working,” Contreras said through interpreter Jose Mayorga, the C’s bench coach. “I know he wasn’t a great hitter, but he was a symbol for me.”
His first name is uncommon. He says that his family told him it was just a mix of names that they liked.
Contreras was part of the Toronto Blue Jays’ international free-agent class that signed in July, 2015. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., was also in that group. He received a $3.9-million bonus and somehow has been as good as the hype, residing among the best up and comers in the game currently.
Contreras inked a $10,000 bonus and he looks like one of the best bargains across baseball from that year’s international newcomers. He’s the No. 21 Blue Jays prospect, according to mlb.com, which is the highest ranking for any current Vancouver player. Baseball America pegged him as the No. 19 Appalachian League prospect last summer after hitting .279, with five homers and 33 runs batted in for rookie-level Bluefield in 51 games.
With his early quartet of homers for Vancouver, keep in mind that Kacy Clemens and David Jacob tied for the team lead in dingers last year with four apiece in the 76-game regular season. Christian Williams was also tops in 2016 with four. The team record is 14, set by A.J. Kirby Jones in 2010, although that was five seasons before Nat Bailey Stadium was reconfigured and left field was shortened 15 feet, giving hitters a chance to break out their long ball trot with anything 320 feet or better.
“I try not to think too much about left field here. I know that I have power and any ball that I can pull has a chance to go out,” Contreras, who also had nine RBI and a .228 average through those first 16 games, said of playing at the Nat.
“I’m trying to hit the ball hard and see where it goes.”
Espada, with Mayorga handling translation, said of Contreras: “He’s got power. He’s a good outfielder. At some point, I hope we’re on the same team together in the big leagues.”
Espada was a fifth-round pick of the Blue Jays in the 2015 amateur draft out of Puerto Rican high school Jose Collazo Colon. Baseball America listed his signing bonus at $330,000.
He struck out five in two innings out of the bullpen on opening night for Vancouver last season and then spent the majority of the year as a starter, winding up with a 1-3 record and a 5.14 earned run average in 13 appearances in the regular season.
He made one appearance in the playoff, getting the start in Game 2 of the Northwest League final against the Eugene Emeralds on the road and taking the loss in the 4-2 decision after giving up four runs in four and two-thirds innings. Vancouver would win the best-of-five set in four games.
Toronto assigned him back to Vancouver to start this season, and he had mixed results through his first three starts: he had an 0-2 record and a 6.57 earned run average, but he did strike out 18 in 12-andone-third innings.
He throws a fastball, curveball, slider, sinker and a change-up, he says.
“I am more comfortable this year,” the 6-foot, 170 pounder said of being with the C’s a second time around, “but the goal is to get going to another level.
“I need to develop all of my pitches. I need to get them better. And I need to throw a lot of strikes.”
Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane Maria in September, 2017. There are reports there are still people without power and the official death toll from the government continues to be disputed.
Espada says that his family was not affected.
Rivera, oddly enough, had been raising money for Hurricane Maria victims. The Mariano Rivera Foundation held a fundraiser at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan in April and golf tournament in Tampa Bay in March.