SEVY SEZ: LOOK WHO’S TALKING
Luis notes that most have hard time learning new language
TAMPA — Luis Severino laughed. When it comes to learning English as a second language while also trying to make your way as an elite baseball prospect, well it’s easier said in any language than actually done.
The Yankees’ injured right-hander was responding to the controversially bigoted comments made by Mariners president Kevin Mather on Sunday, which caused him to resign from his post as the Mariners’ CEO and president on Monday. In his Rotary Club speech, Mather ridiculed the English skills of two foreign-born Mariners: former Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, who was hired in January as a special assignment coach, and minor league outfielder Julio Rodriguez.
“I mean, I wish everybody would do it, but it’s not easy,” Severino said Monday, speaking to the press for the first time this spring. “Coming to to a new country knowing it just like that? Even for you guys, right? If you go to (Dominican Republic), you’re not going to speak Spanish right away. That’s tough.
“We had to come here and learn English just to pick up food and stuff like that,” Severino said. “I’ll be hoping somebody does this, but it’s not easy to do it.”
Speaking of Iwakuma, Mather complained about having to pay for his translator. While the union and league pay for one translator for all Spanish-speaking players in a clubhouse, players from Asian countries are usually given a personal translator, who is paid for by the team.
“And I’m going to say, I’m tired of paying his interpreter,” Mather said. “When he was a player, we’d pay Iwakuma ‘X,’ but we’d also have to pay $75,000 a year to have an interpreter with him. His English suddenly got better. His English got better when we told him that.”
Mather also insulted the language skills of one of their top prospects.
Mather said Rodriguez, who is from Dominican Republic, “has got a personality bigger than all of you combined. He is loud. His English is not tremendous. Everybody says he’ll be here in 2021. He won’t be here till 2022 or 2023. A fantastic kid.”
Most teams throughout baseball have become more sensitive to the language needs of young Latin American players. Most have academies in Dominican Republic where players not only sharpen baseball skills, but begin learning English.
The Yankees have had their coaches taking classes as well. It was noted this spring that more coaches were talking to players in their native Spanish this spring.
“We have a great education team headed by Joe Perez and Melissa Hernandez,” Yankees head of player development Kevin Reese said. “It started off being much more for players to help their transition here. It was ‘Ok, let’s, let’s make sure they learn English, they can conduct interviews and things like that when that time comes,’. And it’s really the credit to the coaches here, they’ve take it upon themselves to come and do it too.
“They’ve just pushed each other and I think players have responded really well.”
Mather’s comments on language in the clubhouse are clearly coming from a place with little experience in there with the more worldly players, the rest of his speech to a local Seattle Rotary Club was just as an embarrassing on the business of baseball.
Mather admitted the Mariners planned to manipulate the service time of top prospects Jarred Kelenic, a former Mets’ top draft pick, and Logan Gilbert.
This is not the first time Mather has made ugly headlines.
In 2018, the Seattle Times reported female employees had accused Mather and two other team executives of inappropriate workplace conduct. Those women received financial settlements.