The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
DeShields, Rua run clinic at T3 in Avon
Delino DeShields, the Indians’ new outfielder after coming over in the Corey Kluber, and Amherst native and former Ranger Ryan Rua put on a clinic at T3Performance in Avon, writes Henry Palattella.
For four years, Delino DeShields and Ryan Rua patrolled Globe Life Fields outfield together. Jan. 31, they got back together in Northeast Ohio.
DeShields hosted a hitting and performance workout with Rua at T3 baseball in Avon, DeShields’ first event in Cleveland since he was traded to the Indians in December.
DeShields woke up the morning of Dec. 15, 2019, to find out the Rangers had acquired Corey Kluber in a trade with the Indians. Before he had time to process the thought of having Kluber as a teammate, DeShields found out he was headed to Cleveland with Emmanuel Clase on the other end of the trade.
After going through a period of self-described “highs and lows” in the days following the trade, DeShields began to grow excited at the thought of playing for Cleveland.
As soon as that happened, he reached out to Rua, who, as an Amherst native, could serve as DeShields’ personal Cleveland liaison.
“I got to know Ryan really well, so this was a kind of easy thing to set up,” DeShields said. “As soon as I got traded, we wanted to link up and do something.”
Rua first got involved with T3 four years ago when he started training there in the offseason. After he retired last year, he got involved in helping develop T3’s youth baseball program. He batted .236 with 67 RBI over his major-league career.
“(Delino and I) brainstormed and came up with this,” Rua said. “Delino’s a big off the field guy, so it was kind of a no-brainer to bring him in here. Everything came together pretty smoothly.”
DeShields spent the night of Jan. 30 attending the Cavaliers game with fellow Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado before spending the day of Jan. 31 doing various visits around the city. And while’s he’s beginning to become more acclimated to Northeast Ohio, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t enlist the help of Rua every so often.
“He still picks my brain on everything from Cavs stuff to restaurant recommendations,” Rua said of DeShields. “He’s very excited. He knows about this fan base and how serious the fans are.”
Despite having yet to play an inning for the Indians, DeShields already felt comfortable helping give back to his new community.
“I just want to do my part as a professional athlete,” DeShields said. “It feels good to give back, but I’m not trying to do it for any kind of attention. Having this platform allows me to be in a position to give back so I might as well maximize the talents God’s given me.”
Once spring training starts, DeShields will be part of a suddenly crowded outfield logjam for the Indians. While that pressure might intimate some players, DeShields is embracing the competition.
“I’m always up for a challenge,” he said. “I tell people all the time I know what I’m capable of doing. (The Indians) saw value in me and traded for me for a reason. It comes down to going out there and showing them what I can do. I just want to go out there and have a chance to play every day.”