Let’s face it: however untalented a reality TV star may be, they often draw attention and make money. These two elements bring unspoken levels of expectation and pressure that separate the contenders from the pretenders. As the remarkably gifted sons of a collective hemisferio, Latinos in Major League Baseball have responded to the enormous pressures and expectations by amassing history-making contracts, establishing new all-time marks and conquering the sport’s most coveted records. If Latinos grabbed MLB’s headlines during the off-season then watch for these peloteros, as past performance has either created an expectation to return to form or deliver an encore performance during the 2012 regular season.
Albert Pujols – First Base – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The biggest free agent acquisition baseball has seen for arguably the best player in baseball today. Dominican-born Pujols will soon taste what L.A. is like after inking the second largest contract in U.S. sports history (10 years, $240 million) with the Anaheim Angels. The three-time National League MVP and two-time World Series champion, all with the St. Louis Cardinals, has created a seismic shift in the power balance in the American League, especially in the AL West. Talk about pressure – many expect him to be favored to win the AL MVP award and bring the Angels to their first World Series appearance since 2002.
Alex Rodriguez – Third Base – New York Yankees
Not much needs to be said about the man with the first ($275 million) and third ($252 million) richest contracts in sports. Finally shaking off his post-season ineptness by carrying the Yankees to their 27th World Series Championship in 2009, the three-time AL MVP’s offensive output has noticeably declined the past two seasons mostly thanks to lower body injuries. A Washington Heights born Dominican, the 36-year old A-Rod has arrived at spring training rejuvenated, fully healed and in fantastic shape. As the team’s clean-up hitter, the Yankees quest for number 28 depends largely on number 13’s ability to reestablish himself as one of the game’s most lethal offensive forces. His mission, should he choose to accept it, is to get his mojo flowing on the field as well it has been off the field.
Jose Reyes – Shortstop – Miami Marlins
New retractable roof stadium: check. New team: check. New (huge) deal: big check. Everything lined up perfectly for someone many consider to be baseball’s most dynamic table-setter. With the team’s goal of filling the seats while invigorating regional interest in baseball, the Marlins wasted no time aggressively pursuing of the Dominican-born Reyes after it became evident that his former team, the New York Mets, would be unable to retain the speedy and flashy superstar. Along with new manager Ozzie Guillén and the on-boarding of other notable free agents, Reyes’ electrifying play and multi-faceted game could catapult the Marlins back into playoff contention, a goal that has eluded the franchise since their 2003 World Series championship.
Yoenis Cespedes – Center Field – Oakland Athletics
Following his baseball brethren like – Orlando ‘El Duque’ Hernandez and Jose Contreras – the 26-year old Cuban defector and former Cuban National Team All-Star will have all eyes watching his every baseball move after signing a four-year, $36 million deal. According to scouts, Cespedes has the makings of a five-tool player given his athletic frame and natural power. While some feel the A’s took a major gamble, Oakland hopes Cespedes will bring needed offense and fans to a team that has been rebuilding since their last post-season appearance in 2006.
Jose Bautista – Right Field – Toronto Blue Jays
MLB’s most prolific homerun hitter the past two seasons, Bautista is Toronto’s offensive equivalent of Michael Jordan during his championship runs with the Chicago Bulls. He has led the Blue Jays in every major offensive category including homeruns, hits and on-base percentage. Most amazing about Bautista, another Dominican Republic native, is that his transformation into one of baseball’s most feared hitters (power and average) has come with little protection in the batting order. Although the Blue Jays play north of the border and in one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, Bautista’s prodigious play could make him a serious candidate for AL MVP, an award in which he previously came in third (2011) and fourth (2010) place despite lacking a supporting cast.
Félix Hernandez – Pitcher – Seattle Mariners
On a team devoid of any offensive firepower, King Félix is the team’s unquestioned ace and highly regarded as one of the game’s top flamethrowers. The confident Venezuelan has a devastating arsenal of quality pitches and was the AL’s 2010 Cy Young award winner. Though his win-loss record that year was a pedestrian 13-12, his 2.27 ERA is truly remarkable considering an anemic offense that scored a total of seven runs in all 12 losses while he was in the game. A workhorse who has pitched over 200 innings for three consecutive seasons, Hernandez will again be expected to deliver under pressure.
Yadier Molina – Catcher – St. Louis Cardinals
With Pujols’ invasion of the American League soon to begin, the unassuming Molina’s importance takes on even greater significance. Coming off a career year offensively in 2011, which culminated in an improbable World Series championship, Molina is the youngest of three Puerto Rico-born MLB catchers (Bengie and José are his brothers) that built their reputation on game-calling, defense, durability and situational hitting in the most demanding of positions. His consistency behind the plate was recently rewarded with a five-year, $75 million contract extension, a move that signals his value to the team and higher expectations on – and off – the field.
Johan Santana – Pitcher – New York Mets
Santana, returning from shoulder surgery that sidelined him the entire 2011 season, brings much-needed hope. Besides its well-chronicled financial calamities, the Mets barely tried to retain their best player Jose Reyes – now a Marlin. At his best Santana, a two-time Cy Young award winner in 2004 and 2006, was viewed as the finest of the American League, if not all of baseball. The Venezuelan lefty joined the Mets as a free agent in 2008 after signing a six-year deal for $137.5 million, the largest for a pitcher at that time. With a methodical and cautious pitching regimen, Santana and the Mets have reason to be optimistic. Early spring training results, while not dazzling in numbers, are pointing in the right direction.
Adrian Gonzalez – First Base – Boston Red Sox
When your signature makes a seven-year, $154 million contract extension (12th largest in sports history) official, your employer has every right to expect high performance. If salary wasn’t enough motivation, add being employed by one of MLB’s most storied franchises in a division where you and your arch nemesis are co-starring in the most famous sports rivalry. This is the weighty expectation placed on the California-born Gonzalez, who arrived in Boston following a trade with the San Diego Padres in December 2010. Gonzalez, whose father played baseball for Mexico’s National Team, has the requisite offensive (four straight All-Star selections since 2008) and defensive (three-time Gold Glove winner) credentials to place smiles on the head brass and deliver euphoria to an impassioned Red Sox Nation.
Photo credits:
Albert Pujols- Mike Blakey/Reuters/Corbis
Jose Reyes- Cliff Wlech/Icon SMI/Corbis
Yoenis Cespedes- Henry Romero/Reuters/Corbis
Jose Bautista- CJ Lafrance/ZUMA Press/Corbis
Yadir Molina- Gary I Rothstein/Reuters/Corbis
Johan Santana- Icon SMI/Corbis
Adrian Gonzalez- Daniel Aguilar/Reuters/Corbis