ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Baseball is all the pieces to the individuals in the Dominican Republic.
“We have a saying back home, ‘everybody knows baseball,’” Rays’ third base coach Rodney Linares mentioned. “As a kid, your first gift is a bat and ball. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl. We’re always playing baseball. Most of the guys, that’s one of the things we do, especially to escape poverty.”
That is why it’s such an enormous deal for Linares to be named the supervisor of the Dominican staff for the World Baseball Classic.
“It’s an honor,” Linares instructed ABC Action News sports activities anchor Kyle Burger. “Anytime you get to represent your country, especially with Nelson (Cruz) being the GM. I got to know him last year for a couple of months.”
Linares will lead what may very well be the early favourite to win the WBC title, contemplating the younger superstars that may very well be on the roster, comparable to Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners, and possibly even Rays shortstop Wander Franco.
“Vladdy came out and said yesterday, Sandy Alcantara, (Rafael) Devers has already committed,” Linares mentioned. “I know there’s a lot of guys that I’ve talked to personally that have committed, but it’s not public yet.”
Former Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz is the staff’s basic supervisor who hand-picked Linares.
Linares, 44, has been with Tampa Bay for 4 seasons, however he has 12 years of managerial expertise.
“I went all the way from rookie ball to Triple-A managing in the Astros system, then getting my first big league job here as a third base coach,” he mentioned. “The end goal is to manage in the Major Leagues. This is a stepping stone.”
The WBC beings in March 2023.