Surviving The SAL
Continued from Page Two

Diaz’ Rising Star

Another youngster with good tools who proved himself as an everyday player in the SAL in 2003 was Frank Diaz. The Expos originally signed Diaz as a pitcher as a sixteen year-old in March 2000, but quickly moved him to the outfield. After just one year in the VSL, the young outfielder debuted in the United States in 2001, playing for the Rookie Gulf Coast League Expos.

Diaz returned for a second stint in the GCL in 2002 and enjoyed a solid season that earned a brief promotion to the Manatees at the end of the season.

Diaz's 2002 performance won him a roster spot with the Savannah Sand Gnats in 2003. One of the younger players in the league, Diaz impressed onlookers with the way he played with older and more experienced players.

"Frank has done things we never expected of him and he has demonstrated that he has great potential," says Cora, crediting this to the fact that Diaz is a hard worker and listens to advice beyond natural ability. He finished with solid numbers, batting .270-7-49.

In 2004 Diaz reported to the FSL Brevard County Manatees. While his numbers were unspectacular, hitting .242-8-57 in 116 games, they were solid enough to keep on the team the entire season.

Big League Dreams

While they miss a taste of arepas, a kind of corn cake that Venezuelans consume the way gringos eat hot dogs and Big Macs, the taste for a shot at the big leaguesdrives players like these through a lot of hardships.

Yepez shared an apartment with several other Latin American players, and none of them had a car. So seemingly simple things like getting to the stadium were sometimes complicated. He gets inspiration from his family and the other Latin players, who also provide a sort of informal support group.

"We encourage each other," says Yepez.

The SAL is the league that shakes the seats of all kinds of players to see what they’re made of. Kids out of high school, Venezuelans, Dominicans, and a few college boys all get their first taste of the day-to-day of professional baseball.

"That's just the normal grind. It's [the] first long season…for a lot of players. It’s the first time they struggle," acknowledges Colorado’s Geivett.

All of them have been in baseball almost as long as they could walk, and few see anything other than the game as a pathway for their lives.

"Since I was four years old, my parents took me to the baseball field," proudly says Materano.

"I really don't know . . . maybe I would be working somewhere, but thank god I am here and doing well," says Yepez.

The SAL may be the highest level in the pyramid of baseball that most of these young men with big dreams will rise to. Those who make it to the California or Florida State League are fewer still. One in hundreds will make it into the AA or beyond. For the very few who will pass through the hurdles of the farm system, it is not just the hope of better money that makes the sacrifice of being away from country and family worthwhile. It is the dream of becoming one of the legends of their nation who return home as major league baseball players.

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