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3 weeks ago | 
ouresquina.com | Julian Guiliarte |Lorenzo Delgado |Angel Cantu
HOUSTON – The aroma of gallo pinto, a traditional Nicaraguan dish of rice and beans, would consistently fill the air of Mark Vientos’ childhood home. On colder days, a warm bowl of Dominican sancocho would please his taste buds. Although Vientos was born in Norwalk, Conn., the Mets‘ infielder enjoyed the blessings of roots in three different countries. His mother Katy Wilmor is from Nicaragua. His father Charles Manuel Vientos is from the Dominican Republic.
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4 weeks ago | 
ouresquina.com | Lorenzo Delgado |Julian Guiliarte |Angel Cantu
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Carlos Mendoza understands the pressure and high expectations of competing in New York. As far as the Mets manager is concerned, high expectations are part of the job in Queens. After guiding the Mets to the 2024 National League Championship Series, Mendoza perhaps has an even better team with the addition of prized free agent Juan Soto. “There’s always going to be expectations,” he says. “It’s New York. It’s a big market.
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4 weeks ago | 
ouresquina.com | Lorenzo Delgado |Julian Guiliarte |Angel Cantu |Sinhue Mendoza
Wearing a green summer dress, 3-year-old Gabriela Jaquez placed a plastic baseball atop a tee. She then extended her left arm and urged her younger brother Marcos to get back closer to their older brother Jaime. Once Marcos was a safe distance away, Gabriela checked the bat with authority on the porch twice before taking a powerful hack. Gabriela Jaquez sent a line drive off a fence and toward the swing set in the backyard.
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1 month ago | 
ouresquina.com | Julian Guiliarte |Angel Cantu |Sinhue Mendoza |Lorenzo Delgado
HOUSTON – Astros top prospect Cam Smith informed his mother, Stephanie Hocza, about his dream of becoming a professional baseball player at five years old. Like any mother would do, she supported her son’s dream. Hocza and Smith lived in an apartment through middle school. Smith’s friends thought it was cool that he lived in an apartment because they thought it was just like a hotel. Hocza, a single parent, would depart to work early to provide for her family.
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1 month ago | 
ouresquina.com | Angel Cantu |Lorenzo Delgado
HOUSTON – Tennessee freshman Manny Marin wasn’t intimidated about fighting for playing time with the defending national champions. For as long as he can remember, he can hear his father Jorge urging him to realize he’ll be fine as long as he has faith. To be clear, it helps to have talent. Marin definitely has an abundance of baseball talent. He also has been blessed with strong self confidence, which is evident by the way he carries himself on and off the field for the No. 1 team in the country.
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1 month ago | 
ouresquina.com | Angel Cantu |Lorenzo Delgado
HOUSTON – Lionel Messi’s absence was difficult to ignore Sunday night at Shell Energy Stadium. The Argentine superstar’s presence was everywhere, yet he was nowhere to be seen against the Dynamo. Messi was almost 1,000 miles away back in South Florida while his Inter Miami teammates dismantled the Houston Dynamo 4-1. Considering he’s 37 years old, it seemed obvious that Messi would be given Sunday off during a period of three games in eight days.
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1 month ago | 
ouresquina.com | Lorenzo Delgado |Angel Cantu
HOUSTON – Ever since Ariel Antigua was old enough to hold a baseball and hoister up a glove, his father Luis Antigua saw his potential. At 5 years old, the University of Tennessee sophomore was hitting off a batting machine, consistently crushing high-velocity fastballs. By 13 years old, the West Palm Beach, Fla., native threw over 90 mph too. As soon as Ariel showed interest in baseball, his father stepped in to show him the proper way to play.
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1 month ago | 
ouresquina.com | Lorenzo Delgado |Angel Cantu
HOUSTON – Long after most of the participants forget the final score, Hiram Bocachica Jr. will cherish what he accomplished Friday afternoon at Daikin Park. The son of a former major leaguer stepped into the batter’s box at the Astros’ stadium and accomplished what his father never could. The Rice freshman from Puerto Rico lined a two-run shot into the Crawford Boxes behind the left field wall for the first home run of his college career.
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1 month ago | 
ouresquina.com | Angel Cantu |Lorenzo Delgado
HOUSTON – Like many aspiring baseball players in Puerto Rico, Texas A&M junior Jamal George attended a baseball academy to nurture his baseball skills, develop his craft and, more importantly, the academics. After graduating from the International Baseball Academy in Fajardo at 18 years old, George moved to Montgomery, Ala., where he was awarded a baseball scholarship to play at Alabama State University. He didn’t speak any English when George stepped foot on the Alabama State campus.
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2 months ago | 
ouresquina.com | Julian Guiliarte |Carlos Leon-Trejo |Lorenzo Delgado |Angel Cantu
Two years ago, it would have likely been impossible to predict that Tony Martinez would be one of the top players in college baseball. The UC Irvine slugger was a lightly recruited player coming out of De La Salle High in Concord, Calif., even though he was Maxpreps 2022 Norcal Player of the Year. Martinez impressed right away, though, earning Freshman All-American honors from three outlets. He was also the 2023 Big West Conference Field Player of the Year.
