The Twins are becoming a more and more Latin based baseball club each year. Sano, Arcia, Rosario, Berrios, Polanco and on and on. My question is how are they dealing with this? Not a criticism, a real question. Don't tell me their answer is grandfather figure Oliva. Throughout the system do they have Latin coaches on each team? What exactly do they do besides give the young players intense lessons in English?

Word on the street is that, as we speak, Bill Smith is furiously copying "puer, pueri, puero, puerum, puero; pueri, puerorum, pueris, pueros, pueris."

Rudy Hernandez is the MLB assistant hitting coach, from Venezuela.

 

Ivan Arteaga is the AA pitching coach, also from Venezuela.

 

Henry Bonilla is the A+ pitching coach, born in El Salvador but grew up in Nevada.

 

Does seem pretty light, especially on the Dominican side.  Everyone knows the Twins were poor at signing Latin players prior to Sano, but they also seemed fairly poor at relating to them / integrating them into the team.  And it feels like that might be continuing with the most recent rookies.

I think anyone who is serious about a career in any facet of professional baseball should want to become as fluent as possible in Spanish. I realize there's more to relating to Latin culture than speaking the language but it's a big first step.

Word on the street is that, as we speak, Bill Smith is furiously copying "puer, pueri, puero, puerum, puero; pueri, puerorum, pueris, pueros, pueris."

Kids these days.

 

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In addition to the names mentioned in the post, EST and the lower minors and filled with Latin pitchers and position player prospects, many of them seemingly highly regarded. (Not going to bother to list all the names)

 

I think, from what I read, that the Twins do a great job at the Ft Myers complex working with these kids, teaching them English and offering a nice and inexpensive "community" in which to stay and learn. But I think the overall question is an excellent one. Manager, coach, roving instructor or team liason, every single milb team should have someone...preferably with real baseball experience...that these kids can turn to and learn from.

 

I'd really be interested to know more about what is in place.

I have noticed play by play anouncers calling Francisco Lindor Frankie. In Spanish the diminutive for Francisco is Pancho.

Which is to say cultural exchange is predicated on shared language more so than anything else. More bilingual persons in pro ball would be great but maybe having more people who speak Spanish as a second language would be as helpful as having Spanish speaking players learn English. A bilingual person has the advantage of having two modes of cultural exchange. Monoglots have one and that's a shame.

 

Here's a joke told, I am told, all over the world:

 

What do you call a person who speaks two languages?

Bilingual.

What do you call a person who speaks one language?

American.

Here's a joke told, I am told, all over the world:

 

What do you call a person who speaks two languages?

Bilingual.

What do you call a person who speaks one language?

American.

I've heard that joke too, but only from the very people who learned English as a second language. Many of their countrymen couldn't have told it to me

 

_{^{/ and yes, I am poking fun at myself because despite classes in two other languages the only language I can talk good are English}}