“El Caballo” – Alex Colomé Happy To Receive His Award

Alex Colomé was super proud to receive his 2020 NL LatinoMVP Closer award. (Photo Latino Sports)

Scottsdale, AZ: Yesterday I traveled to the Colorado Rockies Spring Training facilities in Scottsdale to give Alex Colomé his long-awaited 2020 LatinoMVP award. Though we do send congratulatory letters to both the players and the team many of them do not get the correspondence. Having a pandemic and the player traded makes it all more difficult. Therefore, Colomé did not know about the award, or that he had won for his performance in 2020.

By the time I entered the locker room several other players had told him that they were looking for him to give him an award. There went the element of surprise. When some players pointed him out to me, Colomé was chilling seated with his feet up watching some old games on a TV screen. I introduced myself to him and told him I had something to give him and if we could speak outside the locker room where it was a bit quieter.

Once outside I had a chance to explain the history of the award and why and how he was selected. Colomé was very attentive and seemed to enjoy listening to my historical interpretation of the award that he was about to receive. I explained that we would have liked to have awarded him in Chicago at his home stadium of then, perhaps in front of the fans, but that due to the Covid pandemic and the timing it was too difficult.

He understood why it took this long to get the award to him and when I finally unveiled the painting he gave a huge Kool-Aide smile and just kept examining the painting. I explained that the artist, Maz Adams researched the details of his nickname, “El Caballo” and that’s why he included a horse in the painting. Colomé laughed and was pleased to be honored with the award.

His first comment was, “I was lost for two years, but now I’m found” We both laughed, and he continued, “I feel good, I’m happy to have won this award, I’m proud not just for being a Dominican, but for all the Latinos that I am representing. I am proud of winning this award for all of them.”

When I asked him his thoughts on an award dedicated strictly for Latino baseball players, he stated, “I believe that is good not just because of players like myself, but for the others who will follow us who have a right to be recognized. Sometimes the attention is always for those who have good numbers, but there are others who perhaps just had one good year and they too deserve to be recognized.”

Colomé comes from San Pedro de Marcoris, Dominican Republic, from Barrio Sur where many other great Dominican players originated from San Pedro has been producing baseball players for many decades. Players like Rico Carty, Pedro Guerrero, Joaquin Andujar, Julio Franco, Sammy Sosa, Alfonso Soriano, and Robinson Canó to name a few.

Colomé came from a baseball family as both, his brother and father played baseball. His brother played a short while with the NY Mets. Colomé explained that he was signed by Tampa Bay at the age of 18. He has always been a pitcher. He laughed telling me that when he was first brought up to the majors, he told them that he wanted to be a third baseman. They put him on third and when he let the ball go through, they moved him to the outfield and then to a pitcher.

He started with Tampa as a pitcher and explained that halfway through the 2015 season they moved him to a reliever and in 2016 they again moved him and gave him the opportunity to be a closer.

He explained that this is his first season with the Rockies and that his goal is to remain healthy to be able to give his best to please himself and help the team.