BRONX, NY — During the Minnesota Twins visit to the Bronx, I had the opportunity to speak with Jorge López, a young Puerto Rican who was on the ballot for the LatinoMVP awards. He was nominated for the best reliever in the American League for the 2022 season.
The following is our interview with López, a finalist for the 2022 American League LatinoMVP Reliever/Closer Award.
LS: We explained a bit about the LatinoMVP awards, considered the oldest and most prestigious awards given to Latino players for the last thirty-three years. Now that you know a little about this award, how do you feel knowing that you were on the ballot?
JL: It is an honor for me, first. I think this is all a group effort. To have a good season in 2022. The gratitude I’ve felt since the start of last season that Baltimore gave me the opportunity to be closer. Like everything, I had to earn it day by day by working hard and being healthy all year long, it was the main thing until I arrived in Minnesota and there all the numbers speak for themselves. I thank God I was on that ballot.
LS: That award is recognized and some say in a fun way that it’s being recognized as the Latin Grammy of baseball. You know that many people don’t win the Grammy, but they tell everyone that they were nominated, and they can brag about that. So you can say that you were a candidate for these LatinoMVP awards that’s like a Latin Grammy of baseball.
JL: (Laughing), Sure, sure that’s an honor. One does this not only to receive the awards, but to motivate young people for us to show that we did what needed to be done, to stay in the race and stay on our feet. We achieved it with a lot of sacrifice and with a lot of discipline and a lot of determination, just putting a grain of sand every day to be at these events, as well as new positions. And as you said the Latin Grammy for baseball, it has been an honor for me to be on that ballot.
LS: And what do you think that there is an award exclusively for Hispanic baseball players?
JL: Surely, I believe that we are a large part of the faces of MLB I think we have done a great job on the field and off the field which have been the two most important, but it is gratifying it has been a supremely great gratitude that we are recognized more and more every year.
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