PHOENIX, ARIZONA — Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the American Family Fields of Phoenix where the Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training complex is located. I went there to interview Freddy Peralta, who made the ballot for prestigious LatinoMVP awards.
The complex is huge and impressive and very family, fan friendly. I saw many fans in the early morning roaming around several of the baseball fields looking at many of the players and prospects that the Brewers are developing.
Entering a major Spring training complex and looking for a particular player is not easy. However, since I am attending Spring training for just one reason which is to inform and interview the players that have made the 2024 ballot for the prestigious 2023 LatinoMVP awards we try and arrange the cooperation of the teams media departments.
The LatinoMVP awards began in 1990 and are the oldest and most prestigious awards given to major league baseball players. The awards are sponsored by the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association (LSWBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB).
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting the Senior Director, Media relations person for the Brewers. Mr. Mike Vasallo.
Once I explained the reason for being there, Mike stopped what he was doing and went out of his way to help me find Freddy. He introduced us and I was able to sit down with Freddy and explain to him why I was there.
Freddy is a 27-year-old Dominican Pitcher who had a career high 30 starts in 2023 and finished the season with a record of 12-10 with a 3.86 ERA. He had a career high 210 strikeouts in a career high 165.2 innings. He held his opponents to a .212 batting average. Those numbers were enough to have Fredy’s name appear on many of the Latino sports writers list who submitted his name for inclusion in this years prestigious ballot for the 2023 LatinoMVP awards.
Freddy Peralta in 2021 MLB All Star Game – Image Credit: Major League Baseball
Our interviews are less formal as we try to connect with the players through our culture which many times is gratifying to Latino players who feel much more comfortable speaking in Spanish without the use of an interpreter.
As such, our interview was quite pleasant as I first explained the history of the awards. Freddy, like many of the other players we interviewed for these awards was glad to hear and understand how the award started. When they learn that the award began because of what many believed was an oversight of a Texas Rangers Puerto Rican player, Ruben Sierra who many then felt was overlooked in the 1989 selection of the American League MVP by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) they immediately relate to that. That perceived oversight led to the creation of the first ever award and subsequently to the creation of the Latino Sports Writers & Broadcasters Association.
The following is the interview with Freddy Peralta.
LS: Freddy I just explained to you the history of this award that very few know. You were were not born when we awarded the first one in 1990 to Rubén Sierra.
FP: Yes, I did not know about the award.
LS: Tell me now that you know the history of these awards what are your thoughts on the awards?
FP: Well, I think they are good, it caught me by surprise. Now that I know their history I think they are very important, very beautiful for our career personally and something that makes one feel super good. The simple fact that one’s name is on that list (ballot) is an honor and I am truly very happy and proud for the opportunity.
LS: And what are your thoughts that there is an award exclusively for Latino player in baseball?
FP: That’s very good. I think that we are, I say, a very important part of this game and I believe that our Latin community is a very huge fan base of this game. So, I think it is very nice that they are given the opportunity to have the chance to see or choose which players our community wants to see there, and I think is really a source of pride for us.
LS: If you win this award, you know that we must go to Milwaukee during Hispanic Heritage Month in September to present you the award. How would you feel receiving this award in front of your fans?
FP: No, if the news comes to me and I see that message, or a call or something, obviously I’m going to give a shout! Because I understand its importance. It would be very nice for me, I know it will also be important for my family, my mother, who loves the games and is always very attentive to all that, also to the fans. So, I think it would be excellent news and I would be very grateful if I were to win.
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