Bronx, NY: During the recent Yankees Vs. Tampa Bay series, we had the opportunity to finally interview Wander Franco, the 2021 LatinoMVP Rookie of the year. Wander had just come off the injured list and was hyped to return to the field where he is anxious to help his team continue to pursue the first place Yankees.
We caught up with Wander in the visitors’ locker room where there were a slew of other reporters waiting to interview the rising star on his first day back. Wander is Spanish dominant, and the interpreter was not present for the majority Anglo media, giving us an opening for a quick interview as in todays game, “it pays to be bilingual.”
We introduced ourselves to Wander and gave him a brief history of the oldest and most prestigious award given to Latino baseball players. We explained how the award was born in 1989 when Ruben Sierra was overlooked for the American League MVP. Wander was all smiles when we told him that he was the 2021 LatinoMVP Rookie of the year.
The following is a translation of his interview.
LS: How do you feel winning this prestigious prize?
WF: Well first thanking God for this opportunity. I’m very happy because I’m receiving recognition for my work, I’m very happy and proud.
LS: What are your thoughts about this award that is exclusively for Latino baseball players?
WF: It’s a marvelous award. It’s an award that a player has won from his sweat and courage. It’s an award that is well merited.
LS: Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again on September 16th at your home stadium when we will be presenting you and Randy Arozarena his 2020 LatinoMVP Rookie award for all your fans to see. This is the first time in 32 years that a team has won back-to-back rookie of the year awards.
WF: Well, well that is a good opportunity for the team and for us as well. We will feel super happy, thank God for that opportunity and God willing we look forward to winning more awards.
