BRONX, NY — Baseball lifers come in all different ways.
For Rays’ bench coach Rodney Linares, his upbringing to the major leagues all started with his father’s true love and passion for the game.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Linares, 47—the son of former professional infielder and longtime-tenured Astros minor league coach Julio Linares—grew up with a dream of one day appearing in Major League Baseball. With his dad’s genes and the same appreciation for the sport instilled in him at a young age, Linares believed he had all the tools, on and off the diamond, to get it done.
However; the Dominican infielder’s road to the show was unfortunately cut short due to suffering multiple injuries in 1997 and 1998 while developing in the Tigers’ and Houston’s farm system, respectively, which resulted in a pair of surgical operations and extensive rehabs. Soon after, Linares came to the ultimate heartbreaking decision of no longer playing the game he always loved.
Rodney Linares, a baseball lifer who saw his playing career end early, made his dreams still come true by becoming a coach – Image Credit: Hector Beauchamp/Latino Sports
Nonetheless, that still didn’t prevent him from paving his way to the majors. A year later, in 1999, at the age of 21, he was hired by the Astros as a scout and hitting coach for the organization’s operations in the Dominican Republic.
“There were a lot of factors that went into the decision,” Linares explained in an interview with Latino Sports this week at Yankee Stadium. “I had a couple of surgeries when I was 17 and 18 years old, so I pivoted to coaching. I saw my dad do what he did up close and for so long, it just made me realize that it was something I was passionate about. And fortunately, everything lined up. The stars lined up and we’re here.”
In that 26 year ongoing long span, beginning in 1999, Linares, a former manager himself across multiple levels in the Astros’ farm system from 2007-2018, helped develop several marquee names the sports world all knows of today, such as José Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, George Springer, and J.D. Martínez, among many others.
Rodney Linares providing advice to Christopher Morel and José Caballero during Rays batting practice at Yankee Stadium – Image Credit: Latino Sports
As Linares went into depth on his role of developing prospects, the two names who stood out immediately were Altuve and Correa—catalysts of Houston’s 2017 World Series championship.
“He just walked in and was the best player on the team,” Linares said of a young Puerto Rican in Correa, now a three-time All-Star and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year. “First round pick, everybody knew he was going to be a really good player. What stuck with me with Carlos was just the preparation, his dedication to the craft, and his desire to be great.”
Linares later brought up multiple occasions where he was managing the Astros’ Texas League (Double-A) and as the team was traveling on their bus, Correa would ask the driver to stop so he and his teammates could get water to remain hydrated.
“He would start talking to the guys about the importance of maintaining your body. Here’s an 18-year-old talking to older guys on the team bus. That shows right there, he was special.”
Rodney Linares played a massive part in each of Carlos Correa’s and José Altuve’s Major League development – Image Credit: Latino Sports
As it goes for Altuve—a nine-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger, two-time World Series champion and 2017 AL LatinoMVP—Linares brought up the fact of the Venezuela native’s willingness to be the greatest he can be on the field, despite teams writing him off after open tryouts as well as his small frame at five-six/160 pounds.
“It was just–you could see it—like he (Altuve) wanted it more than anybody. He’s the first Latin player to ever tell me that he wanted to room with an American player because he wanted to learn English. He said one day, ‘I know that you’re not going to be there all the time. I need to learn English, I need to learn the language.’ He’s had a Hall of Fame career, he’ll make it to the Hall and hopefully, I’ll be there when he’s doing his speech.”
José Altuve put it upon himself during his minor league career to learn English – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Linares had the lifetime opportunity of experiencing his own Hall of Fame moment in 2023 by not just representing the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but leading his homeland as the manager.
“That was probably my proudest time on a baseball field,” Linares said of managing the Dominican Republic in the 2023 WBC. “Just wearing the flag. I’ve always said, ‘representing my country, it’s the ultimate goal.’ I think it goes hand in hand with managing in the big leagues.”
“For me, that’s the pinnacle. Representing your country, and you’re the guy to lead the country. Unfortunately, we didn’t do well. But again, it was a humbling experience. Loved the players, loved the coaches, loved everybody around it.”
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