Two Brewers newcomers making camp a language-learning lab

PHOENIX -- Who needs Duolingo when you have the language learning laboratory that is the Brewers’ clubhouse at American Family Fields of Phoenix?

There is trilingual infielder Abraham Toro of Montreal, the son of Venezuelan immigrants who grew up speaking Spanish at home, French on the playground and taking English classes in school. Then there is flamethrowing right-hander Thyago Vieira of Sao Paulo, who grew up speaking Portuguese in soccer-crazed Brazil but became fluent in Spanish and English and even picked up some Japanese during his well-traveled baseball career.

“That’s the baseball life,” Vieira said.

His baseball life has been fascinating. Vieira was throwing 104 mph as a Mariners prospect in the Arizona Fall League in 2016 and touched 103 mph during a stint in Japan before signing a Minor League deal with the Brewers that included an invitation to big league camp.

Toro’s journey is just as unique. His parents and two older siblings left Venezuela seeking a better life and settled in Montreal despite not knowing anything about the culture or language. Abraham played some hockey as a boy but didn’t stick with it because he lacked one critical skill; he couldn’t skate backward.

Baseball called to him. When he was 7, Toro attended the Montreal Expos’ final game at Stade Olympique against the Florida Marlins.

“I’m from a family from Venezuela, so baseball is in our blood,” he said. “[Baseball season] was only in the summer until I was about 15 years old and decided to go to a high school that was a little farther from my house, and you could go indoors and it had good facilities. At 15, that’s when I switched to all-year-round baseball.”

He went to junior college in Oklahoma and was selected in the sixth round by the Astros in the 2016 MLB Draft. Toro’s power blossomed two years later, and he made it to the Majors in 2019 as a 22-year-old. Four years later, he is with his third organization after the Brewers acquired him along with Jesse Winker in the trade that sent Kolten Wong to the Mariners. Toro said he knows he has to win a spot.

Working in his favor is that he’s multi-positional (mostly third base and second base). But he also has an option, meaning the Brewers could send him to Triple-A to start the season in the interest of preserving depth.

“You get to the big leagues at a young age, which is not normal, and you kind of get cast as a little bit of a utility guy immediately,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That makes me think of Hernán Pérez a little bit. It makes me think, 'instinctual player,' because they trusted him to do that job -- a part-time role on a good team. That's kind of what I'm thinking of going in, and then we'll get to know Abraham and see what happens.”

The same goes for Vieira, who was readying for his unofficial Brewers debut in Sunday’s split-squad game against the A’s. He signed with Seattle out of Sao Paulo in 2010 and shot up prospect lists because of an eye-popping fastball, making it to the prestigious AFL in 2016 and then to the Major Leagues for one scoreless inning in ’17. That winter, he was traded to the White Sox and made 22 more appearances in the big leagues over the next two years.

Command was always the issue. Chicago released Vieira in December 2019 so he could sign with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, where Vieira learned to spin breaking balls in the way so many Japanese pitchers excel. Three seasons later, he’s coming back to the U.S. with a fuller arsenal -- fastball, slider, split, sinker -- and a fuller appreciation for his unique path.

“Great human, first of all,” Brewers bullpen coach Jim Henderson said. “Always in a good mood and really, just happy all the time. And then when he came into his live [batting practice] the other day, he puts his hat down and he becomes a beast.”

Vieira heard early on that he’s not the only player in camp fluent in three languages.

“I never tried to use a translator,” Vieira said. “I tried to learn everything by myself as quick as possible. I’m from Brazil, right? When I come to other countries, they don’t speak Portuguese. It doesn’t matter what country I’m going to be in, I’m going to do my best to learn the language.”

He’s learned that it’s all about being open to experiences.

“Always,” Vieira said. “That’s a part of life, you try to enjoy every single moment, the journey. You can get a good experience in every kind of country.”

Toro may be thinking about visiting another new country soon. He’s using Duolingo this spring to learn Italian.

“I’m not very good so far,” he said.