Carlos Estévez keeps favorite anime close on game day

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter, with Adrian Garro filling in for this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Carlos Estévez may have found himself at T-Mobile Park in July for his first All-Star Game, but the Angels’ closer wasn’t the only one making his Midsummer Classic debut.

Estévez brought his entire collection of anime figurines to the clubhouse in Seattle, where the colorful assortment of characters was the talk of the American League squad.

Normally, these collectibles adorn Estévez’s locker in the Angels’ clubhouse, spread out in an impressive display above his cleats, jerseys, and personal items.

But since these figurines mean so much to him, Estévez just couldn’t leave them home for his big All-Star moment.

“The lockers were different there, so I had them on the bottom,” Estévez said of his All-Star arrangement, “and a lot of guys came up and were like, ‘Oh my God, that’s really cool!’ Julio Rodríguez, Luis Castillo, Adolis García, Luis Robert [Jr.]. They all were like, ‘Oh, man.’”

It’s not unusual for players’ lockers to hold a number of personal effects, but it’s rarely something this unique. It’s an immediate conversation starter, which for Estévez -- one of the friendliest, most outgoing professional athletes you’ll meet -- is a benefit, since he loves talking about them.

“I just want to put a little bit of me, who I am, into my locker, give it some color,” said Estévez, who rode a stellar first half to that All-Star selection in his first season with the Angels. “Get out of the … dryness. I feel this is a really cool touch.”

Estévez was quick to point out that the anime characters in his locker are from an array of different series. Specifically, Dragon Ball Z_, _One Piece_, and _Naruto -- the one featuring a special affectation, the “Naruto Run,” which Estévez has considered doing on the field should the Angels clinch a postseason berth.

“They’re ninjas. It’s a story based on ninjas,” Estévez said, “and they run differently than other anime characters. The way they run, they tilt their bodies forward and pull their arms back.”

Some Angels fans on social media essentially told Estévez he should do a “Naruto run” out of the bullpen for a regular game, but Estévez countered with the possibility of saving it for a postseason clinch.

Based on his effusive appreciation for anime, that’d certainly be on-brand for Estévez, who considers Dragon Ball Z his favorite of all of the series. He credited his brother for starting his collection by giving him a figurine of teenage Gohan.

“I started traveling with it because my brother gave it to me,” Estévez said. “That one was really rare to get. I don’t know how he got it, but he gave it to me, and ever since, I always have it with me.”

Somewhat surprisingly, given the propensity of baseball players to rely on good luck charms, that’s not the case here.

“It’s not even for luck,” Estévez said. “I’m not really superstitious. It’s just more to think about what these characters do in the anime. A lot of encouragement, a lot of training to get to where they want to be.”

Hearing him tell it, it was these common themes of friendship and strength-building that young Carlos related to, concepts that helped instill in him a competitive drive that has guided him throughout his baseball career.

“Even coming from different backgrounds, Goku [Dragon Ball Z’s main character] was always developing good friendships along the way,” Estévez said. “Training and getting stronger, he always had a rival that he wanted to get stronger with and face later on, and that’s a really cool concept. That’s one thing I really like from anime is the hard work they put in to get stronger. Most of them are like, ‘Oh, I want to be the strongest on the planet or in the world,’ or whatever, but for Goku, he just wanted to be the best at martial arts.

“In the beginning, he didn’t know much about it, but he learned through his journey. The learning experience, the friendships, the hard work -- that’s one part of anime that I’m always going to have with me.”

Might he add more characters to his clubhouse display?

“Right now, it’s pretty full,” Estévez said. “But maybe. Maybe I remove something from my locker and put in some more. Who knows?”

Also a dedicated fan of the sitcom _Friends_, of which Estévez has seen every episode, he was game for a quick Lightning Round in tribute to Chandler Bing.

Favorite TV show?
“Still Friends_, but maybe _Breaking Bad is a close second.”

Favorite movies?
“Two came to me really quick. A drama, The Notebook_, and a kids’ movie, _Up.”

Favorite baseball movie?
“The Natural.”

Favorite baseball game-related snack?
“I really like the nachos. Like, the really big nachos. I don’t think I’ve eaten the whole thing, but they’re really good.”

You’re controlling the clubhouse music for an hour. What are you playing?
“All kinds of things. Reggaeton, rap, old rock from TV shows, some merengue. My mix is pretty wild.”