'Sandy' Claus gives back to community ahead of holidays

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MIAMI -- Santa Claus got some help this year in the form of a lanky National League Cy Young Award winner. Sandy Alcantara, decked in Santa’s trademark coat and hat -- with Sandy Claus scripted across -- and baseball pants, distributed presents with Billy the Marlin on Monday morning at loanDepot park.

The Marlins, Miami Marlins Foundation and Accident Medical Group teamed up for the club’s annual toy drive, this time benefiting more than 30 students aged 3-5 from CNC Learning Enrichment Program at Alpha Charter of Excellence, a Miami Marlins Slugger Schoolhouse.

“It's always good because the organization has to do everything with the community, because the community is everything for a team, especially for the Marlins, because we are a Spanish community,” Alcantara said. “So it's something special for Hispanic guys and all the kids who live around here.”

Two groups of children wearing Santa hats took turns playing duck, duck, goose in left field and creating arts and crafts in the home bullpen before settling down at tables adjacent to the Marlins’ dugout, where tinsel was wrapped along the railing. Kids’ versions of Christmas songs played from the public address system’s speakers while the children munched on snacks like graham crackers and sipped on juice.

Alcantara, who has a son a few years older than the kids in attendance, was a natural interacting with the little ones. Their gifts ranged from magnetic building tiles to engineering tracks to dinosaur cars. One girl eagerly tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a muñeca (doll) before running over to Alcantara to show off her present.

“¿Te gusta?” Alcantara asked.

“¡Sí!” the girl exclaimed.

One of 11 siblings, Alcantara remembers waiting up for Santa every year to see what he left under the tree. Alcantara never asked for baseball equipment; he always requested a cellphone -- something he didn’t receive until he was a grown-up.

“It changed a lot because now I’ve got to do everything Santa Claus is doing with my son, so I’ve got to surprise him every night, every day,” Alcantara said. “It's special moments for me and for all the dads in the world.”

It was a nice change of pace for Alcantara, who has been visiting the ballpark every day for a three-hour modified version of his usual workout while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

“I've been working hard to get back as soon as I can, but it's hard for me because I don't want to be in this situation,” Alcantara said. “Everyone wants to be perfect in this life, so I've just got to be happy because I’ve got more opportunities, so hopefully I come back in 2025 strong and better than ever.”