Espinal's path to big leagues fostered by grandfather, Minor League coach

Major League Baseball’s Players’ Weekend is all about showcasing the athletes that make our national pastime great. Each day is meant to highlight different aspects of the players’ lives: Friday was about fun and their personal interests; Saturday revolved around meaningful causes in their lives; Sunday is meant to show their appreciation for the people who helped them on their road to the big leagues.

For Reds infielder Santiago Espinal, it’s the last element that really hits home.

Espinal didn’t grow up dreaming of being in the Majors like so many eventual big leaguers do. He simply loved the game and wanted to play it as often as he could. That love was instilled in him by his grandfather when he was growing up in the Dominican Republic.

One day, Espinal’s grandfather -- also named Santiago -- walked a 5-year-old Santiago Jr. to the nearby baseball field and introduced him to the game. From that day forward, Espinal never stopped playing baseball.

“I'm playing this game today because of my grandpa,” he said. "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be playing right now. He was one of the ones who started my path."

If his grandfather was the spark that lit the baseball fire, his Single-A hitting coach and former Major Leaguer Wilton Veras is the wood that kept the flame burning.

Playing in high school, on travel-ball teams, in junior college and all through the Minors, Espinal had his fair share of coaches -- and good ones at that. He took tips and pieces of advice from all of them. But it was Veras who had the biggest impact.

Playing for the Single-A Greeneville Drive, Espinal was introduced to Veras, the team’s hitting coach. They connected from Day 1 and have maintained a relationship ever since. They still speak daily and Espinal views him as another father figure.

“With Wilton, what made him special for me is the mental side,” Espinal said. “We didn't work on anything mechanical, we didn't work on anything with my swing. It wasn't about that. It was more mental. He told me to focus on talking positive to myself, loving myself. He taught me to go in with a plan that for every at-bat or swing in the cage, you've got to be the best at doing it. You're not going to be perfect doing it, but inside of you, you've got to be the best.”

That advice from Veras helped take Espinal’s game to the next level and eventually earn his spot in the big leagues in 2020 with Toronto. When he found out he made the Blue Jays roster, Espinal was in Boston, the city of the team that had drafted him in 2016. He remembers calling his dad and wife when he found out the news -- and then he called Veras.

It was a full-circle moment, as the lone MLB team Veras had played for was also the Red Sox.

And while his grandpa wasn’t around to share that special moment, he was top of mind and remains there today.

“If I could talk to him now, I would just say, 'Thank you,'” Espinal said. “Without him, I wouldn’t have made it. I definitely wouldn’t still be playing baseball, and I may never have played baseball. Thanks to him, I'm here and still playing this game.”

And in Cincinnati, he’s playing it well. Espinal was traded to the Reds shortly before Opening Day this season and inserted into a prominent role. Espinal has started over half the team’s games and is the lone Red to play shortstop this season besides All-Star Elly De La Cruz. He’s a Swiss Army knife on the Reds' roster, having played three infield positions this season and even playing a handful of games in left field.

Throughout Players’ Weekend, Espinal honored his grandfather and Veras as two key figures in his journey to the Majors with some of their phrases and advice engraved on his bat and images of them on his cleats. And whether it’s Players’ Weekend or any other game or practice during a given year, Espinal’s appreciation for his two role models remains ever present.