Almonte helps feed families in his hometown

Rockies relief pitcher Yency Almonte on Thursday showed that his heart is bigger than his name.

Wanting to make a difference in his hometown of Miami, Almonte, 26, spent the afternoon distributing plates of food that he arranged for families during his first Thanksgiving Giveaway at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade Hank Kline Club.

Although he is coming off a solid season in the Rockies’ bullpen -- 3-0, 2.93 ERA, one save, 23 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings pitched -- he understands he isn’t well-known in the area. His youth teams – which were trained by his father, Ramon, and included his older brother, former Mariners outfield prospect Denny Almonte -- practiced north of the Hank Kline Club and played against its teams in tournament action. He arranged the event with the guidance of his representatives at Rosenhaus Sports.

“My agent and I sat down, and I mentioned that I had an idea for a charity event,” Almonte said. “I’d had the idea for a while, but I never got around to setting it up. They mentioned to me that they have a guy that works with the NFL guys in the agency. They shot me his number, and we got together and set it up, partnering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade.

“For me, giving back to what I grew up living through, being from the inner city, being younger, I went to events like that, myself. So being able to do it now, it’s humbling to know that I’m able to give back.”

Almonte’s event is designed to spread food and joy while taking COVID-19 precautions. Rather than give out turkeys that families would have to store and cook, the volunteers passed out prepared meals with safety and social distancing in mind.

“For me, being the first time, this is a learning experience,” Almonte said. “So when I want to do something in the future, I can, hopefully, have more time to plan it out. I’d love to have some more events, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas or back-to-school events.”