.png)
Have glove, will travel
Jose Iglesias has parlayed soft hands, quick feet and a strong will into a decade of big-league service
By Jerry Crasnick
Jose Iglesias was 18 years old when he made the most fateful decision of his life. In July 2008, he defected from his native Cuba during an international tournament in Canada to pursue what he hoped would be a long and successful career in Major League Baseball. When the Boston Red Sox signed him for an $8.2 million bonus as an international free agent in September 2009, he was on his way.
Fourteen years, six organizations, 1,049 hits and an All-Star appearance later, Iglesias is comfortable knowing he made the right call. He left his home country as a 5-11, 175-pound glove wiz who elicited comparisons to Omar Vizquel and even the occasional Ozzie Smith reference. Now he’s logged his time and become one of the newest members of the 10-year service club – a threshold attained by only a small percentage of the more than 20,000 players in major-league history.
Iglesias, hitting .307 as the Colorado Rockies’ everyday shortstop this season, reflected on his start in pro ball, his road to 10 years and some memorable moments along the way in a recent interview with the MLBPA.
What does 10 years of big-league service mean to you personally?
It's quite an accomplishment, not just for me, but for everybody playing this game. A decade in this game is a privilege. There are a lot of sacrifices and ups and downs involved, especially for a guy that came from a different country, leaving family, friends and everybody behind. I'm very blessed for the opportunity to do this for this long.
When you reflect on your decision to defect from Cuba, how difficult was it? How did you overcome the fear, homesickness and other emotions you must have felt?
It was the toughest decision I had to make in my life so far, and it was the best decision I’ve made in my life so far -- leaving everybody behind and not knowing what was going to happen to me in my future. To be here today talking to you, it's a dream come true. I've been through a lot. Nothing has been easy, but I feel very proud of everything I've done. And I feel very proud to have had good people around to help me along the way.
You’ve always been known for your defense. Was it a matter of finding a way to hang around until you could figure out the hitting part of the equation?
In general, the bat is the last thing to come for a player, right? Especially at this level, when you’re facing the best in the world. But you can still help your team with baserunning and defense. My glove is obviously what brought me to the big leagues. The bat comes slower. But it came.
Your first career hit was a single off Tampa Bay’s Alex Torres in September 2011. Do you remember your first home run?
My first homer was in Tampa Bay against J.P. Howell. I had two strikes on me and I hit it out to left center, and they gave me the silent treatment (in the dugout). Man, it was very fun.
I came up so young and I was around so many great players. Big Papi. Victor Martinez. Torii Hunter. Adrian Beltre. Adrian Gonzalez. Dustin Pedroia. Kevin Youkilis. It was different when you came up to the league 10 or 11 years ago. I was basically on my own in terms of age because I was the only young player on the team. Nowadays you see 10 or 15 of those guys in the clubhouse.
Now the older guys are in the minority, right?
Now it’s me, Charlie Blackmon and Daniel Bard, and everybody else is like 15 (laughs).
You finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting to Wil Myers in 2013 and you were traded in the middle of the season. You went to Detroit, Avisail Garcia went to the White Sox and Jake Peavy went to Boston in a three-team, seven-player trade. How strange was that?
I didn't know how the system worked. I didn't know how the business worked. I was just playing for the Red Sox, hoping to help that organization win some ballgames. I had a pretty good year that year. I played some third base as well.
Then I got traded to the Tigers. Detroit needed a shortstop to replace Jhonny Peralta, and Boston had Xander Bogaerts coming up and they needed a right-handed starter, so it was a perfect three-way. It was the right move for three teams, even if I wasn’t happy, because I loved the Red Sox. It was fine. We had a great Detroit Tigers team back then, and I was just happy to be part of it.
You spoke exclusively Spanish when you left Cuba and now you’re fluent in English. How did you make that happen?
My first year of professional baseball was with the Portland Seadogs, Boston’s Double-A team. Mike Hazen, who’s now the GM for the Diamondbacks, came to me and said, ‘You have to share a room with someone. You have to choose a roommate.’ So I said, ‘OK, fine. Just give me a day or two. I don't know anybody.’ Then I chose to pick a great guy. His name is Nate Spears. He played in the big leagues for the Red Sox, and we had a good chemistry. Nate is a great human being and he helped me.
It was very difficult at the beginning. We talked with (hand signals) because I didn’t know how to say anything or request anything. But I learned a new word each and every day, and by the end of the season I was already ordering food at the restaurant and watching TV in English. It was necessary. We are living in this great country, and in order for me to communicate with my teammates, I had to learn the language. That’s something I highly recommend to all those Latin players who obviously speak Spanish as their main language. Don’t be shy. Learn, because the faster you do that, the better, the smoother and the quicker the process will be in the States.
You became a U.S. citizen in 2018. What was that process like and how meaningful was it for you?
Another dream come true. To become a U.S. citizen was another goal that I wanted to accomplish. And the way I did it was very special -- on the baseball field (at Comerica Park) in full uniform. It was a unique experience. I’m very happy and very proud of this great country.
You’re still playing every day and having one of your best offensive seasons at 32. Do you want to try and play another 10 years?
I won't be playing 10 -- and not because I can’t. It’s because I have three kids and I would definitely like to spend time with them. I want to be there and support them, and educate them, and pass along everything I’ve learned over the course of my time. So for sure, it’s not 10. But I have quite a few years (left) in me.
