TORONTO — When Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa was a teenager at the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy, a pair of MLB stars stopped by to visit and immediately changed his outlook.
Puerto Rican catcher Yadier Molina and outfielder Carlos Beltran came in one day to hold court with players, offering advice and a glimpse of the path forward.
"I was just paying close attention to what they were saying because I wanted to be in their position at some point," recalled Correa this weekend at Rogers Centre. "And I took to heart everything they said about all the hard work and the sacrifices you gotta make. It's truly special when somebody of that stature comes and talks to you and spends some time with you."
Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios has a similar story from his time as a youth in Puerto Rico. He grew up idolizing Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and had the chance to meet the superstar catcher when he was 15.
"I hit BP with him first and then we went to the bullpen — [he] was like a pitching coach," Berrios recalls with a smile. "It was a great experience."
The Blue Jays pitcher is now a star in his own right, but he never forgot the importance of that encounter with his hero. That, in turn, helped inform some of his philanthropic work today.
"I know a lot of young kids who had the chance to meet major-league players — that's a big experience for them and they use that for motivation and try to be like us," said Berrios.
"It's so important. I mean, we are major-league players, but also we are human, so we have to be around them and close to them to show them that they have the same opportunity we had to get here."
Berrios has long been involved with charity work back home in Puerto Rico but on Saturday, the Blue Jays announced the right-hander's new charitable endeavour, El Dream, which will support work by the Jays Care Foundation (JCF). The right-hander will be an ambassador for several JCF programs, visiting youth and taking part in fundraising initiatives that will benefit El Dream and Berrios's La Makina Foundation in Puerto Rico, both of which work to support children "facing barriers and help them find belonging on the baseball field, learn important life skills, realize their potential, and achieve their dreams," according to a press release.
"We call it El Dream because that's [what it was for me] growing up, dreaming to be where I am right now," said Berrios. "I've been so blessed in my life, so I want to give back to the young kids and their families."
Berrios, who signed a seven-year, $131-million extension with the Blue Jays in 2021, is well known for his devotion to philanthropy. In recent years he’s helped renovate a community park in Puerto Rico, purchased equipment and uniforms for the national women’s softball team and hosted a celebrity charity softball game at Roberto Clemente Stadium.
“I know he likes to do a lot of stuff and he's always involved with the community,” said Correa. “He’s a great person. Great ambassador for the game.”
Berrios also makes a point to visit Puerto Rican baseball clinics every off-season and will spend quality time with children and their parents, offering tips about training, nutrition, recovery and pitch repertoire. He’s even invited youth to observe his bullpen sessions.
“He’s very accessible,” Edgar Perez, a former Red Sox scout told me in 2021.
“He will help others in any situation that he can … He sees that things are changing for the better and there’s more [young] pitchers [in Puerto Rico], more people who want to pitch and want to be like him. Surely, it’s a motivation for him to keep helping these kids to get to that point.”
Berrios is particularly excited about the opportunity to help JCF bring Challenger Baseball — an adaptive program that seeks to empower children living with physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities and/or mental health challenges — to Puerto Rico. His uncle lived with a disability and so Berrios has first-hand experience with the importance of providing inclusive opportunities.
"It's an opportunity for me, for my family, for my team, to help people," said Berrios. "To bless people in that way. I mean, life is difficult. But there's always opportunity to do good."
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