by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

ANAHEIM–It is only the middle of May, but Cuban first baseman, and sometimes designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox, Jose Abreu has a large lead to win the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year. During the White Sox only visit to Oakland and prior to a game I sat down with Abreu and spoke with him.

Q: Coming from Cuba, a closed society type of government, where there are still no relations with the United States for over 50 years, this is the first time you are in the United States; what impressed you the most about the Major Leagues?

Abreu: “Everything, it is a great huge country, great people, and in baseball this is it, the Big Leagues, this is where everybody in the world that plays baseball aspires to be, I thank God for the opportunity and the privilege to let me do what I do, I am new here, but I hope I can keep helping this team the whole season, baseball has been my favorite thing to do all my life and I thank God for the privilege to play here”

Q: How do you feel about the new crop of Cuban players (like you) your friend Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig, Jose Fernandez and others that are now arriving and making the rosters of some of the teams here and having great success? (I mentioned to him the great Cuban born star still working for the White Sox Orestes(Minnie) Minoso?

Abreu: “First of all, I like to thank the older Cuban players that opened the way for us,and in one way or the other are responsible for our success, in the case in my team Alexei Ramirez Dayan, and others, it is great to see many players here that are coming from my country, I feel good about all the Cuban players that today are having the great results here in the big leagues and they have to maintain a very strong mind, because there are going to be highs and lows during the whole season, you have to be strong in your head”.

Q: Are you still in touch with the Cuban players, and families of the Cuban players that you know and that are still left in Cuba?

Abreu: “No, not with the players, because of the regime there and, you know, I do not want to give them any problems, but with some of their families and friends, yes, I am in contact with then everyday and they are very happy with my success”

Q: You had great success so far, but what do you think you still need to work to polish your skills?

A: “I have to work every day, as far as my hitting, trying to correct my weaknesses and my mistakes, I am working on some of my holes when I come to the plate, but most of all we have to keep our mind strong and believe on what I can do”

Q: You have a very smooth but powerful swing. Who taught you that swing?

Abreu: “Believe me, that is something that I had to learned by myself. But my father was the most responsible for that, because since I was a little kid in Cuba my father would fill a bag (java) and filled it with rocks, and he also gave me a small piece of wood, and I would hit those rocks, day after day after day, and told me about my swing my swing my swing”.

Q: When you got here to the Oakland Coliseum, first thing you did is talk with Yoenis Cespedes, are you guys good friends?

Abreu: “Yes, we are good friends, we knew each other from the Cuban leagues, we spoke about a lot of things, especially the baseball played here at the parks, the cities, everything. He is a very good friend and I am happy he is doing very well here with Oakland”

Abreu is a very inquisitive guy, he noticed my 1989 A’s World Series Championship ring and asked me, “Is that one of the rings from here?” I replied: “Yes, that is my 1989 World Series Championship ring” He replied” “Very nice”, and asked me if this ring was from the days of the names of the players listed on the upper deck at the Coliseum”. I said yes, those are some of the great Oakland Athletics players in the history of the team and I told him I also have the 1988 and 1990 rings of the A’s. He smiled and said “muy bueno” “very good”.

Abreu hit two home runs in the three game series at the Oakland Coliseum,and the last of the two marked his 15th home runs of the season. A majestic shot, three run homer in the eight inning and the White Sox snapped a four game losing streak, as they beat the Athletics 4-2. His shot to left field was his 15th home run of the season. The Cuban rookie slugger is the fourth player in major league history to hit 15 home runs in his first 42 games. joining Wally Berger, Kevin Mass and Wally Joyner.

As we said good bye and I wished him good luck, he smiled and told me one of his wishes is for all the Cuban players to get together in Miami, for just a fun game and memories. I told him that was a great idea, he replied: “Lo haremos ya veras” ‘We will do it, you will see”.

Amaur Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball and does News and Commentary on http://www.sportsradioservice.com