Former New York Mets pitcher Livan Hernandez (61) seen here pitching in 2009 (San Diego Union file photo)

Latino Major League Players’ Diet

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Although things have changed in the major leagues regarding nutrition for the long baseball season, Latino Players also get used to that same special diet for the long season. It takes them time to adjust to life in the United States because moving from a Latin American country to the US is usually a significant cultural change.

Lifestyles are different, especially in the major leagues, the top professional baseball league in the world. And let’s face it, we all have to eat. Liván Hernandez comes to mind when he arrived from Miami after he pitched for his first three seasons.

He came and pitched for the San Francisco Giants. I first met him, he was always asking me about restaurants and especially Cuban food, which is easy to find today in some big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other places like the San Francisco-San José-Oakland Bay Area.

Still, in some trips to Kansas City, Cincinnati, and many other places, you do not see much variety of ethic foods. Liván always laughs when I told him that Armando, my grandfather in Cuba, used to say to me, when I was a kid, “Uno come para vivir, no vive para comer” Translation: “We eat to live, not live to eat”.

Liván is retired, and he loved, I mean loved to eat. Liván played in the major leagues for 17 seasons; his last season was 2012. He pitched for 10 different teams, and he once confessed to me that he had a weight problem, which is not unusual for Latino players.

Fernando Valenzuela was another player who had a long fight with his weight; however, because it is a long season, he needs to be there for the whole enchilada. Born in México, Fernando told me he did not mind his weight. However, I usually converse well with Liván, who comes from Cuba.

He always told me that the first thing that impressed him (aside from the salaries and nice and big stadiums) in the major leagues and in the United States was that he could eat anything he wanted at any given time.

Luis Tiant, also Cuban, told me he didn’t mind to be a little overweight because it is a long season, and he needed the strength to go the distance. Major League Baseball players nowadays require a diet of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats to fuel their very long, demanding season.

Drink lots of liquid during hot summer days. They also need to prioritize hydration and electrolyte balance. A typical baseball player’s diet includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fish., however, rice and beans and other Latin food is also popular during the season for Latino players.

The three players were pitchers in the major leagues, but I have also spoken with other Latino players throughout the years, not pitchers, and they always love to talk about food. Some even like to cook at home or at least be their wives ‘sous chef “.

Luis Tiant and Ferrnando Valenzuela passed in 2024. Liván Hernández is retired from pitching, but runs a Baseball Academy in Miami(Hialeah), Florida.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com