Q: When you first started playing baseball, in Nicaragua, I heard you used a tennis ball, right?
A: Yes. Most Latin guys did. They played with anything they could find. I had a tennis ball and I’d play on the streets or on the corners or by myself on a wall. I used to throw to the wall, and as it would come back I would hit it.
Q: When did you love baseball, as a kid?
A: At first, when I was 4 or 5 years old, I started playing baseball. But soccer was a big love for me as well. I played both for many years until I realized I had a shot to maybe play professionally somewhere, and I gave up soccer and went with my dream to play baseball.
Q: You came to the United States in 2006. What was the biggest change for you, the biggest culture shock?
A: It was a huge culture shock. It was a big city, with a lot of lights. The food was different. And obviously, the language barrier.
Q: You were picked up by the Rockies, so was that your dream coming true — to be picked up by a professional team?
A: When the Rockies got me, they wanted me to go to school first and get a degree. I went against it and said I just wanted to play baseball. I felt I was good enough to accomplish my dream at a young age.
Q: You had 73 stolen bases with the Asheville Tourists in 2008. 73?!
A: It was one of the most important seasons I’ve ever had in my professional career. Overcoming an injury from the year before and playing the game the way I know how to play it, for me, that was a year that got me over the hump and got me to the big league roster.
Q: You went from Single-A to the big leagues. How tough was that transition?
A: I always had a dream I’d go up in the big leagues, but I never thought it would be like that. It was very hard, not only the physical side, but the mental side. In the minor leagues, you go from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A, (start in) rookie ball, and you learn a lot. You learn from your mistakes and through your struggles. But from High-A to the big leagues, you couldn’t struggle much. I learned that the hard way. But it made me a better baseball player.
Q: What’s your biggest goal?
A: It’s all about being a good teammate. Not 100 percent, but 110 percent. My biggest goal is to be a good teammate and try to teach whatever I know about the game to the others, and that way they can teach me as well.
Q: The play where you stole home against the Dodgers, is that the best play you’ve had in your career?
A: That has been the biggest play in my career, no doubt. There was a lot of pressure in that situation. We were one pitch away from ending the game, and I felt I needed to make a play and help the team win. I took that risk and it worked out.
Q: How good did you feel after that?
A: It was a huge, huge thrill. Not only did we tie it, but then Will (Venable scored after me) and we won. You usually win games by a base hit or a homer or good defense, but you never hear or see someone steal home to tie the game, so it was huge.
Q: Best meal you would eat in Nicaragua?
A: I like my rice, my beans, my meat and plantains, things like that.
