Life In The Minors

Interview Highlights From This Year’s Prospect Pad In Miami.

Forty-four of the 50 Futures Game participants stopped by the Baseball America Prospect Pad, which was held the day before the game. BA editors Ben Badler, J.J. Cooper, Kyle Glaser and John Manuel chatted with many of them. We present some of the most interesting responses here. View the Prospect Pad videos here: http://bba.am/aBM1DN

VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR., (via a translator): “He has a lot of memories of being around his father in the clubhouse, but the one that stands out the most was his dad’s final game in Montreal. When his dad went to the outfield to take the field, Andres Galarraga sent him behind his dad. There was a loud ovation and his father thought it was for him, but in fact it was for Junior because he was running behind him out to the field. And his dad raised his cap and junior raised his.”

LEWIS BRINSON, on the moment he was told he got promoted to the major leagues: “I was actually taking a nap . . . I got a phone call from Rick Sweet, our Triple-A manager, and he . . . didn’t beat around the bush. He told me, ‘Pack your bags. You’re going to the big leagues.’ And I thought it was a joke. It’s already hard to breathe in Colorado Springs, being (6,000) feet above sea level, but I couldn’t breathe for a second . . . I took like five seconds to myself to catch my breath, called my mom immediately, and we had a nice emotional time. That’s a dream come true. My mom—single mom growing up, my dad passed away when I was 11, so she’s had to raise me up through the rankings, and I had to grow up real fast—and it was really emotional talking to her. She was screaming. I was crying. She was crying. It was a very special moment for me and her. “