“He’s been unreal”- Gabriel Moreno readies for life at Rogers Center
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Gabriel Moreno
Gabriel Moreno was born on February 14th, 2000, and was raised in the Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto. His mother Marianela stayed at home to care for Gabriel Moreno and his older siblings, Alex, Maria, and Antonio, while his father, Jose, worked in construction. Early on, Moreno and Alex played baseball against one another. He quickly transformed into a right-handed hitter with enticing talent.
In 2016, Moreno was discovered in an academy by Francisco Plasencia, a scouting coordinator for the Blue Jays in South America. The way showcases often operate in Venezuela or the Dominican Republic is that agents present a select group of key players they believe would pique MLB clubs’ interest. Not one of those stars was Moreno. He is now 195 pounds and stands at five feet eleven, but he was much leaner back then. He was just not as physically fit as other players.
“Gabby wasn’t in that group, but would always push his way into that group,” says Andrew Tinnish, Blue Jays VP of international scouting and baseball operations. “[The showcase organizers would say] ‘Hey, we need an extra guy or two to hit,’ and [Moreno] would be there. He felt like he belonged in that group.”
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Toronto Blue Jays signed Gabriel Moreno in 2016 for $25,000
The Blue Jays paid Gabriel Moreno $25,000 to sign with them during the summer of 2016 and changed him from the infield to catcher since they thought he had excellent hands, arm strength, and build. Hurtado, who has spent the last 17 years working for the Blue Jays organization in a variety of capacities, was contacted by Moreno via Facebook as soon as he signed the contract. Hurtado was asked a plethora of questions regarding the Blue Jays by Moreno. Since then, the two have maintained constant communication.
It was inevitable that the Blue Jays’ general management would face an intriguing dilemma when Moreno made his way up to the major leagues. The team is designed to succeed today, therefore the organization has given significant thought to entrusting a rookie like Moreno with the weighty obligations of a catcher. “The demands on a catcher are unique,” says Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins.
“Sure, the demands of a right-fielder and left-fielder are exceptional as well. But we’re not asking our center-fielder and our second baseman to know the repertoires of 15 to 25 pitchers and how those different repertoires should be deployed against nine to 12 hitters on a nightly basis.” According to Atkins, the Blue Jays have been working to gradually introduce Moreno to the various facets of the position in an effort to get him ready for life at Rogers Centre behind the plate.
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Leslie Savio Baptist
(151 Articles Published)