“This guy is a No. 1 prospect”: Toronto Blue Jays call up Gabriel Moreno

“This guy is a No. 1 prospect”: Toronto Blue Jays call up Gabriel Moreno

Gabriel Moreno

The kid from Barquisimeto, Gabriel Moreno, a 22-year-old top prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays has been given a call up to join them for their series against Detroit Tigers. Being one of the beaming young stars in the field of baseball, Moreno has seen a lot of ups and downs in his graph.

He’s gone from a $25,000 signing in August of 2016, barely enough to register as a blip on the radar, to the jewel of the system and now finally getting a call up for Majors.

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Gabriel Moreno has dealt with a lot of tough times in his youth, he did not come from a family that had money and even if his father arranged some, it went for the family’s food rather than Gabriel’s baseball dream. Jose Mejia, the president of 12 de Octubre, a local baseball school, was one of the first people to believe in the promise of Moreno’s bat, taking him under his wing and putting him back on the field when he was 11.

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Gabriel Moreno: A story to be felt

Gabriel Moreno
Gabriel Moreno

Jose Mejia has been like a father to Gabriel Moreno, Gabriel explained, “He picked me up, dropped me off, made everything easier for me, he helped me return to baseball. Thanks to him, I was able to go to the academy that signed me.”

His desire to play ball and help his family grow forward made him understand that achievement follows once you make sacrifices. He soon knew that the journey from being a player in an academy to being a top MLB prospect would test his personality and he proved it.

“Parts of this are his athleticism, his vision and his coordination, but the absolute most significant piece of this is his upbringing,” said Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins. “He’s also an exceptional listener, which I find to be a great attribute of talent.”

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Francisco Plasencia (Scout) and Sandy Rosario (Blue Jays’ director of Latin American operations) took a long look at Gabriel Moreno before finalizing a $25000 signing, which they felt would be worth every penny.

Carlos Mendoza, bench coach of the New York Yankees met Gabriel in the offseason and had quite a good impression of the Venezuelan kid. He said, “This is a guy that is a No. 1 prospect. Everybody talks about him coming from the Fall League, and he walks into a clubhouse full of veterans, guys from all over. And he was just very humble, he listened, very respectful. Credit to his parents for raising a great kid and the Blue Jays for continuing to do that. Very humble, very quiet, willing to learn, asking good questions.”

It is believed that soon enough, everyone will have their first big league story with Moreno. He’s the organization’s catcher of the future with the potential to not just be good, but to be a franchise cornerstone, growing old and chasing championships alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.

Gabriel Moreno had confidence in himself and always thought that he will think of his father, mother and three older siblings. He figured he will also think of Jose Mejia when the moment arrives for him to prove himself. With Toronto Blue Jays call up, his time and arrived and everyone wants him to be ready and build upon his story.

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