Tayron Guerrero fought an uphill battle to even sign a pro contract, but the 6-foot-8 reliever has developed into a two-time Futures Gamer. Now he aims to get back to the big leagues with the Marlins.
Colombia native and Double-A Jacksonville righthander Tayron Guerrero remembers feeling terrified.
For a six-week period when he was 17, Guerrero would get up at 5:30 a.m. to take a boat out of his remote village, the town of Bocachica on an island called Isla de Tierra Bomba.
The 20-minute ferry took him to Cartagena, one of the larger cities in Colombia, where he practiced basketball until noon and then baseball until late at night.
Since the ferry stopped service at 6 p.m., Guerrero was forced to take a smaller boat and then walk through the woods for two hours before making it back to Bocachica.
“I wouldn’t get home until midnight, and I could hear the owls and I could see some snakes,” Guerrero said in Spanish. “All I had was a stick in my hand to cut through the grass, which reached up to my ribs.
Esta historia es de la edición August 04 2017 de Baseball America.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 04 2017 de Baseball America.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
NOBODY'S PERFECT
No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday has one flaw in an otherwise airtight profile
ORGANIZATION REPORTS
At nearly every level of his professional career, outfielder Colton Cowser has taken time to acclimate. His major league debut last season was no different.
ORGANIZATION TALENT RANKINGS
For the second consecutive year, the Orioles enter the season with the best farm system in baseball.
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WITH NEW ROSTER LIMITS
No one can fully predict what will happen with the reduced 165-player minor league roster limits, but baseball officials weighed in with predictions for 2024, some of which we heard repeatedly.
NO MORE SLACK IN THE SYSTEM
The in domestic minor leagues creates consternation for farm directors
INTERNATIONAL TREASURES
Why MLB teams value foreign professionals more than ever
HIGH-FLYING BIRDS
Learning from past success and failure in Houston, Mike Elias and his united front office remade the Orioles into winners— and they got there ahead of schedule
ARIZONA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Early promotions of star prospects led to a bit of a down season for the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
FLORIDA COMPLEX LEAGUE TOP 10
Even before the Rookie-level Florida Complex League season began, scouts who saw extended spring training gushed over the Yankees' talent, starting with shortstop Roderick Arias and 6-foot7 pitchers Henry Lalane and Carlos Lagrange. Outfielder John Cruz mashed 10 home runs as a 17-year-old.
SALAS COULD BE SPECIAL
When Ethan Salas arrived in the California League on May 30, he immediately displayed talent well beyond his years.