El Infield #169 // La increíble historia del nuevo grandeliga Yilber Díaz
En la edición 169 de El Infield , Efraín Zavarce y Carlos Valmore Rodríguez conversan con Félix Pérez, quien dirige la academia que lo esculpió como pelotero después de vender helados en Perú
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00:00The Infilt is a presentation of Multiviral, vitamins and minerals.
00:12And also by Kamanbet, the usual parlay.
00:20Hello, how are you? Welcome to a new edition of the Infilt podcast.
00:26Today we will be joined by Efraín Sabarse and Carlos Balmore Rodríguez.
00:35Today's conversation will focus on a new jewel of Venezuelan baseball talent and its origins.
00:51We refer to Gilbert Díaz. Our interviewee is Félix Pérez.
00:58Not the Cuban player with experience in the LVP.
01:03Félix Pérez was also a baseball player, he was a receiver.
01:07He signed with the Chicago Pups, but then he took the path of the academies.
01:13He founded an academy in the east of the country, specifically in the state of Bansuátegui.
01:21And from that academy, from that project, came Gilbert Díaz.
01:29A Venezuelan pitcher who ascended to the majors this season with the Arizona Pups.
01:35And of course, he has a tremendous life story that has been reviewed in different media.
01:43But just to get to know that story in depth, we have Félix Pérez on this occasion.
01:51And we are going to ask him, before thanking him for this time,
02:00how did Gilbert Díaz get to his eyes and ears, taking into account everything that happened to him?
02:08Greetings, Félix, and thank you for attending us.
02:12No, first of all, thank you for the opportunity.
02:15The truth is that the story of Gilbert is a very encouraging story, a story of a lot of resilience.
02:22In these times where there are many young people who are getting lost in the streets without hope.
02:28Gilbert Díaz is a young man who comes to my life, or comes to my project, through a video on Instagram.
02:36Gilbert worked with Jonathan Carrillo there in Peru.
02:42They worked at a football stadium on Saturdays.
02:45It was the only day they could work.
02:47And Jonathan, obviously looking for an opportunity for Gilbert,
02:51started sending videos of him to different academies in Venezuela.
02:57And nothing, he says that about 150 academies, more or less.
03:01And they didn't say anything to him because Gilbert was 18 at the time, he was going to turn 19.
03:05And normally, as in the international market, at that age it is a bit difficult to sign young people.
03:11Nobody answered him.
03:13But when I see that they send me messages on Instagram, I speak the message as a thing of God,
03:20because I think that God was involved in the matter.
03:23And I see, not just Gilbert's video, I see the video of seven Venezuelan boys working in Peru.
03:29And inside those boys was Gilbert's video.
03:32I started to watch the videos, I started to see them.
03:36And of all the seven boys, Gilbert had something special.
03:40Sincerely, he was a boy who had certain tools, certain things that caught my attention.
03:47And through Instagram, I was able to see Gilbert.
03:53Actually, that page is a page that my dad handles.
03:56And my dad lets me know that, well, look, they sent me some videos, Feli, come and see the videos.
04:02And I went and saw the videos and Gilbert was there in those videos.
04:08Through Instagram, I was able to see Gilbert's video, the first video I saw of him.
04:14Specifically, Felix, what caught your attention the most about Gilbert?
04:19Gilbert, although he looked thin, he was a boy who looked thin.
04:24He had an athletic physical projection and he had a lot of explosiveness in his arms.
04:32He had control of what he did.
04:34It was seen that he was a boy who came from an academy, because Gilbert came from an academy in Caracas,
04:39which left him free at the age of 16 or 17.
04:41Because, obviously, he did not meet the characteristics that the international market required at that time.
04:46And, obviously, when I saw his explosiveness in his arms and his athleticism,
04:51I said, come here, but here, in this boy, there is something interesting.
04:55What is that boy doing out there in Peru without any contract, without any opportunity in the professional league?
05:01I knew from the first moment I saw Gilbert that there was something that could attract the attention of any international director.
05:07And that's what caught my attention from him.
05:11Felix, what was seen in the video?
05:13And how many minutes did that video last?
05:16No, that video was three pitches.
05:18Three pitches?
05:20Yes, it was one of the things that my friends tell me, wow, but come here, I'm going to tell you something.
05:25Beyond what you could see, God was there.
05:28Because I saw three pitches with a pet he had, he had rubber shoes.
05:33And I saw three pitches in a row.
05:35But what caught my attention was that he had a very similar mechanic to Duke Hernández.
05:41I don't know if you know who Duke Hernández is.
05:43He has a very similar mechanic, and that is very difficult for a thrower to control that.
05:47And what he did, I said, wow, but come here, this boy controls that.
05:51And he totally releases the ball, you know, with an explosiveness that I said,
05:56come here, but I'm seeing a professional pitcher here.
06:00I'm not seeing a guy in Peru who is in a football stadium throwing a bullpen.
06:06Those three pitches hooked me.
06:09And the moment I saw the three pitches, I told my dad, hey, I need three more pitches,
06:14or four more pitches from behind, to teach me his curve and give me his broken pitch.
06:18Because if I see in that boy that he can throw a curve and he can throw a change,
06:22I need to do whatever it takes to bring him here.
06:26And all they told me was, but you are 18 years old, I don't care, I want to bring him.
06:29It is something that I am seeing and it is a conviction that I have.
06:33And if the kid can do it, I want to bring the kid.
06:36After watching the video, after realizing that it was someone with potential
06:41to be signed by a major league organization, what steps did you take, Félix?
06:46Well, once I saw the second video, I told my dad what the form was.
06:51Because my dad is in the story, because the video went to his Instagram,
06:55his personal Instagram, because normally they send them to me and sometimes I don't open them.
07:00And my dad is in charge of helping me with that.
07:03And I told him, dad, look, I need you to contact the boy who has Gilbert in Peru
07:08and look for the form, the way to put him here in Venezuela.
07:12Well, as a matter of God, he contacts Jonathan and Jonathan tells him,
07:16Félix, I'm sending the videos because the kid is going through a lot of need here in Peru.
07:20And he is looking for a way to return to his country,
07:23but he wants to return with an opportunity, you know, that someone sees him
07:26and gives him an opportunity to evaluate him.
07:29And I told him, I am that person, I want to evaluate Gilbert,
07:32I want him to come to Venezuela, and obviously I want to see
07:35if what I'm really seeing in the videos is what I can see live.
07:39And my dad contacted Jonathan, my dad told me,
07:42we have to do certain things for Gilbert to come economically,
07:45there are things that have to be handled.
07:47And I told him, well, let's do it.
07:49Whatever we have to do, let's do it.
07:50Because I had a conviction in my heart that obviously God was in the matter.
07:54And I told him, well, what do we have to do?
07:56Well, my dad told me, we have to do this,
07:58we have to move Gilbert from Peru to Venezuela,
08:02seven days of travel, we have to pay him a ticket,
08:04and I told him, let's do it.
08:06Whatever we have to do, let's do it.
08:08Contact Jonathan, do the management you have to do,
08:10and we're going to bring him to Venezuela.
08:12And so we did.
08:14So basically, you were in charge of paying those tickets
08:20for him to arrive in Venezuela.
08:22Did he arrive directly to Puerto la Cruz, to Lechería,
08:27or did he arrive to Caracas initially?
08:30No, Gilbert was really a group of people
08:33that we agreed with, both Jonathan Carrillo and my dad,
08:36my person, to do what we had to do for him to come.
08:42And once he arrived, he went to his home,
08:45to Guatire, he's from Guatire.
08:47He arrived in Guatire, and obviously,
08:49they gave us his dad's contact so we could contact him
08:52and get him to come to Puerto la Cruz.
08:56Once he arrived here in Venezuela,
08:58he obviously spent seven days traveling,
09:00I contacted his dad, and I said,
09:02Feli, Gilbert arrived exhausted,
09:04he spent like two or three days without being able to eat.
09:06The kid, I really don't want him to go to Puerto la Cruz
09:09in these conditions, give me a few more days.
09:11And I said, take the days you need
09:13so he can be here in Puerto la Cruz,
09:15let me know what he needs to get him down.
09:17And that's what we did, we planned,
09:19he arrived after seven days in Guatire,
09:21and about 14 or 15 days later,
09:23a week later, he got down to Puerto la Cruz,
09:25to the stadium where I have my show.
09:29Felix, do you think that what happened with Gilbert,
09:34what happened several years ago with another Venezuelan pitcher,
09:38in this case established in a rotation of major leagues,
09:41at this time absent due to an injury,
09:43I am referring to Luis Garcia,
09:47can help change a little
09:51the way in which the organizations of the major leagues
09:56in Latin America usually work,
09:58especially when it comes to looking for pitchers?
10:03Yes, indeed.
10:05The organizations,
10:10the young arm takes a little longer
10:12to get to the major leagues
10:14than the arm that is already more developed.
10:16Normally an arm of 18 years
10:20is an arm that is more mature,
10:22that resists more pitching,
10:24that has a little more physical development,
10:27and that gives it more durability
10:29in terms of professional development.
10:33And without a doubt,
10:34what is happening with Gilbert,
10:36what happened with Garcia,
10:37what has happened with many pitchers
10:39who have signed at 19 years old
10:40and are playing in the best league in the world,
10:42has opened the eyes of the organizations
10:45with respect to what is the signing of pitchers
10:47at an early age.
10:49And it has been seen in the international market,
10:52as they have begun to give more opportunities to pitchers
10:54of 18, 19, 20 years old.
10:57Not long ago I was at an event
10:59in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic,
11:02where there were pitchers up to 21 years old.
11:04So that means that the organizations
11:06are already giving more opportunities
11:08to those young people from 18 to 21 years old
11:11to be able to display their arm
11:13and display their tools.
11:14That is really very important
11:16because a lot of talent has been lost
11:17in Latin America, young people,
11:19because I speak to young people
11:20between 18 and 19 years old,
11:21because apparently they do not have the opportunity
11:24and we do not really know
11:26where the next big league is.
11:28We are talking to Félix Pérez,
11:31agent and responsible for the birth
11:35of a new Venezuelan figure
11:38in the big leagues, Gilbert Díaz.
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12:13This is the Infilt podcast,
12:15today with Félix Pérez,
12:17who is one of those responsible
12:19for the rise to the big leagues
12:21of Gilbert Díaz,
12:23who undoubtedly represents a great story.
12:26What kind of person,
12:28what kind of boy is Gilbert Díaz?
12:30What kind of human being did you meet, Félix?
12:33Look, you know what?
12:35It's an anecdote that I have,
12:37because when he arrived in Puerto La Cruz,
12:39at that time, I obviously had a society
12:43where for me it was a business,
12:46what was the representation of the football player,
12:49and obviously I belong to Gilbert
12:51and it was a personal feeling,
12:53something very personal,
12:55and when he arrived here,
12:57my partners told me,
12:59hey, you're not going to put a 18 or 19-year-old
13:01in the residence,
13:03at the end of the day,
13:05you're not going to give any financial input,
13:07and don't worry,
13:09I'll take care of finding a way to do it.
13:11Gilbert, when he arrived here at the stadium,
13:13I met a boy with a lot of desire
13:15to get ahead,
13:17who had gone through a lot of work,
13:19who had gone through a lot of need,
13:21and one of the words that hooked me
13:23about Gilbert was when
13:25he told me, Mr. Félix,
13:27if you make me want to cry,
13:29because it really was something
13:31that I remember and it moves me,
13:33because he told me, Mr. Félix,
13:35if you give me the opportunity,
13:37I'm not going to disappoint you.
13:39He had desire, he knew it was an opportunity
13:41that God was giving him,
13:43and that he needed to take advantage of it,
13:45and when Gilbert arrived here,
13:47he told me, Mr. Félix,
13:49I need you to help me
13:51get Gilbert into the house.
13:53I said, ok,
13:55but he's a boy from Peru,
13:57I don't know what he's up to,
13:59the tricks, the questions,
14:01there were a lot of doubts in him,
14:03and I said, no, I need you to help me.
14:05He said, ok, let's do it.
14:07I'll give him a week to see how he behaves,
14:09and depending on what I see in him,
14:11I'll tell you if I can or I can't,
14:13because you have to understand me.
14:15And it's an anecdote, because a couple of days later,
14:17Félix told me, look, don't worry about Gilbert,
14:19Gilbert is a very responsible kid,
14:21a kid that,
14:23I hear him,
14:25he stands up and cries,
14:27he asks his mom,
14:29what can I help you with,
14:31what can we do?
14:33He was a kid that was already prepared,
14:35he had already gone through a need,
14:37and he knew that God had placed him there
14:39with a purpose, and he, you know,
14:41since he arrived, my impression of Gilbert was,
14:43I think we're going to build a story from here.
14:45I always had that in my heart,
14:47I always had that conviction
14:49that he could do it,
14:51and my first impression of Gilbert was,
14:53he's a kid that has
14:55hunger and desire to succeed.
14:57What was the focus
14:59of the academy's work
15:01with him?
15:03What did you do with him to polish him,
15:05to make him signable?
15:07Félix.
15:09Yes, that's something people ask me a lot,
15:11I had to do a very fast job,
15:13because the league was coming,
15:15the league was about to start,
15:17Gilbert was going to turn 19,
15:19because he was in the 2017 class,
15:21and obviously they had already passed two leagues,
15:23and it had to be very aggressive, very fast,
15:25and when Gilbert arrived,
15:27I evaluated him, I saw the same thing I saw in the videos,
15:29he has flexibility,
15:31he has athleticism, he has explosiveness in his arms,
15:33here what is missing is strength,
15:35I said, here what is missing is strength,
15:37he's thin, nothing,
15:39we had a two-month weight plan,
15:41without letting go of the ball,
15:43we were just going to work on the pitch,
15:45we were going to work on the weights,
15:47and that he ate a lot,
15:49and a lot of protein,
15:51so that he would gain a kilo as fast as possible.
15:53We focused on that for two months,
15:55once I evaluated Gilbert,
15:57he was pulling between 87 and 88 miles,
15:59and in those two months,
16:01without letting go of the ball,
16:03he gained approximately,
16:05let's say 20 pounds,
16:07it was a pretty heavy load,
16:09because I needed
16:11him to weigh at least
16:13180 pounds,
16:15in that I focused more than anything
16:17on his physical strength,
16:19once the physical strength came out,
16:21we started to let go little by little,
16:23in the first bullpen he had already caught 5 miles,
16:25he was pulling 92, 93,
16:27the physical strength was the key,
16:29because he already had explosiveness,
16:31he already had athleticism,
16:33he already had a package
16:35that only lacked what was
16:37the physical strength,
16:39so we focused on the physical strength,
16:41once the weight plan came out,
16:43he was pulling between 91 and 93 miles,
16:45and I told him, well Gilbert,
16:47I think it's time to start working
16:49on what is the command of your pitches,
16:51we are going to focus on pulling more stride,
16:53because obviously from 97 to 92,
16:55it was 5 miles,
16:57and he did not control
16:59the pitches,
17:01and he got a little wet,
17:03and once we got the control,
17:05I started to call the guys crazy,
17:07like crazy,
17:09and I told them, look, I have a guy like this,
17:11like this, like that,
17:13and that was a very long process,
17:15because the guys told me, he is 19 years old,
17:17that boy is going to turn 20,
17:19you went crazy,
17:21I told him, well, I'm not that crazy,
17:23I think I have an arm that can be big league,
17:25they have to come see the boy,
17:27no, he is 19 years old,
17:29look, I tell you that most of the organizations
17:31closed the door, literally,
17:33because they wanted younger arms,
17:35and at that moment,
17:37after I finished the plan with Gilbert,
17:39that I started calling the scouts,
17:43a scout called me
17:45that was just starting,
17:47by the way,
17:49he was just starting,
17:51from the Taimumbags of Arizona,
17:53his name is Ronald Salazar,
17:55and he tells me, Feli, you know,
17:57I'm still on vacation,
17:59I need to work,
18:01I'm bored here at home,
18:03and he tells me,
18:05well, come here, I have an arm that can be big league,
18:07I was also betting on the man,
18:09and I went to the market,
18:11and he tells me,
18:13what? 19 years old, 20,
18:15that he is going to be big league,
18:17and he went to the stadium,
18:19and he saw Gilbert, and he was as shocked as I was,
18:21when I saw him for the first time,
18:23because I was shocked from the first moment,
18:25and he tells me, Feli, wow,
18:27you have a spectacular arm,
18:29and I tell him, yes, he has a spectacular arm,
18:31wow, and physically he looks good,
18:33and I tell him, right now,
18:35when he arrived he was thin,
18:37and that's how I managed
18:39to see him for the first time,
18:41because after that,
18:43another process came,
18:45which I'm going to tell you
18:47quickly,
18:49Ronald I managed,
18:51and the process that was coming now,
18:53was how to tell Cartagena,
18:55a 18 to 19-year-old boy,
18:57in a tryout,
18:59where I was looking for a 15 or 16-year-old player,
19:01and we started a plan,
19:03and Ronald tells me, Feli,
19:05see what we are going to do with Gil,
19:07Cartagena comes on January 18th,
19:09he saw him on January 4th,
19:11he comes on January 18th,
19:13we have to find a way to get him in,
19:15because I like him, but I can't tell him
19:17that I'm going to put a 19-year-old pitcher in,
19:19because he's going to tell me, I don't want him,
19:21I don't want a 19-year-old arm,
19:23I don't want a 19-year-old arm,
19:25so I tell him, let's do something,
19:27tell him that you are going to take a pitcher,
19:29because he wants to get more turns
19:31to the batters, so he can help you,
19:33and you put Gilber there,
19:35as if he is going to help
19:37the batters, let's do it like this,
19:39good idea, Feli tells me, good idea,
19:41and that's how he did it,
19:43he called Cartagena, he said,
19:45Cartagena, you know that when you come
19:47to Porto la Cruz, I'm going to put a pitcher
19:49who is going to pitch last,
19:51and Cartagena says, I don't think it's a good idea,
19:53and that's how we put Gilber
19:55in the lineup.
19:57Felix refers to Francisco Cartagena,
19:59who is a Venezuelan scout,
20:01who has been working for the Divacs
20:03of Arizona for several years,
20:05Francisco has also been
20:07residing in the United States
20:09for several years, and
20:11from there he plays a very important role
20:13in the scouting department
20:15of that organization
20:17of the major leagues.
20:19We will be back in a moment
20:21with you.
20:49Music
21:05Felix, you put Gilbert Diaz
21:07as a counterpart
21:09in that tryout,
21:11so that Francisco Cartagena would see him,
21:13and when Francisco Cartagena
21:15saw him, what was his reaction?
21:17Look, you know that
21:19he was the last one to pitch,
21:21and he was finishing,
21:23and Gilbert comes on,
21:25and Gilbert starts to pitch,
21:27and Gilbert really had God's grace on him,
21:29because he saw that it was his day.
21:31God had predestined that day for him.
21:33Honestly,
21:35when he came on, he started to pitch,
21:37and he looked super good,
21:39his mechanics were very clean,
21:41his arm was working very well,
21:43his slider, his curve,
21:45Gilbert faced approximately
21:4710 batters, of which he pitched 8.
21:49It really was
21:51an exhibition of quality,
21:53and when Cartagena saw the kid,
21:55I saw that he stopped,
21:57and I said, wow, Cartagena
21:59is liking Gilbert,
22:01because I started to see him
22:03move here, move there,
22:05I said, there's something here.
22:07You know the market, and I knew
22:09that he liked it, and when he finished
22:11pitching, Cartagena
22:13said, Gilbert, you can throw
22:15two double-step pitches,
22:17that's to measure the power of his arm,
22:19to really see how many
22:21pitches there could be in the future.
22:23And Gilbert said, of course,
22:25of course, of course. When Gilbert pitched
22:27the first pitch, 102 pitches, and the second pitch,
22:29101 pitches, Cartagena said,
22:31hey, it's ok, I don't need to see anything else,
22:33come here, kid.
22:35And he called me, and he called us both,
22:37and he said, Feli, where did you get
22:39this kid from? And I told him the story.
22:41I told him the story,
22:43because it's a story that
22:45had to be told, so that he knew
22:47everything he had gone through,
22:49and that he deserved the opportunity.
22:51And I told him the story, and Cartagena
22:53said, wow, you tell me this,
22:55and two things can happen,
22:57either I fail with a $10,000
22:59ball player, or we build a story
23:01about this kid. I'm going to give him
23:03the opportunity, and I'm going to sign that kid.
23:05And obviously, after Gilbert
23:07left his job,
23:09I knew that
23:11there was going to be something, because first of all,
23:13he had done very well. God's grace was on him,
23:15and the story was
23:17a story worthy of giving him the opportunity
23:19so that he could take that
23:21step of building
23:23his story, which currently
23:25has been a total and
23:27broken success.
23:29Was that a simple or complex
23:31negotiation? No,
23:33because it was very complex, because
23:35once he told me that we were going to
23:37reach an agreement
23:39for $10,000 at that time,
23:41we reached the
23:43agreement.
23:45Subsequently, Gilbert,
23:47that was in the month of
23:49January,
23:51January 18,
23:53January 18, 2020.
23:55On January 18,
23:572020, I tell you that
23:59after two months, he
24:01had to go to the Dominican Republic,
24:03and after two months a pandemic happened,
24:05and the pandemic fell,
24:07and Gilbert had not yet signed the contract.
24:09And that was something
24:11that really paralyzed the
24:13whole world, paralyzed the industry.
24:15And in June,
24:17Cartagena calls me and tells me,
24:19well, Ronald, who was really
24:21in charge here in the East, and he says to me,
24:23Feli, I don't think we're going to be able to sign
24:25Gilbert, because they separated
24:27the operations and
24:29did not approve the signatures of any of the
24:31players who were left in the air.
24:33You can't tell me that, Ronald,
24:35because Gilbert is throwing 96 miles.
24:37I said to him,
24:39at that time he was not throwing 96 miles,
24:41but I told him,
24:43so that they don't throw the contract back,
24:45and Cartagena calls me and tells me,
24:47Feli, Ronald is telling me that Gilbert
24:49is throwing 96 miles, and Ronald liked it,
24:51and Ronald passed the information and said,
24:53yes, I've seen it, he's throwing 96.
24:55We were looking for a way not to throw the contract back.
24:57And Cartagena calls me, I remember,
24:59one night,
25:01and he tells me,
25:03I need you to record a video
25:05for Gilbert, because we're all fighting here
25:07in the scouting department,
25:09so that they don't
25:11throw Gilbert's signature back.
25:13I need you to record a video like this,
25:15with the gun,
25:17to be able to confirm
25:19that he's throwing 96 miles.
25:21Ready, sure, tomorrow we'll see how we do it.
25:23At that time, if you went out on the street,
25:25they would put you in jail, because everyone was in quarantine,
25:27you couldn't be in a sports establishment
25:29or anything like that.
25:31And we
25:33told Cartagena, ready,
25:35let's do it, find a way to do it.
25:37We went as fast as we could
25:39to a stadium that is hidden,
25:41that is called El Poligono de Tiro,
25:43and we got in there, trying not to be seen by the police,
25:45we got there, we managed to get there,
25:47and we started recording
25:49Gilbert's video. An anecdote is that
25:51the first shot that Gilbert makes,
25:53he passes it over the catcher,
25:55and they give him the phone number of the scout,
25:57and he breaks it. He broke the camera.
25:59And I said, this can't be happening.
26:01And how is this going?
26:03It's a matter of madness, I said, but what is this?
26:05Was that in the Dominican Republic?
26:07No, that was here in Venezuela.
26:09And how did they bring him here?
26:11In a pandemic?
26:13No, no, but he wasn't in the Dominican Republic.
26:15Ah, he never went to...
26:17No, he never went to the Dominican Republic.
26:19It's one of the things that...
26:21Because he hadn't signed.
26:23Yes, because he hadn't signed, he had a contract.
26:25The pandemic broke out in May, and the pandemic broke out in March.
26:27Do you understand?
26:29So, he hadn't signed a contract,
26:31and what we were looking for was how
26:33this contract, they didn't throw it away
26:35because they had already stopped operations
26:37and they wanted to throw away the contracts that were left in the air
26:39because, rather, there were 2019 boys
26:41who hadn't played in the 2020 class.
26:43So that was a mess.
26:45He puts the pistol in Ronald's hand,
26:47puts the phone in his hand, and breaks the screen
26:49of Ronald's phone.
26:51And what's going on?
26:53I was talking to my house again,
26:55looking for another phone,
26:57I looked for the phone, I came.
26:59As we had to do, we had to record that video.
27:01And, well, when things are
27:03from God, and when a kid has
27:05something predestined, that day
27:07Gilbert threw 94, 96 miles,
27:09but at everything he threw. I said,
27:11Gilbert, you have to take your arm out.
27:13Do you know what it is to take your arm out? That.
27:15You have to take your arm out, you have to throw as hard as you can.
27:1796 miles,
27:19we passed the video, and like
27:21Cartagena,
27:23we managed not to get
27:25Gilbert's contact back.
27:27We have to wait for the pandemic
27:29to pass, so that later
27:31we can get the signature.
27:33The year 2020 had all
27:35the operations stopped.
27:37Starting the year 2021,
27:39is that we can sign Gilbert
27:41in 2021, which is when he leaves
27:43for the Dominican Republic,
27:45and he stays in the Dominican Republic,
27:47after being signed, locked up in the academy
27:49alone, because again,
27:51the operations stopped in 2021, because
27:53the pandemic hit hard again,
27:55people were dying, and then
27:57the operations stopped again, and Gilbert
27:59is locked up in the Dominican Republic
28:01for five months, alone,
28:03because he couldn't return to Venezuela.
28:05So, what happened to Gilbert was that
28:07God was preparing him, a test of fire in all
28:09senses, to get to where he is right now.
28:11But the truth is that Gilbert's signature was something
28:13that was fought for,
28:15it was something that I said,
28:17here, there has to be something,
28:19because if there are so many obstacles, so many things,
28:21it's because God has something
28:23for this boy, and that's how it was.
28:25But he stays locked up in the Dominican Republic in 2021,
28:27not in 2020. In 2020, he spends it in Venezuela,
28:29still fighting,
28:31because the contract was approved,
28:33because once we reached an agreement, the contract couldn't be given.
28:35And in 2020, fighting, fighting,
28:37preparing here in the pandemic,
28:39so that in 2021...
28:43I understand, Félix, then, that
28:45during those first months of...
28:51Yes, we couldn't hear
28:53the last part
28:55of your answer,
28:57but then I understand, Félix,
28:59that during those first months
29:01of 2020,
29:03Gilbert was
29:05in Lechería, in your academy,
29:07he stayed during all that time in your house too?
29:09Yes, he stayed
29:11during all that time in my house.
29:13I closed it in January,
29:15and from that January to the other January,
29:17he stayed in Puerto de la Cruz, here.
29:19He stayed here working, because we had to fight
29:21because they didn't give us that contract back.
29:23We were in that plan.
29:25So, I think it can be considered
29:27probably in your house,
29:29they see him as a member
29:31of the family?
29:33No, no, no, totally.
29:35My wife
29:37was part of the process, my dad,
29:39my mom, my uncles, everyone,
29:41he's part of the family, totally.
29:43And when he comes from the United States,
29:45he comes to Guatire for a few days,
29:47and he comes to Puerto de la Cruz to continue working here.
29:49He works here in Puerto de la Cruz, and he has
29:51a residence here in Puerto de la Cruz.
29:53He really lives here in Puerto de la Cruz.
29:55In Guatire, he comes to his house to say hello to his family,
29:57to his dad, he's been there for a few days,
29:59two or three weeks, and then he comes to work hard
30:01here in Puerto de la Cruz. He's always done the same.
30:03Félix, the case of Gilbert,
30:05and with this we close, is exceptional
30:07from every point of view.
30:09And normally,
30:11the Latin American baseball team,
30:13above the major leagues,
30:15is a great exception.
30:17And that's why I want to ask you,
30:19as a director of an academy in Venezuela,
30:21and considering that
30:23during all these years,
30:25you've had an important number of
30:27young people with you,
30:29what happens
30:31with those guys
30:33who spend the years
30:35that are supposed to be school years
30:37and that
30:39don't get to sign,
30:41or maybe they do,
30:43but being very young,
30:45as happens with the majority,
30:47they stay on the road.
30:49How could this have been the case
30:51of Gilbert Díaz?
30:53Look, that's a very important question,
30:55because one of the things
30:57that we must encourage in the academies
30:59is that the kid doesn't stop studying.
31:01Because, you know, sport
31:03is not just baseball. All sports
31:05at the world level,
31:07we don't know when they finish,
31:09and it can be a very long career,
31:11or a very short career.
31:13So, what happens?
31:15In my case, I really
31:17allow them to continue studying
31:19in a more flexible way.
31:21They go to the institution,
31:23because if the kid
31:25doesn't prepare, doesn't study,
31:27doesn't get cultured,
31:29doesn't become a person
31:31that's studied at the time,
31:33when the sport is over,
31:35they're practically out of the game,
31:37you know? Because if you prepare
31:39just to play baseball, and baseball
31:41tells you, that's enough, you can't
31:43keep playing, and the doors
31:45in the different leagues
31:47of other countries close,
31:49what are you going to do
31:51if you don't have a preparation?
31:53That's why it's extremely important
31:55that young people continue studying,
31:57continue preparing.
31:59We, as academies, try to get them
32:01a scholarship, so that when
32:03they, for whatever reason,
32:05couldn't continue in baseball,
32:07we try to get them
32:09a scholarship that's a little bit higher,
32:11so that if they leave it free,
32:13they can continue their career,
32:15they can continue studying,
32:17they can continue preparing,
32:19and move forward in life.
32:21One of the things
32:23that I personally try
32:25to do, when I do
32:27a negotiation for one of my kids,
32:29is to try to get them a sports scholarship,
32:31you know? A scholarship to study,
32:33a scholarship that they can, once they finish,
32:35in case something happens to them,
32:37finish some university degree,
32:39and move forward as good men in life.
32:41But normally,
32:43the majority, and it's happening,
32:45you know, they dedicate themselves
32:47only to baseball, baseball, baseball,
32:49I'm going to be in the big leagues, I'm going to be in the big leagues,
32:51and really, the statistics
32:53say that out of 101,
32:55and out of 1,000,
32:57let's say there are 10,
32:59it's a bit low, you know?
33:01So I can't tell them,
33:03look, you're going to enter the academy,
33:05you're going to be a professional baseball player,
33:07and you're going to get to the big leagues.
33:09I simply give you my support,
33:11and everything I can to make you a professional baseball player.
33:13But from then on, they build their own
33:15story, they build their own career.
33:17But it's extremely important
33:19that young people can prepare,
33:21that they can...
33:27...
33:29...
33:31...
33:33...
33:35...
33:37...
33:39...
33:41Okay, well,
33:43we're running out of time,
33:45Félix,
33:47do you think he can start with the Caribbean
33:49in the next season,
33:51the 24-25 season?
33:53Does he belong to the Caribbean in Venezuela?
33:55He currently plays in the United States,
33:57he represents a company
33:59called Octagon,
34:01of which Wilfredo Pulidor belongs,
34:03who is the representative here in Venezuela
34:05of that agency.
34:07I was talking to Wilfredo,
34:09we were talking to see if there was
34:11a possibility, and I really think
34:13it's going to be a bit difficult, because
34:15he's been pitching a lot since
34:17Gilbert became a professional.
34:19His arm has had a lot of work, you know?
34:21A thrower that
34:23has been given a lot of work,
34:25and I'm almost 100% sure
34:27that it's going to be a bit difficult for him
34:29to pitch here, because I think
34:31they're going to try to give him a physical plan
34:33to keep recovering his arm,
34:35and that he stays healthy for the next
34:37season, because I think
34:39with everything he's done, he's one of the promises
34:41of the current link
34:43of the major leagues
34:45as far as Venezuelans are concerned.
34:47Thank you very much,
34:49Félix, for these
34:51minutes, and it has been
34:53very
34:55gratifying to be able to have
34:57this conversation to know more
34:59about the history of Gilbert Díaz.
35:01We are very grateful.
35:03No, I'm grateful to you for the opportunity,
35:05and it's good because Gilbert came out of
35:07nowhere. Gilbert, we didn't know him,
35:09you know, he really was a player
35:11like, wow, a ghost,
35:13he came suddenly, we don't have much information,
35:15and it's good that you know his story
35:17and that his dreams come true,
35:19because everything he went through
35:21is a living story
35:23that dreams can come true.
35:25It has been our
35:27conversation today at El Infil with
35:29Félix Pérez, agent,
35:31and who had a lot to do with
35:33the development of the career of
35:35the new great Venezuelan league, Gilbert Díaz.
35:37With this, we come to the end
35:39of this edition of El Infil podcast.
35:49Minerals.
35:51And also by
35:53Camambet, the
35:55usual parlay.