Adrian Beltre Among Newcomers to Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame Ballot

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Adrian Beltre is getting his first chance at entering the hall…

The 44-year-old Dominican former professional baseball player, regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time, is among the newcomers to the 26-player Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot, as revealed on Monday.

Beltre, a four time MLB All-Star. played 21 major league seasons and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award five times. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.

Other newcomers are Bartolo Colon, Matt Holliday, Jose Bautista, Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Reyes, Victor Martinez, James Shields, David Wright, Joe Mauer, Chase Utley and Brandon Phillips.

Players must receive 75% of the vote to gain induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, with the top holdovers from last year’s vote including Todd Helton (72%), Billy Wagner (68%), Andruw Jones (58%), Gary Sheffield (55%) and Carlos Beltran (46.5%).

It’s the 10th and final year on the ballot for Sheffield, while Wagner is on the ballot for the ninth time.

Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, both of whom received PED suspensions during their careers, also return to the ballot.

Beltran returns for the second time after his vote total might have been held down in his initial appearance due to his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal.

Here’s a look at the top Latino newcomers:

Beltre should be a lock as a first-year candidate after finishing with 3,166 hits, 477 home runs and 93.5 WAR while capturing five Gold Gloves. He ranks third in WAR among third basemen, behind only Mike Schmidtand Eddie Mathews. He had his career season with the Los Angeles Dodgersin 2004, when he led the National League with 48 home runs and finished second in the MVP voting, but his best run came in his 30s with the Texas Rangers from 2011 to 2018, when he had four 30-homer seasons and hit .304.
Colon became a fan favorite late in his career, and he finished with 247 wins and won a Cy Young Award with the Angels in 2005, but his career ERA of 4.12 is a little high for serious consideration.
Bautista had a nice run from 2010 to 2015 as the game’s top power hitter — he led the AL with 54 home runs in 2010 and 43 in 2011, and his 227 home runs over those six seasons were 28 more than Miguel Cabrerato lead all hitters — but he was late bloomer and didn’t do enough on the front end or back end of his career, and Hall of Fame voters tend to reward longevity over peak value.
Gonzalez (43.5 WAR) falls into the “Hall of Very Good” category, with just over 2,000 hits, 317 home runs and seven 100-RBI seasons, but the offensive bar is high for first basemen.

Other holdovers are Omar Vizquel, Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodriguez and Torii Hunter.

After years of electing multiple candidates, the BBWAA has elected just one each of the past two years — Scott Rolen in 2023; David Ortiz in 2022 — and didn’t elect anyone in 2021.

Earlier, the Hall of Fame announced its Contemporary Era Committee ballot, which this year considered managers, executive and umpires.

The eight candidates on that ballot are managers Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella, Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson; executives Hank Peters and Bill White (who was also a fine player); and umpires Joe West and Ed Montague.

Raúl Castillo Lands Recurring Role on Starz’s “Vida”

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

There’s new life in Raúl Castillo’s career…

The 40-year-old Mexican American actor has landed a recurring role on Starz’s Latinx half-hour series Vida.

From creator/showrunner Tanya Saracho, Vida centers around two Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different from each other. Saracho will make her directorial debut in season two, which will delve deeper into the lives of Lyn (Melissa Barrera) and Emma (Mishel Prada), who return home to face the past and secrets left behind by their late mother as they search for their future.

Castillo, rose to acclaim after starring on HBO’s Looking, will portray Baco, the bar’s new handyman with a questionable past.

Meanwhile, Adrian Gonzalez has also landed a recurring role on the show.

The Latino actor will appear as Rudy, an L.A. city councilman who Lyn meets at a gym class.

Production is set to begin in and around the Los Angeles area on the expanded 10-episode second season.

Castillo’s credits include Atypical, Amexicano andWe the Animals; Gonzalez’s credits include Superstore and Your Family or Mine.

In addition to Barrera and Prada, Vida also stars Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda and Roberta Colindrez.

Saracho executive produces alongside Big Beach Television’s Robin Schwartz, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub with Stephanie Langhoff.

Adrian Gonzalez Finalizes One-Year Deal with the New York Mets

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Adrian Gonzalez has Mets his match…

The 35-year-old Mexican American professional baseball player has finalized a one-year deal with the New York Mets for the $545,000 major league minimum.

And Gonzalez vows to have a quiet voice with his new team.

Bobby Valentine, Gonzalez’s manager during the Boston Red Sox‘s last-place 2012 season, was quoted by the New York Post this week as saying: “He can really talk — he is a smart guy and he is excessive in his willingness to share his thoughts.”

“I think Bobby was in the right there,” Gonzalez said. “I think going into that 2012 season I heard a lot of people tell me that I had to be more of a vocal leader and do things that were out of context for me. I feel like I went into that season trying to make myself do something that I’m not used to doing. And I do agree with Bobby: I think I had a lot of opinions that year. But I don’t think it is who I am.”

Gonzalez said he reverted to his previous demeanor after he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2012.

“I made a commitment to myself to not be somebody that someone else wants me to be and just be who I am,” he said. “I think that was the only season when I’ve been that person, and I promise that is not who I am and that’s not who I’ll be and definitely not who I’m going to be with the Mets because that’s not me.”

Now 35, Gonzalez will compete for playing time with rookie first baseman Dominic Smith, who hit .198 in 49 games after his August call-up. Outfielder Jay Bruce and Wilmer Flores also are possibilities for time at first, general manager Sandy Alderson said this week.

“There is somewhat of a defined role as far as starting a good amount of games but it’s not set in stone,” Gonzalez said. “I am a player that can put up great numbers, drive in runs and help the team win.”

Gonzalez hit .242 for the Dodgers last season, when he was limited to 71 games because of a herniated disk in his back. He was left off the postseason roster and watched postseason games from a luxury suite. Major League Baseball limits the dugout to active players during games, and Gonzalez said the Dodgers didn’t allow inactive players in the clubhouse.

“It was unique to be able to watch them from the TV,” he said, “almost be a super fan and be there with them and the ups and downs and give advice from what I see.”

A five-time All-Star, Gonzalez has a .288 average with 311 home runs in 14 major league seasons. The Atlanta Braves, who sent outfielder Matt Kemp to Los Angeles, are responsible for all of his salary except for the amount offset by what the Mets are paying. He was in entering the final season of a $154 million, seven-year contract he signed with Boston, and the Braves will receive $4.5 million from the Dodgers by May 1 as part of the trade.

Gonzalez has changed his offseason workouts because of the bad back.

“I’m doing more Pilates, more stretching, more conditioning, a lot of water activity, water aerobics,” he said. “It’s responding really well.”

He plans to mentor the 22-year-old Smith in spring training, especially on defense.

“Just kind of the mindset and tell him all my experiences and everything I’ve done,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that adventure, Dominic, as well, so I can help him become the best major leaguer he can be in the future.”

Gonzalez Sets MLB Record By Hitting Five home runs in the Dodgers’ First Three Games

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Adrian Gonzalez is batting his way into the history books…

The 32-year-old Mexican-American baseball player, known by his nicknames A-Gon and Gonzo, set a Major League Baseball (MLB) record by clubbing five home runs in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ first three games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Gonzalez, who had gone 3-for-5 with a home run in each of the Dodgers’ first two games against the San Diego Padres, homered in his first three at-bats against Andrew Cashner on Wednesday night in the series finale, a 7-4 win for Los Angeles.

“I was able to run into three fastballs and I thank God they were able to go over the fence. It’s definitely right up there as a personal feat,” Gonzalez said.

He homered in the first and led off the third with another homer, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 5-2. He led off the fifth with his third homer and took a curtain call from the dugout steps.

It’s the first three-homer game of the first baseman’s career. Gonzalez homered in four consecutive at-bats dating to Tuesday before his RBI single in the sixth.

Fittingly, Gonzalez received his Silver Slugger award from last season before the game. Then he went out and had a four-hit game to go with consecutive three-hit games Monday and Tuesday, becoming the first National League player with three hits in each of his first three games since Orlando Cepeda had three straight three-hit games in 1963.

Asked whether he felt locked in coming out of spring training, Gonzalez said, “I didn’t feel good at all, but I didn’t game plan, either, and I wasn’t mentally involved, either.”

Each of Gonzalez’s home runs Wednesday was a solo shot.

He led the major leagues with 116 RBIs in 2014.

Gonzalez is the first Dodger to hit three in a game since teammate Juan Uribe did so against Arizona on Sept. 9, 2013. He’s the third player in franchise history to homer in his first three games, joining Jimmy Wynn in 1974 and Carl Furillo in 1955.

Nolasco Registers Win in His First Start with the Los Angeles Dodgers

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Ricky Nolasco has made a major impression in his first game on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 30-year-old Latino-American baseball right-hander pitched seven strong innings in his debut with the Dodgers to lead his brand new team to a 6-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Nolasco, acquired by the Dodgers from the Miami Marlins this weekend in exchange for a trio of pitching prospects, allowed four hits, one earned run and struck out five Tuesday night at Chase Field in Phoenix.

He was credited with the win, improving his record this season to 6-8.

The Dodgers’ hitters, meanwhile, gave their new starter plenty of run support, with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez leading the way by driving in three runs to increase his RBI tally for the season to 57.

Nolasco also helped his own cause by singling in the game’s first run in the top of the second inning.

Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig had a hit and two walks, while shortstop Hanley Ramirez went 0-for-4 as his career-best 19-game hitting streak was snapped.

Diamondbacks third baseman Martin Prado singled in second baseman Aaron Hill in the bottom of the 7th inning for Arizona’s only run.

Relievers J.P. Howell and Ronald Belisario pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, for the Dodgers.

The win improved the Dodgers’ record for the season to 44-45, which leaves them just 2.5 games behind the NL West division-leading Diamondbacks with the second half of the season just starting.

Mexico’s Yahel Castillo Receives National Sports Honor…

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

He’s made a massive splash internationally this year, and now Mexican diver Yahel Castillo is reaping the rewards…

The 24-year-old Guadalajara native has been selected to receive Mexico’s National Sports Award—the highest honor the country bestows on its athletes— in the amateur sports category.

It’s major recognition for rising diving star’s stellar performance in the last year.

Castillo and his teammate Julián Sánchez won a bronze medal in the Men’s 3m Synchronized Springboard at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships held in Shanghai, China in mid-July. The strong showing qualified him to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

But Castillo wasn’t done with his medal-winning ways…

During last month’s 2011 Pan American Games, he sat atop the medal stand twice. Castillo won the gold in the Men’s 3M Springboard, as well as the gold in Men’s 3m Synchronized Springboard with Sánchez.

It’s a meteoric rise for Castillo, who placed seventh in the Men’s 3M Springboard in his debut competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Castillo will share the National Sports Award in the amateur category with Yadira Lira, the 38-year-old karate star who won a gold medal at the World Karate Championships last year.

Meanwhile, Boston Red Sox player Adrian Gonzalez, who won the Gold Glove and Silver Bat awards this season, was recognized in the professional sports category.

Other honorees include marathon runner Maria de los Angeles Ortiz Hernandez in the Paralympic sports category, Polish-Mexican race-walking trainer Jerzy Hausleber for his “sports legacy” and Olympic medalist Daniel Aceves for his work in the development and sponsorship of sports.

The honorees will receive a medal, a certificate signed by Mexican President Felipe Calderón and cash prize during a special ceremony later this month.

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