José Caballero, the Yankees shortstop/utility man acquired from the Rays at the trade deadline last season, takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: What did your 100th career stolen base last year mean to you?
A: It means a lot because growing up and trying to become professional, I had a big injury on my leg, and they were doubting me if I could run again. So that’s why running means a lot to me because I wanted to show the doubters that I could do it.
Q: What was the injury?
A: I broke my tibia and fibula when I was 16. I tried to catch a fly ball and one of my teammates at the time slid into me.
Q: Was that scary for you in terms of your future?
A: It was, for sure. In Latin America, that’s when you sign professional, at least that’s when they’re looking for you. It was a really tough time for a kid like I was. I just turned 16 like a week before it happened. In the process of coming back on the rehab and things, scouts and people that know about baseball were doubting about my running skill just because they didn’t know how I would come back. It was a big surgery as well — actually it was three surgeries on it, so people were concerned about it. … So it means a lot to become a big leaguer that is known by his speed.
Q: How long were you sidelined for?
A: A year.
Q: That must have been torture for you.
A It was. I would go to the field and see all the scouts and all the people trying to recruit my teammates, and I was just on the sideline. It was pretty tough.
Q: What drives you?
A: Doubts.
Q: Why are there still doubters?
A: Because haters will alway hate. Doubters will alway doubt, let’s say it that way.
Q: If I were on another team, would I not like you?
A: I can see why you wouldn’t like me, but if you’re just playing the game and understand that I’m just trying to win a game … everyone has their way. Just because he’s different doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.
Q: What do you think opposing teams think of you?
A: That I’m annoying. And that’s OK (laugh). I’m not trying to annoy anyone, but if that gives me an advantage like I always say, I will continue to do that.
Q: What do you think you do that makes them annoyed?
A: I always play the game different. … I look for the smallest details, I guess, to irritate others. But if you don’t pay attention to it you wouldn’t get irritated. But if you are irritated I’m winning and trying to take advantage of the minimum of the game, because it’s a hard game, it’s a mental game, so I try to play the mental game a lot.
Q: Aaron Boone said about you: “He thinks he’s the best player on the field.”
A: That’s who I am, man. I think if you don’t believe in yourself no one will believe in you. It starts from your head. If you believe so, you become so, you know?
Q: Describe your on-field mentality.
A: A winning mentally. … Every time I’m on the field I want to win everything. Having an at-bat, that’s a war for me, like I’m trying to win that battle. It doesn’t matter how, I’m trying to find a way to win that battle.
Q: Do you like to get into the pitcher’s head?
A: I mean, if that’s gonna distract and that’s gonna give me a little advantage, I’ll take that for sure (smile).
Q: Do you have a favorite position?
A: Not really … to be in the lineup, that’s my favorite position.
Q: What do you think your best position is?
A: To be honest with you, I think I’m a better second baseman than every other position. But I have more fun playing short than second. … I don’t know [why]. I think you are more involved in the game.
Q: When you were at Tampa Bay, was Gerrit Cole wagging his finger at you one night?
A: I don’t think it was at me, I think it was more for my manager at the time, because he threw a ball way over my head that it hit the backstop. Kevin Cash was the manager at that time, and he went out to the field and he kind of like waved his finger at Gerrit saying like, “Don’t do that,” or so. So right after he struck me out, he waved his fingers at the dugout. I’m guessing it was to my manager.
Q: You never asked Gerrit about it?
A: No, not really. I didn’t feel the need (laugh).
Q: From your Instagram: “Dreams without goals are just dreams.”
A: That’s right. For me it was a dream to become a Yankee, to be here in the big leagues, and if I don’t try to be here, I don’t try to be a big-leaguer, if I don’t want to go through all those ups and downs, it comes with the dream. I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be making my dream. So it would have been just a kid’s dream. And now it’s reality.
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Q: “If you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain: Move from here to there and it will pass and nothing will be impossible to you.”
A: That’s the definition of faith. Without the faith in God I wouldn’t be here. Faith in God and faith in what I’m doing and what I’m gonna become is what got me here, and it is what I have become.
Q: “If you stumble stand up, don’t stop your fight, that’s the only way you will have what you want so much.”
A: I’m pretty sure that was when I was going through all these bad things. It’s just about life, man. Everyone’s gonna hit some bumps, and the only way to get through it is just stand up and keep going the direction you wanted to go and don’t stop. It doesn’t matter how big the obstacles are, you have to have conviction what you want.
Q: “The only thing impossible in this life is what you don’t try.”
A: That’s right. I think it says it all. I’ve seen so many good players that sometimes they don’t have that much conviction, and I know how talented they were and they just didn’t push hard enough to become what they really wanted. It’s just how good you are to be back and show that you are better than the struggles.
Q: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
A: Says it all. You have to fail. Everyone has to fail. If you go back to whoever made light one day, how many times he missed. You’re gonna miss. You’re gonna fail. It’s part of the process. It’s about how you overcome those fails, and how you take those fails. People say sometimes it’s not failure, it’s knowing a way not to do it. Every time I don’t get what I want to do, at least I know I learned that’s not the way to do it. Maybe next time I try a different way because I already know that that way doesn’t work.
Q: You said something about light?
A: Whoever made light for the first time, how many times he failed? It’s just part of the process.
Q: “You are NEVER a finished product.”
A: Never. You could always get better. You could always achieve something new. You can always chase something bigger.
Q: You had to overcome a lot of adversity through your career.
A:. I remember ’19 to all the way to ’22, I pretty much only played for one month straight. I would start playing and then two weeks later I would hurt myself, and then I would get back and two months later … I would hurt myself again and then the season will be over, and the next year starting the season I started on the IL again and then I came back and I played for like two, three weeks and I got hurt again. And then COVID hit so it’s another full year that I didn’t get to play baseball. Then after that, got a big injury [right knee ACL] that stopped me from playing five months. ’19 was two hand injuries, and ’20 was COVID and 2021 was the ACL then 2022 was two hand injuries as well. … I’m glad I’m way past that.
Q: The ABS challenge — you were the first one.
A: I love it. We need it in baseball, because we need to hold everyone accountable — umpires, pitchers, hitters — everyone needs to be engaged with the game. Me as a hitter or a defender, I want to have the chance to let you know that you miss a call, and if not, you can tell me, “Hey, you know what? You weren’t right, I was right.” It’s a good part of the game that I think it was missing, and I’m really happy that we have it now.
Q: Your helmet went to the Hall of Fame.
A: That’s right, that’s right!
Q: What was it like playing for your native Panama in the WBC?
A: It means a lot because I’m really proud of where I come from and represent all my family, all my friends, all my culture, all my teammates back in the days. And representing the whole country in the biggest stage for baseball is really amazing, because we know how hard it is for us to make it where we are, and to fly out of the country to have a better life or to have a better future. I know they were paying attention. It was a great moment.
Q: What did you think when you watched Mariano Rivera pitch?
A: That I wanted to be on the same field as him. And here I am.
Q: You were a Derek Jeter fan too though, right?
A: Yeah, but whoever got me to watching baseball it was Mariano, knowing that he was a Panamanian. In my head it was like seeing Mariano in the biggest stage and being the guy that he was, for me it was like, “Hey, it’s not impossible.” He was in some rough situations before getting out of Panama as well, so like, “It’s not impossible, you can do it too.”
Q: So he was an inspiration to you.
A: For sure. That’s the guy who got me watching baseball, big league games. That’s the guy who got me rooting for the Yankees. I play infield so I would look up to Jeter.
Q: Have you given Mariano your autograph yet?
A: No (smile), he has given me his though. In the first WBC that I was part of back in 2023. He was there, he threw the first pitch that day and I got a signed ball.
Q: When did the eye block start?
A: I’ve been using eye black for my whole career, minor leagues and even before that. The big leagues I choose one style to use, the two kind of like stripes around my face, that’s the way I go, but before it was just I needed eye black on my face.
Q: Why two stripes now?
A: One day I look in the mirror and I thought it was cool, so I stick with it (smile).
Q: Describe your wife Ana.
A: Good person to have beside me for sure. Has been with me in the toughest moments and in the best moments as well. I know I can rely on her whenever things are not going my way, and I know she’s gonna support me for sure.
Q: Your 5-year-old daughter Analia.
A: She’s wild — just like me, though (smile). She’s very electric. She loves competing as well. She likes to win in everything that we try to do. I’m trying to make her understand that sometimes [you] win, sometimes you lose — she doesn’t like losing though (smile). I have not much answer for that because I don’t like losing either.
Q: What do you think of the U.S. men’s soccer team?
A: They’re playing their game. It’s not like they are adjusting to the other team’s game. They have a plan to go into the game and they’re executing that.
Q: How good at soccer were you?
A: I was decent (smile). I was decent.
Q: Three dinner guests?
A: Jesus, [Lionel] Messi, Abraham from the Bible.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Fast and Furious.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Paul Walker.
Q: Favorite entertainer?
A: Kevin Hart.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Arroz con pollo [chicken and rice].
Q: Goals?
A: World Series. Win the World Series.
Q: What would you say to Yankees fans who are worried?
A: We’ll make it through. Some bad moments right now, but goals don’t get achieved without the struggles, or without obstacles.
Q: What’s it like being a Yankee?
A: It’s the best (smile). I love it.
Q: Is it different than you thought?
A: I don’t know how to explain this, but my little man is really happy. … My younger me is really happy (smile).
Q: You like to play in front of the New York fans?
A: I love it. … ’Cause they show up and they show love when they have to show love, they show some anger when things are not going the way they want.
Q: What did you think of the way New York embraced the Knicks?
A: That’s what it’s about, winning and giving them what they want, and make people happy is why we play these sports,
Q: Do you dream of New York in October and November cheering your team on to a World Series?
A: I dream of the parade after we win the World Series.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
