Jose Rodriguez: A Role Model

Born into an underprivileged Puerto Rican family, José Rodriguez has overcome the seemingly impossible. Today is the seventh and final game of the Major League Baseball World Series featuring the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Due to an injury in the pitching rotation for the Dodgers, José Rodriguez has been called up from the minor leagues to pitch if he is needed. This is a very interesting decision by the Dodger’s coach, Dave Roberts. There is nothing more risky in baseball than possibly putting the fate of your long, grueling season in the hands of a rookie. However, more intriguing than this decision is how Rodriguez reached this point. In the spring of 1996, José Rodriguez was born into a poor Puerto Rican family. As the oldest of eight children, Jose was always a role model for his younger siblings. His dad was a hardworking, blue collar farmer who had played baseball as a …show more content…
Jose and his family were overjoyed and in shock at the wonderful news. It was truly a blessing for someone like Jose to get the opportunity to make it in Major League Baseball. Jose was ready to leave Puerto Rico and bring honor to his family. However, the minor leagues would not be as easy as he thought, especially for a non-English speaker from Puerto Rico. Once in the United States, Jose began to play almost immediately. The conditions in which he lived and played were rough, but much nicer than what he had been used to at home. Living in run-down motels and having a budget of five dollars per meal, the life of a professional baseball player was strenuous. Little did he know previously, but you must work your way up in the system to play beyond the minor leagues and into Major League Baseball. Although, hard work was nothing Jose had not previously experienced. He knew that he could do it if anyone