…their distant heritage and ability to qualify for a passport — as “domestic” rather than “imports.” The Diablos Rojos from Mexico City, the Yankees of the Liga Mexicana, played the 2017 season without a single foreign player in protest; they missed the playoffs.
Barreda has an infectious positivity; he’s a people pleaser. As an 18-year-old in rookie ball he felt certain his bilingualism could be a bridge between the two sides of the locker room, that he could translate both language and culture for his teammates. Instead, Barreda spent his minor league years in the liminal space between. He’d lived his life 30 …