Estevan Florial's Baseball Family

  When it comes to baseball, players and coaches get to know each other quickly between all the time they spend together on and off the field. But for Pulaski Yankees' outfielder Estevan Florial, it's nothing new.

     Florial was born in Haiti but grew up in the Dominican Republic where baseball is king. He started playing as a little kid and dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player especially for his favorite team, the New York Yankees.

     "I started playing when I was five years old and over there it's different because we don't play in organized leagues," Florial said. "We play in the streets and in each other's backyards."

     And growing up in the Dominican Republic, Florial said baseball creates a sense of community between everyone in the neighborhood.

     "I love everything about the Dominican but most of all, it's the people. Everybody goes places together and does things together," Florial said. "For example, if you live close to somebody, they become your family. You don't just have one family. Everyone becomes your family."

    After playing in showcase tournaments and drawing the attention of multiple teams, Florial was picked up by the Yankees as an international free agent in 2015. However, paperwork issues delayed his journey to the United States for a year. Although Florial ended up playing with the DSL Yankees, he said he was ready to start the journey closer to his dream.

     "It was hard to wait but it made me a stronger person. After that, it was good," Florial said. "I feel like my dream was starting to be realized. I still can't believe that my baseball dream came true and that it's with my favorite team."

     And as far as adjusting to life in the US, Florial said it's the same family mentality that has helped him and other international players.

     "It really wasn't a huge change coming over with other international players because we had played together or known each other for so long in the Dominican," Florial said. "Most of the guys I play with here, I knew before I was signed so it's been great to play alongside them. And in baseball, we're together so much, we stick together like a family over here."

     And with that level of comfort, Florial said he can focus on improving and one day making it up to the big leagues alongside players like Barry Bonds, Andrew McCutchen, and Miguel Cabrera.

     "Everyone has to work hard to get where they are at but everyone also has something special about them," Florial said. "Everyone has something to learn from and work to be like. I want to improve and get better every day and be that someone someday."