Asuaje Feeling at Home in El Paso
Carlos Asuaje was in the middle of a 12-game hitting streak in the Arizona Fall League when his name showed up in newspaper agate indicating that he had been traded last November.
In need of solidifying the backend of the bullpen, the Boston Red Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres on November 13, 2015. In return, the Padres organization received Asuaje, new top prospect Manuel Margot, a potential shortstop of the future in Javier Guerra, and another top prospect in left-handed pitcher Logan Allen.
"I think it just goes to show what kind of a player Craig Kimbrel is and the caliber of closer he is," Asuaje comments about Boston's urgency to add Kimbrel.
Asuaje went on to begin Spring Training in Major League camp in Peoria, Arizona to get his first taste of what it meant to be a Padre. All four players received a warm welcome.
"The Padres have been very caring for me, Margot, and all the guys that got traded as far as the attention they've given us," says Asuaje on his first impressions of his new organization.
The next stop for Asuaje would be El Paso, Texas and his debut at the Triple-A level with the Chihuahuas. His impressions on what the Padres could provide for him would become even greater.
"The Chihuahuas organization has treated us as high a caliber as anything that I have experienced," Asuaje exclaims. "Being a Latin-American person, it's easy to integrate here."
The 24-year-old infielder was born in Barquisimento, Venezuela. Carlos was very young when his family moved to Miami, Florida where he grew up. The Asuaje house continued to speak primarily Spanish in their home, and his mother became a Spanish teacher in Miami. The teaching traits of his mother may have been inherited by the bilingual ballplayer and aided his ability to incorporate seamlessly to life in professional baseball. This can be observed through his interaction with his teammates, specifically Margot.
"He's part of my family," says Asuaje. The two have been teammates since 2013 in the Red Sox organization, and Margot is working diligently to learn the English language with Asuaje's help. Margot and many Latin players often turn to Asuaje to translate for reporters and teammates.
Asuaje does not have a daunting physical presence which makes him extremely relatable to the people of El Paso. Throw in his electrifying defense and a load of quality at-bats, Asuaje easily checks all the boxes to be a new fan-favorite in the Borderplex.
"It's something that I take pride in every night I put a Chihuahuas uniform on, and I understand I represent more than just myself," Asuaje acknowledges. "I represent the organization of the San Diego Padres and more importantly, right now, the entire city of El Paso."
His adjustment period off and on the field have been brief. In his two months at the Triple-A level, Asuaje is among league leaders in batting average at .341 coupled with flashes of Gold Glove defense. In a post-game interview early in April, manager Rod Barajas called Asuaje a gnat at the plate. He doesn't go away easily and really makes pitchers work to get him out.
Through Asuaje's formative years in Florida, he had to find ways to stand out in a pool of talent that the Sunshine State continues to produce. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School where he played baseball with Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovanni Bernard and James White, also a running back in the NFL with the New England Patriots. Other pro sport talents to emerge from those halls were former Chihuahua Tyler Greene, the 3rd pick in the 2016 NFL draft of Joey Bosa, and former Dallas Cowboys and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin.
"We had so many talented people there in that high school that you're surrounded by it and never realize how much talent is around you," said Asuaje. "Looking back on it, it's pretty impressive."
After graduating from high school, Asuaje attended Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. Then the Red Sox drafted him in the 11th Round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft after his junior season. Now he is soaking in the experience of the veterans he is surrounded by in the Chihuahuas clubhouse that have lived the Major League life.
"There's so many examples of that in our locker room," comments Asuaje when he was asked about the leadership being modeled in the clubhouse. "Jemile Weeks is a guys that I look at that I feel does things the right way and James Loney obviously brings 10 years of experience. You take the good things, leave out the bad, and adapt that to your game."
It is very common to see a clubhouse that the Chihuahuas have at the Triple-A level. There is no shortage of players like Weeks and Loney pushing to get back on a Major League roster mixed with prospects like Asuaje to learn the right path.
Time will tell when the Padres 14th ranked prospect will hit the Major League level, but he is polishing his craft on the border.
"I'm really comfortable here," says Asuaje. "I'm trying to put the best product on the field for the crowd and the city of El Paso."