for driving in some important runs
and he does a great job every year of
handling the pitching staff.”
His .311 career batting average
is good for fourth all-time among
Goldeyes players that have at least
750 at-bats. He is clearly one of
the greatest hitters ever to play in
Winnipeg. Of course, he grew up in
a country that reveres the game of
baseball and has produced some of
the greatest players in Major League
history.
“Yeah, baseball is definitely the No.
1 sport in Venezuela,” he said. “A lot of
people know that we have some pretty
good players coming out of Venezuela.
Miggy (Miguel Cabrera) and Felix
Hernandez are two of the examples.
Before that we had Omar Vizquel,
Melvin Mora, Ramon Hernandez,
Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, Johan
Santana, many great, great players.
“When I was in Little League,
baseball was the biggest thing in
Venezuela on the weekends. Our
families and friends went to all the
games. They were always there.
Families were always there cheering
for their guys. When something bad
happened on the field, like you’d go
0-for-4, your family would be all over
you. ‘You can’t do that. You can’t go
0-for-4, you have to go 3-for-4 or at
least 2-for-4. You can’t go ‘0fer in a
game.’ But that’s what made it fun.
“Our families and friends and were
always involved. They made it fun for
us. They also made us do things the
right way. Baseball is a big part of life
in Venezuela.”
So, too, is family. He has two
brothers and a younger sister and
he and his wife have a son named
Fernando. Family and baseball are the
two things that drive him.
“For me, family is everything, but
being a dad is the best experience in
life,” he said. “It’s the biggest blessing
you can ever get. Out of all the
accomplishments you can have in life,
being a dad is almost out of this world.
I can’t even explain what it’s like being
a dad.”
Alen’s route to Winnipeg has been
long and winding. From Little League
in Venezuela to the Florida (now
Miami) Marlins and New York Mets
to pro ball in Italy and winter ball
in Nicaragua, Alen has worked hard
to make a career – and a life – out of
baseball.
“I played Little League until I was
17-years-old and then I signed with
the Florida in 2002,” he said. “I found
my way up to Winnipeg, that first
season back in 2007. Then I went back
to organized ball for two seasons with
the New York Mets and then I came
back here to Winnipeg in 2010 and I’ve
been ever since.
“For me, I’m a professional baseball
player and I’ll play for as long as my
body allows me to play.”
Alen was a farmhand for the Marlins
from 2003-2005 and then he played
the 2006 season in Italy before coming
to Winnipeg for the 2007 campaign.
He then played in the New York
Mets system for two seasons before
re-joining the Goldeyes in 2010.
During that time, he learned the skills
necessary to become one of the best
hitters in independent baseball. Those
years of experience have also provided
him with a method of handling
pitchers, one of the toughest jobs a
catcher will face.
“For me, the most important thing
is to stick with a pitcher’s strength,”
he said. “In most situations, I try to
tell the pitchers to stick with their first
two pitches. Once in awhile, they can
use the third and fourth pitches just to
show the hitters that they have those
pitches.”
In the meantime, Alen holds four
franchise records and is slowly
becoming recognized as the greatest
hitter in Goldeyes history.
“It means a lot to have these
records,” he said humbly. “This is
the best place to play independent
baseball. There isn’t any place
anywhere in America (or Canada)
where you are treated better than you
are in Winnipeg.
“Winnipeg for me is now home. I
look at the Goldeyes as my hometown
team and playing for the Goldeyes and
doing well with the Goldeyes, is more
important for me than anything in
baseball. It’s just an amazing feeling.
I love the people in Winnipeg. I love
the front office, all the support from
the fans. There is no better place to be
than Winnipeg.” l
sportslife / 11