Aris Sakellaridis caught up with newest Yankee Raul Ibanez when he paid a visit to Hank's Yanks last week. The word on Ibanez before he signed was that he was a strong character guy. Barely a week into his Yankees tenure, Ibanez is certainly proving it.
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A Perfect Yankee
“I have always been a person that deals with community involvement so it’s great to see that Hank and the Steinbrenner family care so much about the kids of New York.” -- Raul Ibanez
Hank’s Yanks, the youth baseball team sponsored by Yankees Co-Chairman Hank Steinbrenner, wrapped up their final day in Tampa with a visit from the newest Yankee, Raul Ibanez. Signed last week to a one-year deal, Ibanez reported to camp early to familiarize himself to his new surroundings. He will enter his 17th year in Major League baseball wearing pinstripes, and what an impression he made with the youngsters who were taking batting practice in the late afternoon.
Ibanez heard about Hank’s Yanks from his long-time friend and advisor, Hector Florin, and he wanted to witness the hype with his own eyes. He completed his workout and headed over to the Yankees Minor League complex, where he was overwhelmed by what he saw. Sixteen-year-old Ricky Negron was hitting balls off the center field wall and over the left field wall. His eyes were locked into the swings of 18-year-old Bryan Dromerhauser and 17-year-old Johnnie LaRossa.
Ibanez then lectured 16-year-old Brandon Martinez on the art of swinging.
“This is legit,” Ibanez said. “Between the size of this park and the fact that these kids are swinging wood, this is pretty impressive.”
Ibanez also remembered doing a workout as a youth at the Yankees’ complex in Ft. Lauderdale.
“It was a few swings and a few throws, and I was overwhelmed to be there,” he said, “but this is like their playground the way they’re hitting these balls.”
Ibanez stayed for the whole session and spoke to the players about believing in yourself. He stressed on the importance of passion and desire, as 15-year-old Zack Carmody and 17-year-old Max Watt stayed focused on his every word. He ended his talk with the importance of being consistent in sleeping habits along with eating habits, and stressed keeping your grades up.
“If you can improve one percent each day you step on the field, that’s 100 percent in 100 days.” Ibanez preached. He shared a story of being drafted in the 36th round after being told it will never happen. “When I was in rookie ball I remembered the coach gathering a whole bunch of us together and he said only two on you will make it to the majors. I immediately thought to myself, me and who else here.”
The lesson here is believe in yourself. Ibanez is one guy that gets it.
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