Only two players born in Honduras have ever reached the Major Leagues: Gerald Young and Mauricio Dubón. While new Guardians prospect Derek Munoz – drafted in the 19th round out of Miami Christian High School after spending a year-and-a-half at the RC Academy in the Dominican Republic – wasn’t born in Honduras, his parents were, eventually moving to California where Munoz was born.
Munoz’s goal isn’t just to provide a platform for Honduran ballplayers, but he hopes to reach the Hall of Fame. I recently had a chance to speak with Munoz. Here is some of that interview, condensed and edited for readability.
MLB: How did you first get into baseball? When did you know you were going to be a pitcher?
Derek Munoz: One day my sister played baseball with me and I was like, why not give it a try? I always followed in my sister's footsteps. So I was like, she plays gymnastics. I do gymnastics. She plays baseball, I play baseball. It would have been the same thing if she played softball.
I started loving baseball since I started playing it. It was always fun and T-ball is pretty much the goat. I just hit as many home runs as I can. And then I became a pitcher when I was 8. I put in my head that I wanted to be someone great. Like, a Derek Jeter, a Hall of Famer, right? So I just worked for it and I just kept going at it.
MLB: You spent a year-and-a-half at an academy in the Dominican Republic. What did you learn there?
DM: I learned to be more humble. I learned to appreciate what I have. Life in the D.R. is pretty tough. I experienced it quite a bit. I just saw the struggles my teammates and people at the Academy had and was pretty sad. I just tried to put my foot down and be as grounded as possible.
MLB: What was the reaction when the Guardians called your name in the 19th round?
Derek Munoz: It was pretty emotional. My mom actually cried and was really crying for a while. My dad cried, too, even though he never cries. Kind of crazy to see him cry, but I was just happy to be picked. It was up and down, like a roller coaster to see if I was gonna get drafted and in what round. Then I got the call and it was like, ‘OK, all the pressure is off.’
MLB: Your parents are from Honduras, a country that has only two Major Leaguers to its name. What would it mean for you to reach the big leagues and honor your parents' legacy like that?
DM: Reaching the Majors would mean a lot for my country. Being one of the few players is incredible. But I don't see it as just being a Major Leaguer. I want to be the first Hall of Famer from Honduras. There's nothing below being a Hall of Famer. That's all I want to do.
MLB: You also have an interest that probably very few other baseball players have. You are a trained pilot! How did that start?
DM: I was in middle school and we'd always drive past Long Beach airport. I would always see it and I’d be like, ‘How can I fly?' I asked my dad, ‘Can I go to the hangars to go get lessons? He was like, ‘wait, later.’ Then one day he says ‘We're going Disneyland!” I get my stuff ready, and we end up at the airport. I'm like, ‘This is not Disneyland.’ We go inside and we meet my first instructor. She helped me get all my stuff ready and then we went on our first flight. I have about 60 hours now.
MLB: I have to imagine after an experience of flying a plane, pitching with the bases loaded seems pretty easy.
DM: Not at all. I did that once in Miami. I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got one chance to just show out. Bases are loaded, tight game. It’s on the line. I gotta just relax, throw one more strike, and I struck them out. Pressure is nothing for you if you're not flying a plane.
