Monday, August 18

TORONTO -- Growing up in Puerto Rico, José Berríos didn’t have a favorite team. He just wanted to watch the Puerto Rican stars. 

His father played baseball professionally, so Berríos grew up around the game and has been chasing it his entire life, first in Minnesota and now in Toronto. His roots have always stayed in Puerto Rico, though. Berríos holds an incredible sense of pride in his country, which continues to shape and inspire where his career goes from here. 

“Seeing Iván Rodríguez out there playing day in and day out with the passion, the love he put into the game,” Berríos said, “but also knowing about Roberto Clemente, I watched Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Yadier Molina. Those guys have followed in the steps of what Roberto Clemente did for us.”

Clemente is one of baseball’s most important figures, a giant of the sport on any field in any country. In Puerto Rico, he’s a hero, a lesson to every young ball player. Berríos has always said that he wants to develop his own legacy and leave his own impact on kids and the community around him, which he continues to do through his his El Dream project, which is back for its second season after raising over $340,000 (CDN) in 2024.

“Every young player knows about Roberto Clemente. My dad played baseball, my brother plays baseball, so I always heard about Roberto Clemente and what he did, not just on the field but off the field. He is a role model. He is our inspiration, not only for Puerto Ricans but for Latin players. Knowing what he did and knowing that we have the opportunity to do the same or better than him is a great opportunity.”

The El Dream project works to help youth in Puerto Rico through Berríos’ La Makina Foundation, but it also has established roots in Toronto and across Canada through its partnership with Jays Care Foundation. He’s embraced this new city and new country since being traded to the Blue Jays in 2021, working with Jays Care as an ambassador for Girls At Bat, Challenger Baseball, and RBI.

“It reminds me of when I was young, growing up and dreaming of being where I am right now. Right now, I am living my dream,” Berríos said. “I want to give that chance and that opportunity to the young kids to be around us, to be around their role models, idols, whatever they want to call it. It’s a great opportunity for me. I’m not here because I am José Berríos. I am here because God let me be here. I have to take advantage of that and be grateful.”

Everything with Berríos and his work comes back to his Puerto Rican roots. 

The Blue Jays, particularly through their rise in the 1980s, were a major player in Latin America. Their early roots were set down in the Dominican Republic, where the Blue Jays were an extremely popular team for decades, and that’s continued into a new era with José Bautista, Edwin Encarnación, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and others. Berríos has his Puerto Rican connection, though, in one of this franchise’s other all-time greats.

“I know that Carlos Delgado has the Extra Bases Foundation. I’ve been following him since I was young,” Berríos said, “so I know that he’s been doing and continues to do a lot of good things for people with his foundation. I know that he played here like a lot of Puerto Ricans have played in Toronto, so it’s a pleasure for me to be part of this great organization and keep doing good things for the city.”

It feels like Berríos has such a large capacity for everything that comes along with being a big league star. He’s long earned the persona of La Makina -- “The Machine” -- for his legendary commitment to his conditioning. Berríos making 32 starts each season is one of the safest bets in baseball. 

Berríos is a father, too, fiercely proud of his children who seem to love being at the ballpark just as much as he does. He still lights up talking about El Dream and the La Makina Foundation, though. Carrying the legacy of the great Puerto Rican players who have come before him in this game, Berríos wants to add his own legacy and leave a path for the kids who will someday grow up and talk about watching him play for these Blue Jays teams taking runs at their first World Series since 1993. 

Earlier this month, I spent some time with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at his home in Toronto. It fell on the eighth birthday of his daughter, Vlaimel, who spent the afternoon making friendship bracelets with her dad before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to him that night. 

We got a look inside what Guerrero’s life looks like when he’s not at the stadium, when he’s not performing in front of 43,000 screaming fans. He also opened up about how his relationship with his daughter has helped to shape his life on and off the field. Asked to describe Vlaimel, Guerrero said that the word “love” came into his mind.

“I say ‘love,’ because every time I come home from the ballpark, no matter what -- even if I go 0-for-3 or 0-for-4 -- when I see her, my day changes,” Guerrero says. “That’s why I say ‘love.’ Every time I see her, I feel love in my heart. I thank God I have my daughter with me all the time.”

You can read the full profile on Guerrero right here, which includes some great video footage of the day.

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