Joaquin Santiago is a Mexican 8yr old boy living in Fredericksburg. His parents migrated from Mexico to the states, a few years before his birth. They first arrived in Los Angeles where his father was a bus boy at a local restaurant. He started to watch the Dodgers during his restaurant shifts. Before Joaquin’s birth they moved to northern Virginia before settling in Fredericksburg. At an early age Joaquin fell in love with baseball, thanks to his father. As Joaquin got older his fixation and dreams would crave his path out of Virginia.
Joaquin has made a new for himself in little league as Mr. Double, for his consistent hitting power resulting in two base runs. His father’s baseball team were the Dodgers since that was the first baseball team he knew. Joaquin took in the Dodgers as well and became obsessed with them. He had posters for their 2025 World Series win, he would watch replays of the regular season and study player’s techniques.
The end of the school year was approaching and Joaquin’s teacher requested all students to produce a dream board of what they expect to be in the future. Joaquin worked on the project after school while watching the Dodgers take on the Chicago Cubs. Of course his dream board would include a Dodger theme. His dream was to move out of Virginia and live in California. He would hear his parents talk about California and he knew the only way he can live in California was to become a major league player. He turned in his assignment and told the class that one day he will be seen on TV as a Dodger player. His teacher told him to dream big and to never give up, she knew one day he will reach his dreams.
During the summer Joaquin would really commit to improving his skills. From the moment he woke up, he would practice his catching by throwing a wiffle ball in the air and catching it. After lunch he would go outside and practice his swing using the old Tee he had from tee ball. While he waited for his dad to come home from work he would watch sports highlights. He took mental notes of players and their plays that made them noteworthy. Once his father came him Joaquin would grab their gloves and head to the backyard to practice his catching, pitching, fielding and batting depending on how much energy his father had. His father knew how much it meant for Joaquin so he made an effort to practice with him as much as he could.
Years have passed and Joaquin is finally accomplishing his dreams. His journey has taken him from Virginia to California. Playing in the Dodgers Minor League system, Joaquin has improved greatly. He call his parents regularly and updates them on his career, they still haven’t made the trip across the country yet. Joaquin finished an 11 inning game with the Ontario Tower Buzzers (Dodgers’ Single-A team) when the team manager called him into his office. Joaquin spoke with him briefly and ran to his car, he immediately called his dad to tell him the great news. It as final his turn to play with the Dodgers.
As the broadcaster finishes the breaking news, Joaquin’s 2nd grade teacher just so happens in an uber in California. She hears his name and instantly remembers the little boy in her class telling everyone that one day he will be a Dodger player. Her heart filled with happiness as she heard of his huge accomplishment. She called her husband and told him that they will extend their trip to attend the parade. As the night ends, Joaquin gets back onto the field and has flashbacks of all the struggles he overcame. From his parents’ immigration, to the countless days his family were living paycheck to paycheck and to the sacrifices his parents made to put him in baseball. Then he saw his younger self running towards him giving him a hug, he looked at his younger self and said thank you for never giving up.
