If it weren't for Jesus, I would not be where I am today and my life would be without purpose. I've heard kids say they want to be just like me when they grow up. They should know I want to be just like Jesus.
You know your talent. You know if you work hard, your hard work is going to pay off one day.
What I lose today I can't make up tomorrow. I have to do it today.
At the end of the day, when all is said and done playing this game ... it doesn't matter what you did in the field, it's what you do off the field and the lives that you touch off the field.
I don't think there's anything out there I can be afraid of.
There is no time to fool around when you practice. Every drill must have a purpose. I try to never get away from thathabits are important
Baseball is simply my platform to elevate Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.
I'm a teammate guy, so whatever I can do to help my team to win like I have the past two years, that's what I want to do. If it takes for me to play first base, third base, right field, I just want to win the game.
I play to represent God, something bigger than baseball.
If they don't know the Lord, I encourage them to search for and open their hearts and their eyes. If something happens to me tomorrow, I'm going to go to heaven and that's for sure because God's promised to us in the Bible. I want to make sure that those people out there feel the same. At the end of the day as long as I glorify him and those 45,000 people know who I represent out there every time I step out on the field, that's what it's about. It's about representing God.
I never take things for granted. I always look to help out me teammates, to win and be better.
I'm a really smart player. If you tell me something, I get it quickly. If there is something wrong with my hitting, tell me what's wrong and I'll pick it up right away. That's the best thing I have going for me, my ability to listen to a coach and fix what I'm doing wrong.
It doesn't matter if I hit a home run. It doesn't matter if we win a game. It doesn't matter if I go four for four. Whatever happens at the end of the day, as long as I glorify His name, that's what it's all about.
I believe it is my responsibility to do what I can for children and people with Down syndrome as well as in my native Dominican Republic.
Every year it gets tougher and tougher. Mentally and physically. That's why you need to train and prepare.
People ask me if I believe how quickly my career has taken off. I just tell them that Jesus Christ is my strength. God has blessed me and I will continue to do my best for him. That is more important than anything I could ever do in baseball.
There is only one El Hombre and that is Stan Musial.
Preparation is very important. The pitcher is going to do his job and prepare for you so you as a hitter must do the same. I always watch videotape of pitchers before the game and even sometimes during.
What motivates me more than money are God and my family.
I trust that I can hit a fastball, that I can hit any pitch they throw to me.
I try to spend as much time as possible with God and my family. That's more important than anything I'm doing in baseball.
There's three things that as a professional athlete you want. You want to get to the big leagues, and I accomplished that. Winning a World Series ring, I got that. And then getting to the Hall of Fame. That's everybody's dream. Every athlete, they want to be up there in the Hall of Fame, mentioned with the greatest players to ever play this game.
I hope by the time that I'm done in this game, I can have half the numbers Stan Musial had in his career.
I don't want to be too stiff, because then my hands won't be as quick.
I have five young children, and I take being a role model very seriously.
