SURPRISE, Ariz. — In 2017, 14-year-old Alejandro Osuna watched from the stands as his older brother, Roberto, represented Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.
It was an easy trip for Osuna and his family since the games were in Jalisco, Mexico, a 90-minute flight from the family’s home farther up the coast in Ahome.
It left him with a dream. One that he will realize in three weeks as a member of Team Mexico for this year’s tournament.
“It has been a dream of mine ever since,” the 23-year-old Rangers outfielder said Tuesday.
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Osuna is one of five outfielders on the roster. Others include MLB veterans Randy Arozarena, Jarren Duran and Alex Thomas. It is uncertain how Osuna will be used because all the outfielders with the exception of Arozarena are left-handed hitters. He is the youngest of the five-player group by two years.
Mexico opens play March 6 against Great Britain at Daikin Park in Houston. Mexico is in the same pool with Team USA.
For Osuna, who seems intent on soaking up learning as much as the atmosphere, it represents a huge opportunity to soak up free knowledge. For him, it outweighs the potential risks of being away from the Rangers’ camp, where he is fighting for an outfield spot, for up to two weeks.
“I want to ask Randy a lot of questions,” he said. “Being around so many Mexican players, it’s just going to be a great chance to ask questions and learn.”
Osuna spent a month in the Mexican Winter League for Jalisco this winter, playing for the team that eventually won the Caribbean Series. He slashed .339/.486/.411/.897 in just 17 games and stole eight bases. It was more than he stole in 63 games for the Rangers last season. He said when the season ended that he intended to work on improving his baserunning during the winter.
Osuna opted out of the Caribbean Series to get to Rangers camp early. He’s been in Surprise working on his hand-positioning in his swing, which he felt was a big part of his September surge that saw him hit .297 with a .748 OPS.
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