{"id":581790,"date":"2026-02-19T22:02:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T22:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/581790\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T22:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T22:02:16","slug":"red-sox-wilyer-abreu-on-doing-interviews-in-english-it-took-me-time-it-means-a-lot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/581790\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Sox\u2019 Wilyer Abreu on doing interviews in English: \u2018It took me time … it means a lot\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT MYERS, Fla. \u2014 Perhaps the most memorable moment of the Red Sox\u2019 champagne celebration after clinching a postseason berth last September came from the usually calm Wilyer Abreu. Speaking to suds-soaked NESN reporter Jahmai Webster, Abreu \u2014 who throughout his first three major league seasons did nearly all interviews with a team translator \u2014 let loose<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best experience that I\u2019ve ever had!\u201d Abreu, wearing ski goggles, screamed. \u201cYou know? The best. The best experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exchange went viral among Red Sox fans in the wake of Boston\u2019s walk-off win over the Tigers that night and showed fans a different side of Abreu, the genial \u2014 yet relatively unflappable \u2014 26-year-old. It\u2019s a moment Abreu knows was \u201call over the internet\u201d and nearly five months later, looks back at fondly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a funny moment,\u201d Abreu said, laughing, at his locker Thursday, \u201cand it\u2019s still one of the best experiences of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

English-speaking Red Sox fans hoping to learn more about Abreu\u2019s personality are in luck this season as the Venezuela native, after years of learning a second language, is doing interviews without the aid of a team translator this spring. For years, Abreu has been conversational in English, a language he first started learning after signing with the Astros as an 18-year-old in 2017, but like many foreign players, has been hesitant to speak English in interviews. Throughout the 2025 season, he occasionally did TV, radio and print interviews in English but usually had a team translator (usually fellow Venezuelan Carlos Villoria Ben\u00edtez) standing by. This year, Abreu has challenged himself to take what he has deemed an important next step in his bilingual journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started to get more confidence talking in English, doing interviews in English,\u201d he said Thursday. \u201cAt the beginning, I (did not feel) too comfortable talking in English, especially when I had a camera in front of me. I started to feel more comfortable so that\u2019s why I started to do interviews in English.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abreu, who was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, first started learning the language as a minor leaguer in Houston\u2019s system and took classes with that organization before being traded to the Red Sox in the 2022 deadline deal that sent Christian V\u00e1zquez to the Astros. By the time he made his major league debut in August 2023, he had a pretty good grasp on a second language and has used both Spanish and English to become a very well-liked teammate throughout three tastes of big league action.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took a lot of classes there (with Houston) but I learned a lot, or learned more, when I started to talk with my teammates and when I started to ask questions or say, \u2018Hey, how do you say that?\u2019 or \u2018What does that mean?\u2019 and all that stuff,\u201d Abreu said. \u201cThen, I start to learn more.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really hard. It has been very difficult to learn because it\u2019s a second language. It\u2019s not that easy to learn a second language. So, it took me time. But I started to get more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Red Sox employ two Spanish speakers on their media relations staff in Villoria Ben\u00edtez, who carries the title of interpreter\/manager and Daveson Perez, a Massachusetts native who previously served as the full-time translator and is now a manager in the department. Both staffers are available nearly full-time to Spanish-speaking players to assist with interviews or conversations with teammates, coaches or club officials. On the current roster, Brayan Bello (Dominican Republic), Aroldis Chapman (Cuba), Ranger Su\u00e1rez (Venezuela) and Masataka Yoshida (Japan) often do formal interviews with the help of an interpreter. Willson Contreras (Venezuela), Carlos Narv\u00e1ez (Venezuela), Johan Oviedo (Cuba) and Ceddanne Rafaela (Curacao) are among those who speak to reporters in English.<\/p>\n

The Red Sox, like other teams across sports with players from different countries, urge their players to do what makes them feel comfortable. Manager Alex Cora, who himself had to learn English as a young professional after growing up in Puerto Rico<\/a>, often takes questions in both English and Spanish before games. His experience has made him appreciate Abreu\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important,\u201d Cora said. \u201cEven in the meetings, he understands. He keeps getting better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for his brand, quote-unquote. Two-time Gold Glover, people should know who he is and who he is all about. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abreu has been an early star in spring training<\/a>, reporting to Fort Myers in trimmed down physical form and standing out with hard contact in live batting practice sessions against Boston\u2019s top pitchers. As he looks to take a meaningful step forward as a player in 2026, he\u2019s also excited by the opportunity to make more connections with Red Sox fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you connect with all the fans and you can express yourself with them, I think they appreciate it a lot,\u201d Abreu said. \u201cIt means a lot because I can communicate myself better, I can talk with more freedom with everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a matter of weeks, Abreu will leave Red Sox camp to suit up for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. There, he\u2019ll represent his country on baseball\u2019s biggest stage. Speaking both English and Spanish, he hopes, will inspire other young players on a similar path.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be scared. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask. Don\u2019t be afraid to speak,\u201d Abreu said. \u201cI think the hardest part is to speak because we feel afraid when we\u2019re speaking. We don\u2019t want to make a mistake. But I think when you make a mistake, it\u2019s where you learn the most.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT MYERS, Fla. \u2014 Perhaps the most memorable moment of the Red Sox\u2019 champagne celebration after clinching a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581791,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2375],"tags":[152,5,141,48,2542,4,89,2543],"class_list":{"0":"post-581790","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-red-sox","8":"tag-american-league","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-boston","11":"tag-boston-red-sox","12":"tag-bostonredsox","13":"tag-mlb","14":"tag-red-sox","15":"tag-redsox"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116099557600866050","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}