Passport Prospects: Xander Bogaerts - 美國職棒

Passport Prospects: Xander Bogaerts
Humble Aruban shortstop proud to put his island on the map

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Just two months removed from being a teenager, Xander Bogaerts speaks with
fondness about growing up in Aruba, almost as if his childhood ended days ago.

兩個月前才成年的Xander Bogaerts很開心的談到他在Aruba的成長經驗，就像是他的童年
在幾天前才結束一樣。

It's easy to see why. Born and raised in San Nicolaas, Bogaerts has spent
most of his life a literal stone's throw from the beach on a Caribbean island
where the temperature hovers in the low- to mid-80s year-round.

不難看出為什麼。Bogaerts在San Nicolaas出生並在那裡成長，簡單形容的話，他在加勒
比海的海灘上過著丟石子的生活。(那裡全年溫度大概在攝氏26~30度之間震盪)

In many ways, the Red Sox's top prospect had the best of everything growing
up.

就很多方面來說，紅襪的頂級新秀擁有最棒的成長環境。

Twelve miles southeast of Oranjestad, the nation's capital and largest city,
San Nicolaas is convenient but just far enough away from the major tourist
spots to be a quiet community.

San Nicolaas位於Aruba首都(同時也是最大城)Oranjestad東南方12哩，要到首都很方便
，但對於觀光客來說有點麻煩，因此，San Nicolaas是個靜謐的地方。

You could make the case that San Nicolaas -- with a population of around
22,000 -- has California's sandy beaches and Florida's climate but no traffic.

你可以把San Nicolaas想像為擁有加州沙灘和佛羅里達的氣候、22,000人但沒有繁忙交通
的地方。

"It's very nice, quiet," Bogaerts said. "Oranjestad is the main part of Aruba
-- the parties, the shops and all the nice stuff is on that side. But I live
in a quiet place near the beach. It's not that big. It's on the opposite side
from the town where everything is, opposite where all the tourists are."

Bogaerts：「那個地方很不錯，非常的安靜。Oranjestad是Aruba重要的城市，派對、船
隻之類的都在那個地方。不過我住在附近的海邊，那個地方不大，也很安靜─和城市的所
有事物完全相反，和那個擠滿觀光客的地方完全不一樣。」

Bogaerts played several sports growing up, including soccer, basketball and
volleyball.

Bogaerts參與過很多種運動，像是足球、籃球和排球。

"I was an active kid, I liked to move around," he said. "I was never a lazy
kid. I liked playing all of the other sports as a hobby, but I was good at
baseball. Baseball was the real deal."

「我是一個很好動的小孩，我喜歡到處活動。我完全不懶惰，我把運動當作嗜好，但是我
真的很會打棒球，棒球這部份可真不是開玩笑的。」

Bogaerts was introduced to the sport when he was 4 or 5 years old, playing
catch with his twin brother, Jair, and his uncle, Glenroy, a local baseball
coach, in the backyard of his grandmother's house.

Bogaerts大概從四、五歲開始接觸棒球，和他的雙胞胎兄弟Jair跟擔任當地棒球教練的叔
叔Glenroy在祖母家的後院玩傳接球。

"Before any teams or anything, it was my uncle who played with me and Jair
from a young age," he recalled. "I remember learning the basics of baseball
and learning how to play the game. [Glenroy] wasn't a professional coach or
anything, but he taught us a lot about playing the game the right way.

Bogaerts回想當時：「在加入任何球隊之前都是我叔叔、Jair跟我一起打棒球。我那時學
習棒球的基礎以及打比賽的方法。叔叔不是專業的教練，但是他敎我們很多打棒球的正確
觀念。」

"I just fell in love with the game with my twin brother. As we got older, we
started participating in away tournaments -- Puerto Rico, Panama, Dominica,
Curacao. But the most important thing in my family was going to school and
getting an education. I had to stay in school before I signed. It was a big
priority and I had to try to balance both of them."

「我跟Jair一起愛上棒球比賽。我們長大之後四處征戰打錦標賽，波多黎各、巴拿馬、
多明尼加、庫拉索群島等等。但是家族裡最重視的是受教育，因此在我簽約之前都得待在
學校。這是很重要的事情，所以我必須努力的找到平衡點。」

The 20-year-old can't help but think back to those days when he's back in San
Nicolaas in the offseason. His mother, Sandra Brown, still lives in the
four-bedroom home in which Bogaerts grew up.

Bogaerts不禁想起他在休賽期重回San Nicolaas的時光。他的媽媽Sandra Brown依然住在
Bogaerts從小住的那棟四間臥室房子。

Bogaerts did well in school, especially math, and as his baseball skills
developed, he started to help the other players. He played on dirt fields
between the ages of 9-12 and helped lead his team to several Latin American
tournaments, where it competed for a spot in the Little League World Series.
In 2010, Aruba won the Senior League World Series in Bangor, Maine, the first
such honor for the island nation.

Bogaerts在校表現優良，尤其是數學很棒。而在他的棒球技巧進步之後，他還開始幫助
其他球員。Bogaerts在9-12歲之間都在沙土球場打球，而他也會帶領球隊征戰拉丁美洲的
錦標賽，試圖打進少棒聯盟的世界大賽。2010年，Aruba在國際青少棒聯盟中力抗群雄，
在緬因州拿下Aruba史上第一座冠軍。

"When you became champions of Aruba, you go off to play in the Latin American
tournament. The winner from that goes to Williamsport to represent the Latin
American teams," Bogaerts explained. "Growing up, I went to most of the Latin
American tournaments and the Pan-American tournaments.

「當你成為Aruba的冠軍，你就要去打拉丁美洲的錦標賽。贏家可以成為拉丁美洲隊，前
進威廉波特少棒賽。在成長期間，我參加過大部分的拉丁美洲錦標賽和泛美錦標賽。」

"It was nice. You met a lot of good players from other countries. I played
against [Jurickson] Profar from Curacao and a few guys that have signed in
professional ball."

「這很棒，你可以認識其他國家的好球員。我對決過庫拉索的Jurickson Profar跟一些
打進職業棒球界的球員。」

Scouts began tracking Xander and Jair when they were around 15, no one more
than the Red Sox's Mike Lord, an Aruba-based international cross-checker. But
Xander almost missed his big chance to leave a lasting impression when the
Red Sox held tryouts not far from his home.

球探從Bogaerts兄弟15歲時就開始注意他們。其中最關注他們的是在Aruba活動的紅襪球
探Mike Lord。但是Bogaerts差一點就在家鄉的附近的小試驗中錯失驚艷球探的機會。

"I remember, when the Red Sox came here for their tryout, I was at home with
the chicken pox," he said. "I was in my bed at home and my brother called me
and told me to come. I didn't think I would be able to go out, but I called
my mom and asked her if I was allowed to and she eventually said I could.

「當紅襪找我去試驗時，我卻因為水痘躺在家裡。Jair打電話叫我去參加，不過我不認為
我可以出去。我打電話問媽媽能不能出去，而她也終於答應了。」

"There were other teams, but the Red Sox were pursuing me aggressively. They
were the most interested ones. They liked me and my brother and then they
came back in two weeks and we got the deal done."

「那裡也有其他隊的球探，但是紅襪對我最有興趣。他們喜歡我們兄弟倆，在兩個禮拜
後就跑回來簽我們。」

The twins signed with the Red Sox on Aug. 29, 2009. Xander, an infielder, got
a $410,000 bonus, while Jair, a stocky catcher, received around $180,000. For
Xander, the opportunity to play in the same organization with his brother
made the decision a no-brainer.

兩兄弟都在2009年8月29日簽約。Xander拿下$410K簽約金；結實的捕手Jair則是拿了$180K
。能和Jair一起打球的機會對Xander來說完全不用想就簽下去了。

"I wanted to play baseball and be a Major League player one day, but I liked
school and I thought about becoming a teacher or being involved in sports,"
said Xander, who delayed his professional debut until he graduated from high
school. "But baseball for me was always the first option."

因為學業延遲了處女秀的Bogaerts表示：「我想打棒球，希望有一天能站上大聯盟，不過
我也喜歡學校，想著或許有一天會成為老師或是從事跟體育有關的工作。但是棒球永遠是
我的首選。」

Bogaerts debuted in the Dominican Summer League on June 6, 2010 and made his
first start at shortstop two days later. Before the end of the month, he and
Jair were sharing the same clubhouse.

2010年6月6日，Bogaerts終於在DSL豋場，兩天後首次鎮守游擊。而在六月底時，Jair也
加入DSL的陣容之中。

For Bogaerts, who speaks English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamento -- an Aruban
Creole language -- the transition appeared almost effortless. The hardest
part was leaving home.

對於精通四國語言(英、西、荷、帕皮阿門托語，Aruba的混合語)的Bogaerts來說，語言
轉變並不困難。真正困難的是離家。

"It was difficult because I'd always been there with my mom and my brother,
but I always wanted to play baseball," he said. "It took some time to get
used to.

「因為我一直都和媽媽、兄弟住在一起，所以很困難。但是我一直想打棒球。」

「我花了一點時間適應。」

"[People back home] think that when you sign with a team, you go straight to
the Major Leagues, they don't know the process. You have to explain the
process of the Minor Leagues, starting at the lower levels and making your
way up. Everyone thinks it's direct to the Major Leagues, it's crazy. When I
signed, I didn't even know what levels there were in the organization."

「家鄉很多人都以為球隊簽下你之後你就直接站上大聯盟了，他們並不清楚流程。你得和
他們解釋你必須先打小聯盟，一路從低階打上去才能上大聯盟。大家都以為簽約等於直升
大聯盟，這蠻扯的。不過當我簽約時，我根本搞不清楚球隊裡有哪些層級。」

That first taste of pro ball agreed with Xander, who hit a team-high .314
with three homers, seven doubles and five triples in 63 games. He also led
the squad with 42 RBIs, scored 39 runs and was named the Red Sox's Latin
Program Player of the Year.

Bogaerts的第一個球季很棒，在63場比賽之內打出全隊最高的.314外帶三支全壘打、五支
三壘安打和七支二壘安打。他同時拿下全隊最高的42打點、39分，拿下該年度紅襪小聯盟
最佳的拉丁美洲球員。

While Jair hit .170 in 46 games and repeated the DSL in 2011, Xander's star
was on the rise. He moved up to Class A Greenville in June 2011 and, even
though he appeared in only 72 games, finished third on the club with 16
homers. Bogaert led all full-time players with a .509 slugging percentage and
tied for fourth with 45 RBIs.

2011年，當Jair在DSL的46場比賽中只打.170時，Xander這顆閃耀之星已經漸漸升起。他
在2011年六月升上1A的Greenville，在僅僅72場比賽中就打出紅襪農場第三高的16支全
壘打，在非短期賽球員中，45打點名列第四，.509的長打率更是名列第一。

"Greenville was another world," he said. "The quality level of baseball in
Aruba isn't even close to baseball in America. Greenville was a nice town.
It's really nice and the field was extremely nice. But I'm a guy that likes
to stay home and not be on the road that much. I don't really go out that
much, I like staying home and cleaning the house and working out."

「Greenville是一個完全不同的世界，Aruba的棒球水準完全比不上美國。Greenville是
一個很棒的小城市，那裡的球場也很棒。不過我不喜歡到處跑，比較喜歡待在家裡打掃
屋子或是進行訓練。」

MiLB.com named him an Organization All-Star following the season and
Bogaerts' entered 2012 as the No. 3 prospect in the system behind Will
Middlebrooks and Bryce Brentz.

MiLB.com在2012年球季前將Bogaerts列為紅襪農場全明星隊，並且將他選為新秀排行榜第
三名。(僅次於Middlebrooks和Bryce Brentz)

The Red Sox bumped Bogaerts up to Class A Advanced Salem, where he did not
disappoint. He batted .302 with 15 homers and 64 RBIs in 104 games and was
named a Carolina League midseason All-Star.

紅襪讓Bogaerts升等到高階A的Salem打怪，她也沒讓球團失望。在104場比賽中打出.302
、15轟和64打點，成為Carolina League的全明星隊。

Bogaerts played for the World team at the All-Star Futures Game in Kansas
City, then earned a promotion to Double-A Portland in early August. In 23
Eastern League games, he collected five homers and 17 RBIs, giving him career
highs of 20 homers and 81 RBIs. He recorded a .307/.373/.523 line across two
levels and was named Topps' Carolina League Player of the Year.

Bogaerts入選未來之星明星隊，在堪薩斯對抗美國隊。接著在八月初獲得升上2A的機會，
在23場比賽中打出五發全壘打和17打點，整季打出生涯新高的20轟、81打點，也繳出了
.307/.373/.523的好成績，獲選為Carolina League Player of the Year。

"It went even better than I expected," Bogaerts said. "I didn't expect to hit
that many home runs. But I worked hard in the offseason and during the
season, and I like to play the game."

「這比我預期的還要好，我沒想到我會打那麼多全壘打。不過不論是球季中還是休賽期，
我都很努力練習。我也很愛比賽。」

For Bogaerts, reaching the Majors would help realize a lifelong goal.

對Bogaerts來說，站上大聯盟能幫助他達成一生夢想。

"It's something that I won't be able to believe until I'm in the batter's box
getting my first at-bat," he said. "It will be something unbelievable because
I've played my whole career ... trying to become one of those Major League
players. You have idols like Derek Jeter and Hanley [Ramirez] and those guys,
you want to be one of them. It will be crazy when I have an opportunity to
join them."

「在我站上大聯盟的打擊區之前，我沒有辦法相信一切。那會成為難以相信的事情，因為
我整個生涯都在努力躋升大聯盟。你會想加入偶像之列，像是Jeter或是Hanley Ramirez
等人。當我有機會加入他們時，一切會變的很瘋狂。」

When it comes to Aruban Major Leaguers, the list is a pretty short one.

說到Aruba出身的大聯盟球員，還真的不是很多。

Outfielder Gene Kingsale became the first player from the island to appear in
a big league game when he debuted for the Orioles on Sept. 3, 1996. He ended
up batting .251 over a seven-year career that included stints with the
Mariners, Padres and Tigers.

外野手Gene Kingsale是大聯盟史上第一位Aruba球員，在1996年9月3日登上大聯盟。他在
水手、教士和老虎的七年生涯中打擊率.251。

Five days after Kingsale made his debut, the Orioles gave fellow Aruban
Calvin Maduro his first start. And in 1998, Sidney Ponson became the third
and most famous player from Aruba when he pitched for Baltimore.

Kingsale登場的五天之後，金鶯給Calvin Maduro在大聯盟的先發機會。1998年，Sidney
Ponson是第三位，也是Aruba史上最出名的球員。當時他是效力於金鶯的投手。

Ponson compiled a 91-113 record over a 12-year career with the Giants,
Cardinals, Yankees, Twins, Royals and Rangers.

在12年的生涯之中，Ponson繳出91勝、113敗的成績。生涯還待過巨人、紅雀、洋基、雙
城、皇家和遊騎兵。

Bogaerts is hoping to become the fourth player on the list, although he said
he's too young and inexperienced to consider himself a baseball ambassador.

Bogaerts希望他能成為第四位站上大聯盟的Aruba球員，不過他本人表示他還很年輕，缺
乏經驗，所以不會把自己想成棒球大使之類的人。

"I'm quiet, humble, just the same as I was back home. I don't want to change
anything," he said. "I try to help people in Aruba approach the game the
right way. I will always be humble and be myself. I can't be too high on
myself just because I got signed.

「我很安靜、謙卑，就像是在家鄉的我一樣，我不想改變任何事情。我試著幫助家鄉的人
能有更正確的方式接觸棒球比賽。我永遠會是一個謙卑的人。我不能只因為簽了約就過度
興奮。」

"That's what they teach you at home growing up, the type of family I was in.
I just want to stick with it. I wouldn't go up to a person and just tell them
I'm a professional baseball player and that I signed with the Boston Red Sox.
... I guess if people know me, they know me. If not, hopefully they will hear
about me some day."

「這就是家裡敎我的，這就是我們家的風格，我會謹守這一點。我不會去找一個人然後跟
他說我是一位職業棒球選手，我是紅襪球員。如果他們知道我，那就是知道。如果不知道
，希望他們未來會聽到有關於我的事情。」


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"HARD WORK BEATS TALENT
WHEN TALENT FAILS TO WORK HARD."

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