Phillies' Burriss uses Spanish to make connections
CINCINNATI - Emmanuel Burriss pulled a chair up to Cesar Hernandez' locker on Thursday morning before the series finale at Great American Ball Park. The Phillies teammates chatted for a few minutes in Spanish, the native tongue of Hernandez and the language that Burriss works to master.
CINCINNATI - Emmanuel Burriss pulled a chair up to Cesar Hernandez' locker on Thursday morning before the series finale at Great American Ball Park. The Phillies teammates chatted for a few minutes in Spanish, the native tongue of Hernandez and the language that Burriss works to master.
Burriss, who grew up in Washington, did not start learning Spanish until he was 14. His first words came via family members from the Dominican Republic. He took some courses in high school and college, but most of his study came outside the classroom. And his education continues in clubhouses and fields as the 31-year-old's baseball journey rolls on.
"They don't know me from Joe Schmoe, and they're super confused when they hear me speaking Spanish," Burriss said. "Sometimes they hear me speaking Spanish first, and they don't know that I speak English. That freaks them out, too. But I like it."
Burriss joined the Phillies this offseason and was granted an invitation to major-league spring training. He parlayed that into earning his first opening-day roster spot since 2012. Burriss, who can play both the infield and outfield, had just three at-bats in the last three seasons as his career was nearly derailed by injuries.
The former first-round pick by San Francisco had two surgeries in nine months in 2010 to repair his broken left foot. The recovery process was slow. The fast runner needed time to feel comfortable running again, and his time away led him to have hamstring and quadriceps problems once he returned. Those problems led to a sore back as the injuries piled up.
"It was a good three years of sacrificing my time to get where I wanted to get," Burriss said. "If I didn't love the game as much as I do, I would have given up. A lot of people would have given up. I love the game, and I love to play."
Burriss said his ability to speak Spanish helps him on the field as he's able to communicate with his teammates. It aided him the last two winters when he played in the Dominican Republic. Burriss hopes the language helps him stay in baseball once his playing career finishes.
Andres Blanco, who learned English a few seasons ago, said Burriss' ability to speak Spanish is a good addition to the team. He said Burriss' Spanish is as good as Blanco's English, a compliment from a player often used to interpret conversations.
"The most important thing in life is communication," Blanco said. "And if a team all speaks the same language, then everyone will go the same way. Everyone will agree. When you're not able to communicate with anyone, it's hard. Even just getting to the field is hard. But when you can communicate, it's fun."