CASPER, Wyo. — Wilin Rosario’s hometown of Bonao is a small city nestled in the central mountains of the Dominican Republic. Emerald-green jungles, spiked with rushing waterfalls, surround Bonao.
Rosario grew up eating rice, beans and chicken. He loves “pastels en hojas” — Dominican tamales wrapped in banana leaves.
Like many talented, young Latino ballplayers, he left his home to chase his dream playing major-league baseball, which led him to Casper, a high plains city of 54,000 with a frontier past.
In broken English, the 19-year-old catcher searches for the right words to describe this very foreign place, home of the Casper Ghosts, a Rockies rookie-league team.
“It’s very . . . um, different,” he said, flashing a giant smile.
Rosario is one of 17 Latin American-born players on the Ghosts’ roster spending their summer in this windswept land of cowboys, pickup trucks, oil workers and fast-food restaurants. To the west looms Casper Mountain, a place where, back in June, many of the players threw snowballs for the first time. To the north, south and east, the Great Plains stretch out with no end in sight.
This land of stark beauty is not a steppingstone to the big leagues. Nor is it a launching pad. Rather, it is a touchstone, a place where young, raw ballplayers develop skills, on and off the field, that will define their future.
“That first trip to America is a huge jump,” said Rolando Fernandez, Rockies director of international operations. “There is a different competition level on the field. It’s much higher than in the Dominican. Plus, a lot of these kids are going away from home for the first time.”
Struggling with a new language, 10-hour bus trips, strange food, homesickness that can reduce a young man to tears, a sea of white faces in the stands and demands on the field are an inescapable part of the experience.
Ghosts manager Tony Diaz, a native of the Dominican Republic who earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Florida International University, knows it can be overwhelming.
“The pressure on some of these kids from back home is tremendous,” Diaz said. “A lot of these kids are the only providers for their families. For the majority of the cases, they represent their families’ only hope. When you have that pressure already, it can eat you up.”
But rather than shield his players from the uncomfortable and the unknown, Diaz encourages them to embrace it all.
“I tell them to learn as much as they can when they are not on the baseball field, to enhance their cultural experience,” he said. “I think if they are comfortable in their surroundings, they will play better on the field. I want them to know there is life outside baseball. I don’t want them sulking and thinking that a 0-for-4 night with three punchouts is the end of the world.”
Welcoming the Ghosts
A beat-up old dresser sits in the basement of Jeri and Roy Maben’s comfortable middle-class home. It’s covered with autographs from all the players who have called this house their rookie home. Look closely and you’ll see the signature of Panamanian Manny Corpas, now a big-time Rockies reliever, and Venezuelan Jonathan Herrera, the starting shortstop for Triple-A Colorado Springs who made his big-league debut with the Rockies this season.
“I make sure all of the players sign it,” Roy Maben said. “It’s kind of neat to see all the guys who’ve come through here.”
The Mabens are one of several host families for Ghosts players. They have been welcoming minor-leaguers into their home since 2003. Six players are bunking in their basement this summer, meaning the Mabens have housed 26 players in all, almost all of them Latino.
The Mabens speak limited Spanish, but their home is filled with laughter and love. Roy is the language cop, constantly reminding players, such as Venezuelan shortstop Carlos Martinez, to speak English.
The players all call Jeri “Ma” and she calls them “her kids.” The Mabens’ grandchildren, Daryan, 13, and Brevan, 10, have adopted the Ghosts players as older brothers.
“I bake them cakes and Rice Krispies treats,” boasted Daryan.
The Mabens were inspired to take in players because their son, Michael Stieb, also relied on the kindness of strangers.
“Michael was involved in international roller skating competition,” Jeri said. “He traveled a lot and it was comforting to know that other people were taking care of him. It’s important to have a place to call home.”
Though players pay for almost all of their own food and entertainment, host families are not compensated. That’s fine with Jeri, because memories are more than adequate payment.
Sitting behind the backstop on a hot August night at Mike Lansing Field for a Ghosts game against the visiting Orem (Utah) Owlz, Jeri rolled out story after story.
“Did I tell you about the pink bikes?” she asked excitedly.
Then the 57-year-old Casper native tells the tale of 6-foot-3 Venezuelan pitcher Yull Sandoval and 6-foot Dominican outfielder Orlando Sandoval riding kid-size pink bikes to the local convenience store to buy international calling cards — the lifelines connecting the players to their families back home.
“It was quite a sight,” Roy chimes in, recounting the players cycling down the street early this summer, their knees nearly touching their shoulders.
Since then, the Mabens have invested in adult-sized bikes.
Friends away from home
In their rare moments of free time, players venture to Casper’s Eastridge Mall for some clothes shopping. But with players making just $850 a month, and much of that money being sent back home, their purchases are small.
There have been a few team barbecues, a tubing adventure down the North Platte River and countless hours on the phone or computer, hooking up with family and girlfriends back home.
For their daily needs and a safe haven, the Latino players turn to their host families. Lynn Ahrndt, a vivacious mother of two, is only 28. Players have dubbed her their “little white mom.”
She and her husband, William, have opened their doors to five players this summer. Lynn runs a tight ship, making sure the players clean up and leave a spotless kitchen. She’s helped some of them open bank accounts, teaching them how balance their checkbooks. On occasion, she takes them to restaurants, making sure they calculate a proper tip.
Mostly, Lynn is their friend, though sometimes she doesn’t even realize how important a role she plays. Last summer, for instance, Everth Cabrera, a shy young man from Nandaime, Nicaragua, spent much of his time holed up in his room. He did, however, connect with Lynn’s son, Josh, the two of them spending hours playing Xbox together.
“When Everth left, he cried and hugged me and told me he loved our family,” Lynn said. “So I guess we really did help him out. He still calls me.”
Families keep players grounded
Rosario’s first summer in Casper was a rugged one. His English was limited, his confidence lagged, his comfort level was low. In 34 games, he hit just .208. This season, he’s blossomed into a team leader. He’s hitting .335 with nine homers and 32 RBIs in 43 games.
“He’s very special a catcher, a very good athlete,” Diaz said.
But Diaz is certain Rosario’s on-field abilities blossomed when he found solid ground off the field.
“He’s embraced what I was talking about,” Diaz said. “His English is much improved and he’s more outgoing. He’s been my biggest project and it’s so gratifying to see him taking off. In some ways, he reminds me of Ubaldo.”
That would be Ubaldo Jimenez, the Rockies’ heat-throwing right-hander who has emerged as one of baseball’s best young pitchers.
Jimenez was, according to Diaz, something of an introvert. Playing for Casper in the summer of 2002, Jimenez spoke halting English, lost 20 pounds trying to adjust to American food and went 3-5 with a 6.53 ERA.
Today, Jimenez smiles when he reminisces about his summer in the Pioneer League, a journey that began with a road trip to Provo, Utah.
“I was like, ‘Wow, there are a lot of blond people, a lot of blond girls!’ ” Jimenez said, laughing. “And everybody was white, and everything was about rodeos and cows and horses. It was so different.”
But Jimenez’s immense talent, and his burning desire, pulled him through.
“When I was growing up, I wanted to go to America and play baseball,” Jimenez said. “I was so excited to be there, I hardly ever missed home. I always thought something good was going to happen here.”
Casper alumni
The Casper Ghosts (called the Casper Rockies from 2001-07) are the Rockies’ rookie team in the Pioneer League. Following are Casper alumni who have spent time on the Rockies’ roster this year:
2001
RHP Ryan Speier*
2B Jayson Nix*
2002
RHP Manuel Corpas
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez
2003
SS Jonathan Herrera*
RHP Juan Morillo*
3B Ian Stewart
2004
LHP Frankin Morales*
OF Seth Smith
* With Triple-A Colorado Springs
