SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After the D-backs acquired catching prospect Oscar Hernandez in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, the 22-year-old Venezuelan knew he wouldn't know many teammates when he reported for Spring Training the following February in Scottsdale.
But a quick bond was established between Hernandez and another Spanish speaker who was not only new to the organization, but also to the country: newly signed Cuban pitching prospect Yoan Lopez.
The first bullpen session Hernandez caught at Salt River Fields was Lopez's, and the two have grown closer ever since. After a season apart -- Hernandez split time between the big leagues and rehab assignments in Triple-A Reno, while Lopez spent most of his first season stateside at Double-A Mobile -- Lopez is back throwing to Hernandez, now as teammates on the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League.