GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Hernan Iribarren now wears a simple gold chain around his neck. He holds it in his fingers and dismisses it, it means nothing. He likes the way it looks.
But know this: The necklace is a vestige of the multi-colored beaded necklaces and bracelets he once wore as an integral part of what he called “witchcraft.”
As a 17-year-old signed out of Venezuela in 2002 by the Brewers, Iribarren was sent to the Dominican Republic. One of his coaches in Venezuela gave him a name, a man that would help protect him from bad influences, who would use spirituality to keep him on the path to the big leagues.