SURPRISE, Ariz.
The specific date still eludes Reymond Fuentes but the memory is clear and lucid. In the early 2000s, he traveled from his Florida home to Kansas City, taking in a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium.
His mother, Olga, wanted young Reymond to see her first cousin play baseball in person. Fuentes says that when they entered the stadium, he spotted Carlos Beltran in center field.
“Ever since then, I’ve followed him,” Fuentes says.
As a child, Fuentes patterned his game off Beltran, a former Royals star. He sought to his emulate his blend of power and speed.