Meet the ‘Yuma Guys’ making waves on Diamondbacks’ RBI team
YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — The Arizona Diamondbacks RBI team, after winning the West Regional tournament, is headed to the Nike RBI World Series in Florida.
RBI stands for “Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities.” The Major League Baseball program is a youth league for teens nationwide.
This year’s Diamondbacks RBI team has 16 players from across the state, five from Yuma County.
Caleb Rosado, Andrugh Yee, Juan Chavez, Ernesto Vizcarra, and Cesar Chavira have been nicknamed: “Yuma Guys.”
They’re making waves in the Diamondbacks organization for their tenacity, driving from Yuma to Scottsdale to practice at Salt River Fields
James Kuzniak is a local high school coach and one of the coaches for the Diamondbacks RBI team.
“It gives these kids a chance that wouldn’t necessarily have a chance to play in these bigger tournaments,” said Kuzniak.
He said three of the team’s players are returning, but 13 are new.
“Having a group like that come together and perform and play well, it’s pretty special,” he said.
Kuzniak said it’s been the experience of a lifetime for these players. They’ve got the complete MLB treatment, been fitted with new Diamondbacks uniforms and gear, and met pro-MLB players.
“I’ve never been in a uniform like this one. This is the best team I’ve played with. We really have good chemistry and play well,” said Caleb Rosado.
Andrugh Yee said that playing on the same field as the big hitters has been unreal.
“It’s cool, especially like us that want to be there one day. It’s pretty exciting,” Yee said.
The MLB program is free, but the members pay for all traveling expenses. Each RBI league player also gets a $1,500 scholarship for college.
For Rosado, college is the next step in his baseball career.
“I want to go to college ball. I hope to do my best and go to a Division One School,” said Rosado.
The team heads to Florida on Sunday, where it will play its first game of the RBI World Series on August 5.
“The goal is to win it, but besides winning it’s about seeing them play. I’ve seen what they can do and they do it well,” said Kuzniak.
Kuzniak said it’s been a challenging journey, but they’re proud to represent their region.
“We’re making a long drive, there’s a lot of adversity. All these kids have family in Mexico. We’re not only representing Yuma, we’re representing San Luis and Mexicali. It’s really something special,” he said.
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