BALTIMORE -- Orocovis is a small town near the center of Puerto Rico with a population of a little more than 20,000. It has produced only two baseball players who have reached the Major Leagues -- Rafael Santo Domingo, who had a brief stint for the 1979 Reds, and Luis Vázquez, a rookie infielder with the Orioles this season.
Considering how few big leaguers have come out of Orocovis, the news of Vázquez getting selected by the Cubs out of Alberto Melendez Torres High School in the 14th round of the 2017 MLB Draft created quite a bit of buzz locally at the time.
It caught the attention of one fan in particular -- Tomas Santiago, an Orocovis native who now lives in Lafayette Hill, Pa., with his wife, Chanel, and their two sons, 16-year-old Jayden and 12-year-old Jaylan.
“The whole town [of Orocovis], we’re a very small town, so everybody knows each other,” Santiago said. “So when [Vázquez] got drafted, that’s all you saw throughout social media. Family and friends all posted it.”
Santiago closely tracked Vázquez’s professional career, including when the utility man reached the big leagues for the first time in 2024, playing 11 games for the Cubs. Santiago hoped one day he and his family could meet Vázquez, who was traded to the Orioles in January.
It finally happened Sunday morning at Camden Yards.
Prior to the O’s series finale vs. the Yankees, the Santiago family got passes onto the field that allowed them to meet Vázquez, who came bearing gifts. The 25-year-old Vázquez handed out gift bags featuring hats, bobbleheads and signed balls, then he also gave them a signed pair of batting gloves and even a signed bat.
Vázquez chatted with Santiago for quite some time, then took a picture with the whole family.
“It’s been very special knowing that they’ve been supporting me my entire career, and really happy that we got to see them today,” Vázquez said via O’s team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “It’s incredible knowing that they’re from the same hometown as I am and knowing that they went through all the work coming to the States from Puerto Rico, I know that’s not an easy trip to make. ... We finally found the right time to make it happen.”
It’s difficult to imagine that Vázquez has any bigger fans. Santiago now watches every Orioles game when Vázquez is in the lineup, and he isn’t quiet about it, either, often informing the other members of his family about Vázquez’s achievements.
That’s why Santiago got emotional when his favorite player met his two sons.
“Listen, I got a little teary-eyed, because I talk to my wife and my kids, day and night, every time he gets a hit or when he’s on TV, that’s all I do,” Santiago said. “When you’re from Orocovis, you’re just proud of who you are and where you come from. And he made it. ...
“We’re up in the mountains, so for one of us to make it, it means we all made it. This was super exciting.”
This year, Vázquez has gotten an extended run on Baltimore’s roster as a backup at second base, third base and shortstop. He’s played in 35 games and been a popular presence on the O’s bench because of his energy and the support he gives teammates. He also notched his first MLB home run this season -- a seventh-inning solo shot in a 3-2 win over the Astros on Aug. 24.
Whenever Vázquez is called upon to fill in somewhere in the Orioles’ lineup, he has more than himself in mind.
“I think it’s something I take a lot of pride in in my career, not only playing for myself, but knowing I can be a role model to kids as well,” Vázquez said. “I think it’s very special knowing that I can be an inspiration to them.”
Particularly kids from Orocovis, like Jayden and Jaylan, whose dad, Tomas, plans to print out a large photo from Sunday’s meet-and-greet and hang it in their family’s living room.
“As a kid, I always wanted to be able to have a moment like that and get an autographed bat from my favorite players, and that never happened,” Vázquez said. “So I wanted to make sure I took some time out of my day to do that for them and knowing that it was such a special moment to do that for them.”
It was certainly that.
“Oh, it was a dream come true,” Tomas Santiago said.