CINCINNATI — With the rise of the Reds, all eyes have been on rookie Elly De La Cruz. The 21-year-old has brought a new energy to the game unlike any other, but with stardom comes big responsibility — like lots of interviews.
But the Spanish-speaking player relies on one person to make sure his words are understood
What You Need To Know
- The Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz has been the talk of baseball this season
- Elly speaks Spanish and thanks to Reds translator Jorge Merlos, he's able to share his thoughts with media members
- Merlos became the teams translator in 2020 and says its key to create a relationship with Latin players
- Merlos says he's enjoyed getting to know Elly and be a part of his journey
It’s the Elly De La Cruz show in Cincinnati. But you may have noticed someone by his side for every interview. That's Jorge Merlos, the Reds translator. He’s the voice for players like Elly, who are predominantly Spanish speaking.
Merlos started as an intern with the Reds Community Fund in 2016, taking over as translator in 2020, a role he said was a big responsibility.
“You have to build that type of friendship with them so it’s that comfortability between one another and they can rely on you with anything that they have and need," Merlos said. "It’s building that relationship with them and building that relationship with their families as well.”
Merlos also translates for relief pitcher Alexis Díaz, who said his relationship with Merlos has made his transition to the Reds easier.
“He’s just a brilliant person," Díaz said. "I mean, he’s a guy that’s been helping me ever since I got to this team last year. He’s been with me throughout everything, I mean, through all the things that we’ve done together, he’s been by my side.”
So much so that when Díaz was voted an All-Star earlier this summer, he requested Merlos came with him.
“I got to get Jorge with me. He’s got to come with me and be part of this," Díaz said. "Sure enough, right there and then, they said yep, Jorge’s able to go. That experience was just so awesome to be there with him and he was there to help out with anything that I needed was awesome and it was just a joy to be a part of that.”
Merlos credits his family, who are from El Salvador, for encouraging him to learn Spanish early on.
“My grandmother at an early age told me, ‘hey, I’m not going to learn English, so you’re going to have to speak Spanish to me,’” Merlos said. “And it was like, okay, well, that’s how it’s going to be… From a very early age, I knew Spanish was going to be an important part of my life as well.”
When Merlos isn’t translating- he’s in the dugout shooting video of the players.
“It’s such an intense atmosphere down here," he said. "I just love it so much."
He's catching the action of the players he translates for, like Díaz.
“It seems like nothing phases him," Merlos said. "Every time he goes out there he’s just like 'yep, I’m going here and doing my work, simple as that.'"
It’s in these moments that Merlos grounds himself in what he gets to do each day.
“It’s a privilege to be out here with Elly and be with someone that is just so exciting for the game," he said.
And while he makes it look easy...
“It’s kind of normal to me to have both languages rummaging in my head," he said.
He knows it’s not about him.
“It’s definitely interesting," Merlos said. "I get people, a lot of people telling me, hey I see you on TV all the time and I don’t know how to give a reaction to that, it’s kind of like yeah, I guess I’m doing my job!”
He tries his best to keep doing his job to make these players feel as part of the team as possible.
“For us to be a person that they can rely on in any situation that they have," he said.
Major League Baseball required that every team hire a translator starting in 2016 to ensure Latin players have the same opportunities.