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You may recognize this Cleveland Guardians staff member from postgame interviews in which he stands next to José Ramírez translating from Spanish to English, but do you know his other roles in the clubhouse?
Agustin Rivero, a 37-year-old Venezuelan native, joined the Guardians in 2019. But until then, he was just a kid who loved sports.
"For my entire childhood I was into sports," Rivero said. "Baseball was very important to me, even though my parents always used to remind me that the most important thing was education and then sports."
Rivero always made sure to prioritize his studies while still being an athlete. Then, at just 17, Rivero landed his first professional contract as an outfielder in the New York Yankees minor league system.
"That was my first time leaving Venezuela by myself," he said. "It was hard mentally. After the Yankees, I also played in the Dominican Republic but suffered an injury and couldn't continue playing."
After his injury, Rivero moved to Spain for awhile but said he didn't like the lifestyle there and had to come up with another plan.
"That's what started my journey to the United States, because I knew I had to achieve something," Rivero said. "I felt like a failure because I didn't make it to the major leagues, but I listened to my parents and began my education journey."
He began the educational journey that would eventually lead to his switch from baseball player to interpreter. It was a shock at first for him, because all he knew his entire life was baseball, but as Rivero stated, "Todo tiene un comienzo y un final."
"Everything has a beginning and end."
Rivero attended Quincy College, a community college in Massachusetts, where he received an associate's degree in international business, and then continued his education at Columbia University in New York, where he earned bachelor's and masters degrees.
"I might've not been sure of want I wanted to do yet but I knew it was a starting point," he said. "I wanted to be educated and learn English proficiently."
After graduation, he stayed in New York and worked at Columbia in operations management until joining the Guardians organization as an interpreter.
MLB requires all team to provide Spanish-language interpreters
Since 2016, Major League Baseball has required all teams to have a Spanish-language interpreter program.
Teams must have a full-time, year-round bilingual employee who is fluent in English and Spanish available for all scheduled pregame and postgame interviews. The interpreter is expected to be with the team at all times, including Spring Training workouts and games, home and road games and during the postseason.
Additionally, the interpreter is required attend any club-related event covered by local or national media where players are present.
The translator program is funded in part by penalties paid by teams for exceeding the international signing bonus pools, according to Major League Baseball.
Rivero isn't just an interpreter. He's also a coach, and a lot of Hispanic players rely on him
When migrants first come to the United States, they tend to share similar stories. They usually come alone or with little to no family, encountering language barriers and culture shock.
Rivero said he understands those struggles and really focuses on player development with Hispanic players who come to the Guardians in his role as an official coach — a role he assumed in December 2024.
"A lot of the times players may be coming from difficult situations and worry about exterior factors, but my job is to assure and work with them that they will be OK and help them to focus on baseball," Rivero said.
It gives Rivero so much satisfaction to help players who look like him and speak his native language.
"I look at these players and see myself in them," Rivero said. "It gives me so much joy when I see them achieve career milestones because I used to dream of that, too. This job has (given) me the opportunity and honor to help young athletes make their dreams come true."
Rivero gives a lot of credit to Guardians. Rivero said he and the organization's leaders have the same mindset of community, giving back and, of course, winning.
'When I watched the replay, I was in shocked that I did that'
Rivero reflected back to a special moment of being on camera during his early days with the Guardians as an interpreter and operations staff member.
Although Rivero now is in the dugout, he used to run from the press rooms to the field when he was called to translate.
"They used to tell me come down here really fast because there's an interview," he said. "There was one time when they mic'd me up and my voice was heard all throughout the stadium. When I watched the replay, I was shocked that I did that."
Rivero added that being on camera consistently has been fun and has made him show more of his personality.
Rivero talks special Guardians moments and Jose Ramírez
October baseball is just different. Rivero said it's a reflection of teammates working hard and crafting a winning team all year long.
But for Rivero, special moments are when he can circle back to his Hispanic roots.
"Being able to watch Ramírez grow into this household name and athlete makes me proud," Rivero said. "It shows representation of us Hispanics that no matter how short, tall, strong you are, the thing that truly is valued is the type of heart you have."
The respect is mutual. Ramírez said he "loves Augie."
"That's my guy," Ramírez said.
Rivero said Ramírez shows everyone who Hispanic people really are — hardworking individuals who want to be great in this country.
"I think those moments are the most memorable to me," Rivero said.
Alisson Toro-Lagos is a reporter for the Beacon Journal. She can be reached at atorolagos@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Who is the translator for José Ramírez? Meet Agustin Rivero