You must be present to win.

Not one day goes by when I don't remind myself of how grateful I am for those who came before me over the last 25 years. When I see players like Mike Schmidt and Johnny Bench, I thank them.

It is hard to ignore that is reality. But, at the same time, it still comes down to sound baseball decisions, farm systems and then execution on the field by the players. There are a lot of components to that (other) than just saying it is the highest salary.

I want to be known as a good major-leaguer, and good major-leaguers work to become good.

Keep reading books, stay in school. I encourage kids to read as much as they can, I challenge you to read a book every two weeks, like I try to.

This is how I define grace: youre on the main stage, and it looks like it has been rehearsed 100 times, everything goes so smoothly. Thats where I get my confidence and success, from knowing that I have an edge because I know Im prepared.

I want to be known as Dominican-that's what I am, 100 percent ... I have a duty and responsibility to continue the legacy of Dominicans in baseball.