The atmosphere ahead of a game in the Dominican Winter League is electric. The passion, the fandom, the pure excitement is seen on every fan's face, there is a reason baseball is king in the Dominican Republic.
Ahead of Sunday's matchup between Licey and Los Gigantes at Estadio Quisqeya in Santo Domingo, we got the opportunity to speak with former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jorge Bonifacio.
The outfielder elected free agency following the 2022 MLB season and is now showcasing his skills down in his home country in hopes of finding a new home with an MLB team.
The ever-upbeat, yet typically reserved outfielder had plenty to say when it came to his goals, performance, and the love for the Winter League.
Kayla Skinner: Who is your biggest influence in baseball?
Jorge Bonifacio: I’m going to say Emilio Bonafacio, my brother. That was the role model I saw when I was growing up.
Skinner: What are you currently focusing on improving in the 2023 season?
Bonifacio: I think hitting-wise, like I need to get a better approach hitting. That wasn’t one of my biggest goals for 2022.
Skinner: Who are you most excited to compete against next season?
Bonifacio: Next season? Oooh.
Skinner: A person or a team.
Bonifacio: I don’t know, because I don’t have anyone I’m like 'oh I want to compete with.'
Skinner: No rivals?
Bonifacio: No, no not really. Like all the ones. All the teams I play against are my rivals. I want to beat them. But I don’t have right now like one team.
Skinner: What are some things you value most about your team here in the Dominican?
Bonifacio: I think the way we come out every single day winning-wise. It’s about winning here. It’s about winning every single night and to get a championship. Because we play in front of our family, our country. How we come every single day to play about winning is amazing.
Skinner: What are you looking forward to most next season?
Bonifacio: I think get back to the bigs. That was, I’d say, a goal. One of my goals. Because last year I didn’t play there I played AAA but I didn’t play in the [Big Leagues]. I want to get back there.
Bonifacio has spent time at the MLB level with the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, and most recently with the Phillies in 2021. He holds a career slashline of .242/.312/.393. He also showed off some power during the 2017 MLB season when he mashed 17 home runs in 113 games with the Royals.
Always a professional, Bonifacio was an incredible player to interview and he should have no issue finding a new home this winter!
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