BRADENTON, Fla. — Elias Diaz remained composed as he described how four police officers, one of whom was a family friend, kidnapped his mother in Venezuela nearly two weeks ago.
Then, Diaz was asked to express his emotions now that his mother was rescued and returned home, allowing him to rejoin his teammates at Pirate City for spring training, albeit four days after the first formal workout.
The 27-year-old catcher smiled, looked out to the dew-covered fields behind the Pirates' spring training complex and tried to encapsulate all he had experienced from his mother's kidnapping to her rescue one week ago.
"I feel like a brand-new man," he said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez. "My mother was reborn and I was reborn as well. I'm more than excited. I'm motivated to get back on the field and do everything I can to help my team out and get ready for the season."
Diaz's mother, Ana Soto, was talking to a neighbor outsider her home in Maracaibo, Venezuela on Feb. 8, when four men abducted her and demanded money in exchange for her being returned safely. Diaz's family contacted the police and four days later, she was rescued by CICPC, the nation’s police agency:
A friend from Venezuela sent me this picture of Pirates catcher Elias Diaz's mom after she was saved from her captors / Un amigo de Venezuela me envió esta foto de la madre de Elías Díaz después de ser liberada tras su secuestro... https://t.co/LJ98PldaIj pic.twitter.com/DERMInVacq
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) February 12, 2018
Her rescue was two days before pitchers and catchers had to report to Pirate City, however, the club gave Diaz additional time off to spend with family in Venezuela. He told reporters that his mother is doing well, but he had a difficult time describing the tumultuous four days.
"In the beginning, I have no words to be able to describe the reaction and just the response of when I first received the news," Diaz said. "It was heartbreaking. Nobody prepares themselves for something like that. No one really takes the time to think that through or try to imagine what that could feel like. However, when it hit me it hit me like a ton of bricks, and it was a very tough situation to deal with. When I did find out the news that we found my mom I can tell you that the joy I felt was overwhelming. I never felt that caliber of joy I felt when I received the news my mom was coming back home."
Diaz is expected to finally have a full-time spot on the Pirates' 25-man roster after experiencing a breakthrough behind the plate during the final weeks of last season. He appeared in 64 games for the club last season, batting .223 with one home run and 19 RBI, but his impact was far greater defensively, where he helped a young pitching staff excel during September.
A native of Maracaibo, Diaz spent the offseason in his home country, and he posted a video on Instagram of visiting a hospital near his hometown.
Diaz helped organize donation drives to bring supplies to the hospital. Children across the country are suffering from malnutrition and maternal mortality rates continue to rise, according a recent report by the New York Times.
Hospitals are short on supplies, including formula for infants, and food prices continue to rise in the country. Riots and protests have intensified because of the lack of affordable food. The Pirates were one of many teams in Major League Baseball to raise awareness of the crisis, beginning with Francisco Cervelli, who wrote, “S.O.S Venezuela,” on his eye black.
Diaz, Cervelli, Jose Osuna and Felipe Rivero are among the organization’s players from Venezuela. While Pirates players and staff members from Puerto Rico were able to organize hurricane relief efforts for their home country, such a move is more difficult in Venezuela, where government officials have reportedly intercepted food and supplies sent there from across the globe.
Cervelli stayed in contact with Diaz from the moment he heard the news of the kidnapping to when Soto was rescued Sunday. Cervelli would then pass on updates to Osuna and Rivero.
"Anger," Rivero said of his reaction to the news of Soto's kidnapping. "It's not supposed to happen like that. Since we are public figures and we are in the eye of everyone, that happening to one of your brothers, it makes you angry and confused. I didn't know what to do."
Rivero hasn't been back to Venezuela in years, although his mother and brother still live in the country. Cervelli, meanwhile, helped his immediate family leave the country. But Diaz and Osuna both returned there this offseason.
Now, Diaz isn't so sure he'll ever return. He's focused on helping his family escape Venezuela, but he acknowledged how challenging that process can be. The ordeal also made him reconsider whom he trusts.
"It kind of just removes the trust, the trust of your roots," Diaz said. "It makes you want to detach from your roots and makes you question, 'Do I even want to go back? Do I want to remain there?' You kind of lose the trust. It makes you more aware of your surroundings, and it’s kind of sad. It's a tough situation to deal with."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates spring training, Bradenton, Fla., Feb. 18, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS