Prospect thanks Taylor Swift for helping him learn English all too well

This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Roberto Campos wants to hit for more power.

“I’ve just been working on hitting the ball hard,” he said of his offseason work. “I know when I hit line drives, the ball is going to fly. I’ve just been working on that with my swing.”

For those who have followed the Tigers’ No. 23 prospect since he signed in 2019, they’re familiar words. But as he spoke during Wednesday’s rain delay, there was one key difference: They were his words.

Campos did virtually his entire 12-minute interview on his own. Tigers director of Spanish communications and broadcasting Carlos Guillen was there to help, but was only needed a couple times as Campos searched for a term. One was maturity, something Campos has gained over the last couple years.

“I’m so excited for this season,” he said.

For years, Campos has been a bit of a mystery prospect. Part of it was his history, having trained in the Dominican Republic without competitive baseball for three years leading into the Draft after defecting from Cuba at age 13 during an international tournament. Part, too, was the language barrier.

For years, Campos spoke with English-speaking media with help from a translator. He could convey his thoughts and feelings, but always through another voice. It was a microcosm of his task the last few years, not just adapting to a new level on the field, but a new culture off of it.

“It’s a good lesson for all of us on patience,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Campos’ journey. “The acclimation process is not just about learning about baseball. He’s had to learn about living in a different country, a different language and interacting with a lot of different people. It only feels like it’s taken a long time [for Campos to emerge] because of our lack of patience as an industry, not anything that he has or hasn’t done.”

When Campos advanced to High-A West Michigan in 2023, he played for manager Brayan Pe?a, who knew what Campos faced. Pe?a, too, was born in Cuba, defected at a young age and advanced the Minor Leagues early. He helped Campos with the adjustment and the language. When Pe?a became a catching instructor working throughout the organization last year, Campos -- who remained at High-A to work on his game -- took up the challenge to improve his English enough to communicate on his own.

“My first year, I wasn’t able to speak English. That was so hard for me,” he said. “My second year was more relaxed because I can be fluent in English.”

Campos immersed himself in the language. He said he spoke English with his roommate, fellow outfielder Dom Johnson, and with teammates in the clubhouse. He watched action movies with subtitles. He listened to popular music and paid attention to the lyrics.

“Thanks, Taylor Swift,” he said. “She’s incredible.”

Campos is far from the first Tigers prospect to experience this. Long before Fernando Rodney was one of baseball’s great personalities, he was a soft-spoken reliever from the Tigers system out of the Dominican Republic.

When Rodney made his MLB debut for Detroit in 2002, most teams didn’t employ translators; then-teammate Jose Lima offered before third-base coach Juan Samuel intervened. In time, Rodney learned to handle interviews on his own, and became one of the more interesting players in the Tigers clubhouse.

There’s a personality with Campos that comes out, too, an enthusiasm for the game that has only strengthened with experience. His second season at West Michigan showed improvements over the first, from increased power to career highs in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS, to better use of his speed.

As he awaits a promotion to Double-A Erie and the friendlier dimensions of UPMC Park, he has been a frequent outfielder for the Tigers this Spring Training as an extra player from Minor League camp. He was considered for a non-roster invite, Hinch said, until they decided on a smaller camp roster than in previous seasons. He’ll be part of the Tigers’ Spring Breakout squad taking on Braves prospects on Sunday, March 16 in North Port, a 4 p.m. ET contest that will be broadcast on MLB Network.

“He does a lot of things well,” Hinch said. “Our [player development] group has done a really good job showing patience but also pushing him in some of the parts of the game that he needed to improve. He looks the part.

“He has been over here before, and I’m seeing a little bit more of a mature version of him now, which is good. He’s engaging in the dugout.”

Campos appreciates it.

“I feel good every day that I come here,” he said.