Edgar Hern¨˘ndez was devoted to baseball, eventually working his way into the Metropolitanos lineup in the Cuban National Series. His twin sons -- Omar and Frank -- preferred to play soccer, though.
That is, until a job opportunity took Hern¨˘ndez and his family to Spain. It was there, in their new city of Catalonia, home to the legendary soccer club Barcelona, that his children finally took up baseball.
"They came to a country where football is the king sport here, but then football here was a little more expensive," the elder Hern¨˘ndez told MLB.com through Eloi Puigferrar Grau, the press and communications manager for the Royal Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation, who translated. "They were good when they played in Cuba, but when they came to Spain, they saw that it was kind of fancy and it was hard to get in."
With Edgar having taken a coaching position with Viladecans, a team in Spain's top flight Divisi¨®n de Honor de B¨¦isbol, it was an easy decision to have them grab a bat and a glove.
"It was not like the first time we ever played baseball because in Cuba we used to play street baseball," Omar said. "It's the national sport, so we used to play and throw and everything."
That clearly was the right decision: These days, Omar digs in for the Quad City River Bandits, the Royals' High-A farm team, while Frank is currently with the Cubs' Single-A affiliate in Myrtle Beach.
The two quickly showed off their skills and by the time they were teenagers, they were lining up for the senior team.
"We were promoted to the first team [by the time] we were 16, 17 years old," Frank said. "We didn't realize that we might have a chance to go even higher and be on the path we're following now."
They may have grown up without big plans on the diamond, but the two were quickly making a name for themselves on the European circuit, showing off their skills in the Spanish league and tournaments like the 2019 U-18 World Cup, where Frank laced 12 hits and drove in eight runs in the eight games.
"Every year in Sant Boi de Llobregat, there's an MLB tournament which is full of scouts watching the games," Omar said. "We were invited to play there, but I never went thinking about getting signed or anything like that. It was my hobby and I wanted to give everything I had just because I enjoy baseball and it's the sport that I love, but I never thought about getting signed."
While the boys were filling up the stats sheets in the Divisi¨®n de Honor or starring for the national team, Edgar wanted to remain cautious. He thought that his boys had talent, but isn't that what every father thinks?
"Everyone was telling me that they had potential there, but I was kind of skeptical," Edgar said. "I wanted to see them as a coach, not as a father. I was really cautious with that."
After Omar hit .434/.500/.528 with 25 runs in 26 games as a 16-year-old for Viladecans, there was no denying it anymore: In August 2018, the Royals signed the elder brother to a professional contract and had him report to the rookie-level Arizona League (now the Arizona Complex League). Despite putting up impressive numbers his first year with the team -- hitting .290/.345/.390 -- Omar admits that the transition to the States was a difficult one for him.
"It was the first time I was alone on my own, away from my home, away from my brother," he said. "It was like the first time I spent more than two days apart from home and apart from my brother."
He wouldn't have to wait long: The next winter -- after that U-18 World Cup -- the Cubs inked Frank to a contract, too. (The only problem: Thanks to the pandemic in 2020, Frank spent the year playing in Italy before making his stateside debut in 2021).
As the two now work their way to the Major Leagues, they have once again found themselves relying on each other just as they did as children.
"Maybe my path was even easier than Omar's because I was always asking my brother, 'How is it? How's it going?' I can just follow his path," Frank said.
While the two may look to one another for support, there is still a friendly rivalry between them. They dream of not just reaching the Majors together, but playing against each other, too.
"We're always calling each other and everything, but we also want to play against each other," Omar said. "Like, 'Hey are you going to try to steal a base? I'm going to take you out.'"
If you thought that their experience is unique, you'd be right. Already this year, 32 players from Cuba have seen big league action. Compare that to Spain, where Danny Rios -- drafted in the 72nd round in the 1990 MLB Draft -- is the most recent player born in the nation to reach the Majors.
But perhaps that's changing. While Omar and Frank were born in Cuba, their skills were developed and honed in Spain. This past fall, the nation won the European Baseball Championship for the first time since 1955 (Omar led the tournament in home runs and runs scored). Former Major Leaguer Jeremy Guthrie is hosting a development camp this month.
"As soon as I got [to Spain], I was surprised because I saw many players that had enough talent to be playing in the United States or have a chance to get into some organizations," Edgar reflected on his introduction to the country. "A lot of players, not even in Catalonia but all around the country, they have enough talent to play."
The two brothers know what a big league career could mean not just for themselves, but for their teammates on the Spanish national team and the young players just learning the game back in Catalonia.
"We don't feel any pressure, but we do feel a responsibility because we know that there are younger generations that are looking up to us," Omar said. "We definitely want to focus on staying dedicated."