Royals’ MJ Melendez praises his family for helping make his big-league dreams come true

Pete Grathoff
·2 min read
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You’ve likely heard the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child,” well, here’s the Major League Baseball version from Royals manager Mike Matheny.

When asked what advice he’d have for catcher MJ Melendez, who made his big-league debut Tuesday in the Royals’ 7-1 win over the Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium, Matheny said gratitude is important.

“Enjoy and take a deep breath,” Matheny said . Allow yourself a minute to stop and look around, acknowledge your family, that this takes a village to get here. ... You look at the numbers and the odds of getting there one day and being on that field for that first game, they’re so overwhelming that you’d get lost if you got too hung up on that.

“So appreciate it for what it is. It’s really special. Then have fun. You know that’s always the best advice. It’s easy to say when you’re not out there for the first game. Everybody breathes a little different on that first day.“

Melendez seemed to be breathing just fine as he had a single and a walk in four plate appearances.

The first hit was laced into left field and had an exit velocity of 95.1 mph. After reaching first, Melendez got a hug from first-base coach Damon Hollins. Melendez also looked into a suite where his mother, father, brother and grandfather were cheering wildly.

“Chills. I got goosebumps right away seeing them up there,” Melendez said. “It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of since I was a little kid, and being able to get on that big-league field playing a big-league game and have my family watching, just goosebumps that’s all I can say.”

Melendez echoed Matheny’s thoughts, and acknowledged that he wouldn’t have been standing on first base were it not for his family.

“It’s just so surreal, thinking back on everything, just from day one, all the things that my family has done for me,” Melendez said. “I just am so grateful and so happy that they’re able to witness that moment. ... I’m just so thankful for that, for everything they’ve done for me, because without my family I wouldn’t be here.”