Victor Mederos Makes Big League Dream Come True 

When Victor Mederos was just a child, his future was in doubt. Born in Cuba, Mederos’ family had ambitions to get off the island in search of a better life with greater opportunities for the children, including Victor.

In 2008, Mederos and his family got visas to go to Costa Rica. From there, they went to Mexico and worked their way north toward the U.S. border. When they reached the border near Fort Worth, Texas, they were questioned by border patrol agents. Eventually, Mederos was able to enter the United States under the wet foot, dry foot policy, allowing Cuban residents that reached the U.S. by land to stay in the country.

Eventually, the family settled in Miami, where Mederos would begin his baseball journey. It all wouldn’t have been possible if not for the one border patrol agent letting his family into the U.S.

“That is why I love this game so much. There are so many people with different stories and backgrounds. But we’re all playing for the same thing,” he said. “We can come from anywhere in the world. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal and the same mindset, which is so special about this game.”

Always an active child, Mederos found a new way to unleash as a kid. It wasn’t the way most baseball players find their love for the game.

“When I first got here when I was a kid, I got into karate because it was one of the closest things to home. I was always an outdoors and active kid, I always wanted to be doing something,” he recalled. “After a few months I watched one of my mom’s friend’s kids playing baseball and I started getting into it. My brother and parents played baseball in Cuba, so they had that connection. And then the first game I ever played I hit a home run, so I was hooked from there.”

Growing up in the Miami area, Mederos attended three different high schools, graduating from Westminster Christian in 2020. His college career began at Miami in 2021. Last year he transferred to Oklahoma State and wrapped up his college career there.

In the summer, the Los Angeles Angels came calling, selecting Mederos in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He began his professional career with a handful of starts for High-A Tri-City in 2022. Ultimately, he was with the Trash Pandas development list for the stretch run and the 2022 playoffs, not able to pitch.

With a stint in Major League spring training behind him, Mederos opened 2023 in the Rocket City rotation. He displayed the stuff that made him one of the Angels’ top prospects, although the consistency wasn’t there early in the season. Through the ups and downs, Mederos’ mindset has been the same.

“Don’t take anything for granted. This game can change your life quickly, and it’s just a matter of being patient,” he said. “Stay positive, having an imagination in your mind that you will be better, you will continue to fight and continue to compete and continue to give your team a chance to win. Especially as a starting pitcher, you can have a good outing change with one pitch and it’s really all determined on what you have going through your head.”

On June 29, the game changed Mederos’ life. When getting ready for a start at Birmingham’s Regions Field against the Barons, Mederos was called in to chat with Manager Andy Schatzley. He thought the manger was going to go over a scouting report. Instead, Schatzley said he wouldn’t be starting that night, he’d be flying out west to join the Angels for his MLB debut. It was an incredible experience for the 22-year-old.

“I remember telling Andy to tell me he wasn’t lying, and he told me it wasn’t a joke. It was a crazy moment filled with emotions,” Mederos recalled. “I remember thinking of my family and thinking about everything we’ve gone through and to be able to get that news was special.”

“It’s a special moment for a special kid,” Andy Schatzley said at the time of Mederos’ promotion. “It’s just the start for him. It’s a milestone in any player’s career. But it’s certainly not the endpoint. His best baseball is still in front of him.”

He made his MLB debut at Angel Stadium on June 30 against Arizona, pitching two innings with two strikeouts. Three days later, he struggled against the Padres in San Diego and was returned to the Trash Pandas the next day. The brief MLB stint proved to be even more motivating for Mederos.

“It was one of those feelings where everything you’ve ever worked for happens. Then when you come back down, all you want to do is find a way back up,” he said. “At the end of the day, you need to be able to compete and challenge everybody around everyone get better.”

Mederos returned to the Angels on August 1, firing a scoreless inning at the best team in baseball, the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Again, he was returned to the Trash Pandas the next day and has rejoined the rotation.

Mederos will lean on everything he’s learned throughout the journey from Cuba to Miami and now In Rocket City as he looks to get back to the big leagues.