Big Break: Doral Native Pedro Pagés Shines in MLB Call-Up

Venezuelan-born Pedro Pagés' journey to Major League Baseball took him from youth leagues in Doral in the '00s to prep school in Pinecrest and college in Boca Raton in the '10s to his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals early this spring.

Through it all, the rookie catcher will tell you, there has been one constant: his family — and, perhaps most of all, his father.

When asked about his relationship with his father during a recent locker-room interview at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Pagés' eyes lit up when he declared, "My dad is the best coach."

The weekend prior, Edgar Pagés watched as his son lit up baseball's biggest stage. The catcher from Doral cracked his first big-league home run into the Wrigley Field bleachers to help fuel the Cardinals to a 3-0 victory over National League Central Division archrival Chicago Cubs.

Two days later — on Father’s Day, no less — Dad watched Pedro hit his second career dinger, a two-run shot that provided the winning margin in the Redbirds' 2-1 victory at Wrigley.
For the Pagés family, it was the culmination of years spent watching Pedro hone his craft on the diamond.

"The best present in my life," Edgar Pagés said during an in-game Father's Day interview in the Wrigley Field stands while Pedro's sister, Maria, translated for her dad, a Venezuelan native. "Nothing tops the fact that I got to see my son hit two home runs on this field."
New Times managed to catch up with Pagés in the visitors' clubhouse when the Cardinals visited the Marlins for a three-game set last week.

Asked to share his favorite local childhood hangouts, he mentioned mountain biking at Markham Park in Sunrise and going to the mall with friends. "Dolphin Mall — we would go to all the time. As a kid, we'd go to the movies, bowling, Dave & Buster's, the beach."

But mostly you could find him on the youth-league baseball diamonds of West Miami-Dade, from the grass and clay at Tamiami Park to Grapeland Park and Hialeah's baseball fields. After that came travel ball, a stint at Ronald W. Reagan Doral Senior High School before he transferred to Gulliver Prep, and college at Florida Atlantic University.

At FAU Pedro showcased his natural leadership from the outset.

"I was always impressed by the depth of his baseball knowledge for a young man," FAU baseball head coach John McCormack tells New Times. "I am so happy and proud of the fact he made it to the big leagues. It is not an easy route, and he persevered."

The Cardinals plucked the sturdy Pagés out of FAU in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB draft when he was 20 years old and still a junior. As was the case with most players at that stage, the six-foot-one, 245-pound catcher's career was briefly derailed by the Covid pandemic, but the perseverance McCormack mentions served him well as he bounced around baseball's minor leagues.

The Cardinals were high enough on Pagés to invite him to spring training with the big league club this year before promoting him to AAA Memphis to start the 2024 season. An injury to Cardinals first-string catcher Willson Contreras was the catalyst for Pagés' April 7 MLB debut, and when New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez broke Contreras' forearm in early June, Pagés slotted in behind Contreras' backup, Ivan Herrera.

In 66 MLB plate appearances through June 26, Pagés has struggled as a hitter, notching a batting average of only .155. But he has excelled behind the dish, earning high praise from the Cards' pitching staff and coaches. (And there were those two unforgettable home runs in Chicago.) As role models he cites two recently retired future MLB hall of famers: Cardinals legend Yadier Molina (catching); and Miguel Cabrera (hitting), who broke in with the Marlins in 2003 and who, like Pagés, was born in the Venezuelan city of Maracay.

Edgar Pagés still calls regularly to critique his son’s performance and offer advice. But aside from the trip to Wrigley and last week's three-game set in Miami, he's most often guiding Pedro from afar, catching the games on TV instead of being there to coach him in person.

Pedro returned home for the series against the Marlins. Back in the soft glow of kitchen lights and with his family gathered around the dinner table, he says he felt fulfilled.

"Having home-cooked meals with my grandma, I get to enjoy the moment with my family," he says.