{"id":286835,"date":"2026-07-04T19:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T19:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/286835\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T19:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T19:06:08","slug":"yankees-jose-caballero-tells-the-post-how-doubters-fuel-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/286835\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees’ Jose Caballero tells The Post how doubters fuel him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jos\u00e9 Caballero, the Yankees shortstop\/utility man acquired from the Rays<\/a> at the trade deadline last season, takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.<\/p>\n

Q: What did your 100th career stolen base last year mean to you?<\/p>\n

A: It means a lot because growing up and trying to become professional, I had a big injury on my leg, and they were doubting me if I could run again. So that\u2019s why running means a lot to me because I wanted to show the doubters that I could do it.<\/p>\n

Q: What was the injury?<\/p>\n

A: I broke my tibia and fibula when I was 16. I tried to catch a fly ball and one of my teammates at the time slid into me.<\/p>\n

Q: Was that scary for you in terms of your future?<\/p>\n

A: It was, for sure. In Latin America, that\u2019s when you sign professional, at least that\u2019s when they\u2019re looking for you. It was a really tough time for a kid like I was. I just turned 16 like a week before it happened. In the process of coming back on the rehab and things, scouts and people that know about baseball were doubting about my running skill just because they didn\u2019t know how I would come back. It was a big surgery as well \u2014 actually it was three surgeries on it, so people were concerned about it. \u2026 So it means a lot to become a big leaguer that is known by his speed.<\/p>\n

Q: How long were you sidelined for?<\/p>\n

A: A year.<\/p>\n

Q: That must have been torture for you.<\/p>\n

A It was. I would go to the field and see all the scouts and all the people trying to recruit my teammates, and I was just on the sideline. It was pretty tough.<\/p>\n

New York Yankees shortstop Jos\u00e9 Caballero (72) bunts a runner over. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n

Q: What drives you?<\/p>\n

A: Doubts.<\/p>\n

Q: Why are there still doubters?<\/p>\n

A: Because haters will alway hate. Doubters will alway doubt, let\u2019s say it that way.<\/p>\n

Q: If I were on another team, would I not like you?<\/p>\n

A: I can see why you wouldn\u2019t like me, but if you\u2019re just playing the game and understand that I\u2019m just trying to win a game<\/a> \u2026 everyone has their way. Just because he\u2019s different doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s a bad guy.<\/p>\n

Q: What do you think opposing teams think of you?<\/p>\n

A: That I\u2019m annoying. And that\u2019s OK (laugh). I\u2019m not trying to annoy anyone, but if that gives me an advantage like I always say, I will continue to do that.<\/p>\n

Q: What do you think you do that makes them annoyed?<\/p>\n

A: I always play the game different. \u2026 I look for the smallest details, I guess, to irritate others. But if you don\u2019t pay attention to it you wouldn\u2019t get irritated. But if you are irritated I\u2019m winning and trying to take advantage of the minimum of the game, because it\u2019s a hard game, it\u2019s a mental game, so I try to play the mental game a lot.<\/p>\n

New York Yankees shortstop Jos\u00e9 Caballero (72) hits a single. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n

Q: Aaron Boone said about you: \u201cHe thinks he\u2019s the best player on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s who I am, man. I think if you don\u2019t believe in yourself no one will believe in you. It starts from your head. If you believe so, you become so, you know?<\/p>\n

Q: Describe your on-field mentality.<\/p>\n

A: A winning mentally. \u2026 Every time I\u2019m on the field I want to win everything. Having an at-bat, that\u2019s a war for me, like I\u2019m trying to win that battle. It doesn\u2019t matter how, I\u2019m trying to find a way to win that battle.<\/p>\n

Q: Do you like to get into the pitcher\u2019s head?<\/p>\n

A: I mean, if that\u2019s gonna distract and that\u2019s gonna give me a little advantage, I\u2019ll take that for sure (smile).<\/p>\n

Q: Do you have a favorite position?<\/p>\n

A: Not really \u2026 to be in the lineup, that\u2019s my favorite position.<\/p>\n

Q: What do you think your best position is?<\/p>\n

A: To be honest with you, I think I\u2019m a better second baseman than every other position. But I have more fun playing short than second. \u2026 I don\u2019t know [why]. I think you are more involved in the game.<\/p>\n

Q: When you were at Tampa Bay, was Gerrit Cole wagging his finger at you one night<\/a>?<\/p>\n

A: I don\u2019t think it was at me, I think it was more for my manager at the time, because he threw a ball way over my head that it hit the backstop. Kevin Cash was the manager at that time, and he went out to the field and he kind of like waved his finger at Gerrit saying like, \u201cDon\u2019t do that,\u201d or so. So right after he struck me out, he waved his fingers at the dugout. I\u2019m guessing it was to my manager.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Caballero celebrates after hitting a homer. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n

Q: You never asked Gerrit about it?<\/p>\n

A: No, not really. I didn\u2019t feel the need (laugh).<\/p>\n

Q: From your Instagram: \u201cDreams without goals are just dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s right. For me it was a dream to become a Yankee, to be here in the big leagues, and if I don\u2019t try to be here, I don\u2019t try to be a big-leaguer, if I don\u2019t want to go through all those ups and downs, it comes with the dream. I wouldn\u2019t be here, I wouldn\u2019t be making my dream. So it would have been just a kid\u2019s dream. And now it\u2019s reality.<\/p>\n

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Q: \u201cIf you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain: Move from here to there and it will pass and nothing will be impossible to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s the definition of faith. Without the faith in God I wouldn\u2019t be here. Faith in God and faith in what I\u2019m doing and what I\u2019m gonna become is what got me here, and it is what I have become.<\/p>\n

Q: \u201cIf you stumble stand up, don\u2019t stop your fight, that\u2019s the only way you will have what you want so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: I\u2019m pretty sure that was when I was going through all these bad things. It\u2019s just about life, man. Everyone\u2019s gonna hit some bumps, and the only way to get through it is just stand up and keep going the direction you wanted to go and don\u2019t stop. It doesn\u2019t matter how big the obstacles are, you have to have conviction what you want.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Caballero slides in safely during a game against the Red Sox. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST<\/p>\n

Q: \u201cThe only thing impossible in this life is what you don\u2019t try.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s right. I think it says it all. I\u2019ve seen so many good players that sometimes they don\u2019t have that much conviction, and I know how talented they were and they just didn\u2019t push hard enough to become what they really wanted. It\u2019s just how good you are to be back and show that you are better than the struggles.<\/p>\n

Q: \u201cAnyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: Says it all. You have to fail. Everyone has to fail. If you go back to whoever made light one day, how many times he missed. You\u2019re gonna miss. You\u2019re gonna fail. It\u2019s part of the process. It\u2019s about how you overcome those fails, and how you take those fails. People say sometimes it\u2019s not failure, it\u2019s knowing a way not to do it. Every time I don\u2019t get what I want to do, at least I know I learned that\u2019s not the way to do it. Maybe next time I try a different way because I already know that that way doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

Q: You said something about light?<\/p>\n

A: Whoever made light for the first time, how many times he failed? It\u2019s just part of the process.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGo beyond the box score with the Bombers\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Q: \u201cYou are NEVER a finished product.\u201d<\/p>\n

A: Never. You could always get better. You could always achieve something new. You can always chase something bigger.<\/p>\n

Q: You had to overcome a lot of adversity through your career.<\/p>\n

A:. I remember \u201919 to all the way to \u201922, I pretty much only played for one month straight. I would start playing and then two weeks later I would hurt myself, and then I would get back and two months later \u2026 I would hurt myself again and then the season will be over, and the next year starting the season I started on the IL again and then I came back and I played for like two, three weeks and I got hurt again. And then COVID hit so it\u2019s another full year that I didn\u2019t get to play baseball. Then after that, got a big injury [right knee ACL] that stopped me from playing five months. \u201919 was two hand injuries, and \u201920 was COVID and 2021 was the ACL then 2022 was two hand injuries as well. \u2026 I\u2019m glad I\u2019m way past that.<\/p>\n

Q: The ABS challenge \u2014 you were the first one<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A: I love it. We need it in baseball, because we need to hold everyone accountable \u2014 umpires, pitchers, hitters \u2014 everyone needs to be engaged with the game. Me as a hitter or a defender, I want to have the chance to let you know that you miss a call, and if not, you can tell me, \u201cHey, you know what? You weren\u2019t right, I was right.\u201d It\u2019s a good part of the game that I think it was missing, and I\u2019m really happy that we have it now.<\/p>\n

Q: Your helmet went to the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s right, that\u2019s right!<\/p>\n

Q: What was it like playing for your native Panama in the WBC<\/a>?<\/p>\n

A: It means a lot because I\u2019m really proud of where I come from and represent all my family, all my friends, all my culture, all my teammates back in the days. And representing the whole country in the biggest stage for baseball is really amazing, because we know how hard it is for us to make it where we are, and to fly out of the country to have a better life or to have a better future. I know they were paying attention. It was a great moment.<\/p>\n

Q: What did you think when you watched Mariano Rivera pitch?<\/p>\n

A: That I wanted to be on the same field as him. And here I am.<\/p>\n

Q: You were a Derek Jeter fan too though, right?<\/p>\n

A: Yeah, but whoever got me to watching baseball it was Mariano, knowing that he was a Panamanian. In my head it was like seeing Mariano in the biggest stage and being the guy that he was, for me it was like, \u201cHey, it\u2019s not impossible.\u201d He was in some rough situations before getting out of Panama as well, so like, \u201cIt\u2019s not impossible, you can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: So he was an inspiration to you.<\/p>\n

A: For sure. That\u2019s the guy who got me watching baseball, big league games. That\u2019s the guy who got me rooting for the Yankees. I play infield so I would look up to Jeter.<\/p>\n

Q: Have you given Mariano your autograph yet?<\/p>\n

A: No (smile), he has given me his though. In the first WBC that I was part of back in 2023. He was there, he threw the first pitch that day and I got a signed ball.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Caballero celebrates a double. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST<\/p>\n

Q: When did the eye block start?<\/p>\n

A: I\u2019ve been using eye black for my whole career, minor leagues and even before that. The big leagues I choose one style to use, the two kind of like stripes around my face, that\u2019s the way I go, but before it was just I needed eye black on my face.<\/p>\n

Q: Why two stripes now?<\/p>\n

A: One day I look in the mirror and I thought it was cool, so I stick with it (smile).<\/p>\n

Q: Describe your wife Ana.<\/p>\n

A: Good person to have beside me for sure. Has been with me in the toughest moments and in the best moments as well. I know I can rely on her whenever things are not going my way, and I know she\u2019s gonna support me for sure.<\/p>\n

Q: Your 5-year-old daughter Analia.<\/p>\n

A: She\u2019s wild \u2014 just like me, though (smile). She\u2019s very electric. She loves competing as well. She likes to win in everything that we try to do. I\u2019m trying to make her understand that sometimes [you] win, sometimes you lose \u2014 she doesn\u2019t like losing though (smile). I have not much answer for that because I don\u2019t like losing either.<\/p>\n

Q: What do you think of the U.S. men\u2019s soccer team?<\/p>\n

A: They\u2019re playing their gam<\/a>e. It\u2019s not like they are adjusting to the other team\u2019s game. They have a plan to go into the game and they\u2019re executing that.<\/p>\n

Q: How good at soccer were you?<\/p>\n

A: I was decent (smile). I was decent.<\/p>\n

Q: Three dinner guests?<\/p>\n

A: Jesus, [Lionel] Messi, Abraham from the Bible.<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite movie?<\/p>\n

A: \u201cFast and Furious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite actor?<\/p>\n

A: Paul Walker.<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite entertainer?<\/p>\n

A: Kevin Hart.<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite meal?<\/p>\n

A: Arroz con pollo [chicken and rice].<\/p>\n

Q: Goals?<\/p>\n

A: World Series. Win the World Series.<\/p>\n

Q: What would you say to Yankees fans who are worried?<\/p>\n

A: We\u2019ll make it through. Some bad moments right now, but goals don\u2019t get achieved without the struggles, or without obstacles.<\/p>\n

Q: What\u2019s it like being a Yankee?<\/p>\n

A: It\u2019s the best (smile). I love it.<\/p>\n

Q: Is it different than you thought?<\/p>\n

A: I don\u2019t know how to explain this, but my little man is really happy. \u2026 My younger me is really happy (smile).<\/p>\n

Q: You like to play in front of the New York fans?<\/p>\n

A: I love it. \u2026 \u2019Cause they show up and they show love when they have to show love, they show some anger when things are not going the way they want.<\/p>\n

Q: What did you think of the way New York embraced the Knicks?<\/p>\n

A: That\u2019s what it\u2019s about, winning and giving them what they want, and make people happy is why we play these sports,<\/p>\n

Q: Do you dream of New York in October and November cheering your team on to a World Series?<\/p>\n

A: I dream of the parade after we win the World Series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jos\u00e9 Caballero, the Yankees shortstop\/utility man acquired from the Rays at the trade deadline last season, takes a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":286836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[22383,54119,20,9,11,10,321,20294,319,431],"class_list":["post-286835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-gerrit-cole","tag-jose-caballero","tag-mlb","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-serbys-qa","tag-sports","tag-sports-columnists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}