Rangers players add flavor to Polytechnic fundraising dinner

Most high school baseball players are good enough to at least still fantasize about one day playing pro ball.

Like many teens, Fort Worth Polytechnic High School players Jose Garcia and Bryan Tolentino still hang on to those dreams and cherish any chance to make it to a Texas Rangers game to see their big league heroes at Globe Life Park.

On Thursday night, however, the big leaguers came to them.

Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos, infielders Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar and pitcher Nick Martinez were the special guests at the Parrots baseball fundraising dinner hosted by coach Alex Johnson.

Rangers Spanish language announcers Eleno Ornelas and Jose Guzman were also on hand to help present the Poly baseball program with a $1,000 donation. The money will help update the school’s batting cage netting.

“It was patched up but every time we went out to the batting cages we’d hit balls through the holes, and we would have to go across the street and jump the fence and go look for them,” said Tolentino, a returning all-district first baseman.

The money is needed, but the thrill for these young players was getting to talk shop with real-live big leaguers.

“We’re lucky to have them here,” said Garcia, a catcher whose favorite players are Chirinos and Odor. “It gets the guys pumped up and working hard [for the season].”

While signing autographs for the players, families and students, Chirinos gave Garcia some advice.

“He told me good luck and never give up, try your best, always keep your head up and motivate your teammates because the catcher is the leader,” Garcia said.

Johnson, who is in his second season with Polytechnic after coaching nine seasons at Fort Worth Eastern Hills, is a TCU graduate. He and his coaches helped organize the silent auction and kickoff dinner to raise funds and motivate the players and community about Parrots baseball.

“We wanted to really get the community involved, get our students and players involved and get them looking forward to our season,” he said. “It’s been an incredible blessing to have this event and this kind of showing and have the Rangers come on top of all that.”

For Chirinos, who has made more community appearances this off-season than practically all other Rangers combined, always takes as much as he gives from the experiences.

“It’s exciting for me and the guys to be able to talk to these kids who play the game,” he said. “I remember when I was that age and chasing a dream to make the big leagues. Anything we can do for those kids, giving advice or something to motivate them to keep playing the game and maybe make it to the big leagues is awesome.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Rangers players add flavor to Polytechnic fundraising dinner."