The Naples Daily News and The News-Press will profile a Fort Myers Mighty Mussels member each week to introduce fans to the Minnesota Twins' Single-A prospects as they work their way up the Minor League Baseball ranks in Southwest Florida.
Carlos Aguiar is an outfielder for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. The Venezuela native has appeared in over 200 minor league games, has been a part of the Twins organization since 2017, and has played for Fort Myers since 2022. The Naples Daily News sat down with Aguiar to learn more about him.
Question: What has been your favorite memory as a baseball player?
Aguiar: One of those would be the day that I signed with the Twins. But the best moment was when we were paying Dunedin, and I hit three home runs that day. For me, that was my best night.
What's an accomplishment you're most proud of?
Aguiar: Because of the power that I have, I could get comfortable to play at this level. That's something I'm proud of. And also the respect I get from teams, and the respect I have for every single person on my team.
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What's something a casual Mussels fan may not understand about Single-A baseball?
Aguiar: We have a lot of different stuff. For example, we have ABS [Automatic Balls and Strikes]. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we have that, and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we have a challenge. That's another thing to understand ― we can challenge if we think the umpire made the wrong call. We can tap our helmet and see if they can change the call. That's one main thing people might not understand.
What advice would you give younger baseball players?
Aguiar: Well, I think they need to enjoy the game, first. They need to enjoy what they are doing. They need to have passion and love for the game. That's part of a good team that wins, people help each other and work hard every single day, it doesn't matter if you had a bad day or a good day. Keep working and keep pushing because you never know if it's going to be your turn to help the team win the game that night.
What does your typical pregame routine look like?
Aguiar: Before first pitch, we hit a little bit. So I try to take kind of real game prep with the machine that we have. After that, I try to listen to some music to relax and get in the right mood for the game.
What kind of music do you normally listen to?
Aguiar: I listen to everything. I listen to salsa, rap, country. I like country, it helps me feel relaxed for the game.
Do you have a favorite Mussels jersey?
Aguiar: I would say the Defenders of the Diamonds. I like that, I feel like I'm defending my spot, You know how you need to compete every single day. Yeah, we do that every single day. But maybe it's a little bit more when we are the Defenders.
Is there a story behind how you picked your jersey number 13?
Aguiar: The first time I picked my number was because one of my friends got hurt and couldn't play, and I got a call that they were giving me the same jersey. I feel comfortable with that number. This year I talked with the managers and I said I want the same number.
Do you have a favorite spot to eat around time?
Aguiar: To be honest, I eat at Chick-Fil-A almost every single day. Even if I'm going on the road or we're at home, I'm eating that. There's seven days in a week and I eat there probably five days.
Meet the Mussels:Mighty Mussels managing partner John Martin gives a look behind the Twins' Class A affiliate
Upcoming Mighty Mussels schedule
July 1-3 at Bradenton Marauders
July 4-6 vs. Bradenton Marauders
July 9-14 vs. Daytona Tortugas
July 19-21 at Clearwater Threshers
July 23-28 at Dunedin Blue Jays
Upcoming Fireworks Shows and Promotional Giveaways
Fireworks Nights
July 4
July 5
July 12
Giveaways
July 6: Red, white, and blue hat
July 13: Pit viper sunglasses
Go to MightyMussels.com for game times and more promotions.
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