PHOENIX (AP) — Long before David Peralta was a veteran outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was an 18-year-old kid from Venezuela who didn’t speak much English playing minor league baseball in Johnson City, Tennessee.
To call it culture shock would be quite the understatement.
“Even little things, like going to the grocery store, were a challenge,” Peralta said. “That’s why it was so great to have TeriAnn helping.”
TeriAnn Reynolds and her family were part of a little-known but vital piece of baseball’s minor leagues that dates back decades: host families. Players at the lower levels of the minor leagues in places like Johnson City or Lake Elsinore, California, often stayed at the homes of local families instead of apartments or hotels — a way to save money for low-wage players as they transitioned into their lives as pro athletes.
Host family programs were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic over health concerns. Now, they may never return. When minor league players unionized and reached a historic initial collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball in March, the league agreed to double salaries and provide guaranteed housing to most players.
The use of host families was officially outlawed.
“While players are sincerely appreciative of the many fans who hosted players in their homes, they’re excited this spring about the first minor league CBA, including salary and housing policy improvements that made the practice unnecessary,” the MLBPA said in a statement.
It’s true that the changes — particularly when it comes to salary — are widely considered positive among players. Many acknowledge that individual living arrangements are also a step in the right direction, particularly for players with spouses and children. The new arrangements are generally viewed as more professional.
While a host family was better than an air mattresses in an overcrowded apartment, the preference for players is certainly to be in a furnished unit with adequate living space.
Not that players aren’t wistful about the end of host family programs.
“The good was much better than anything bad,” Peralta said. “Sometimes, you felt sort of obligated to hang out, but I figured that was the least I could do considering they let me into their home. Honestly, it was a great experience.”
Reynolds hosted players for more than a decade, including a handful of eventual big leaguers like Peralta and Donovan Solano. She said it was a wonderful experience — outside of a few “cantankerous kids” — and is sad that more families won’t be able to experience it.
Reynolds’ ability to speak Spanish was a huge plus in a place like Johnson City, which for years was the rookie league franchise for the St. Louis Cardinals. It was among the lowest levels of the minor leagues, filled with 17- and 18-year-olds, some of whom had never been in the United States.
“The thing I loved the most was being able to call a player’s family in the Dominican Republic, Colombia or Venezuela and let their parents know that their son was in a good place,” Reynolds said. “Sometimes the families would be able to make the trip to the U.S., and it was always so great to meet them.”
The role of host families varied from place to place, but for most, it was pretty basic. Players usually got a room, a bed and access to a few good meals each day. Reynolds said she usually had one or two players at a time, but there was one summer that six players were staying at her house because it was a better option than one of the local hotels.
