Over the winter, Marcell Ozuna worked out at a gym in the Dominican Republic with fellow countryman Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners.
Before heading off to the United States for spring training, Cano warned Ozuna that if he failed to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 for the Marlins, he wouldn’t be welcomed back.
“He said, ‘If you don’t get 30, don’t come back to work out with us anymore,” Ozuna recalled.
Cano was kidding, of course.
But Ozuna made certain Cano couldn’t hold it against him if he fell short.