Yangel Herrera was born 1998 in La Guairá, Venezuela, 19 miles from the capital of Caracas. While he is one of the most prized defensive talents in South America, baseball was his childhood pastime. At 10-years old, however, Herrera moved with his mother to Aragua de Maturin, a village in Monagas where he quickly found a passion for soccer.
Herrera calls Aragua de Maturin “a very futbolero town” adding “you live football in another way there.”
“I came a little lost in La Guairá,” Herrera explained, largely due to his baseball past.