Saul Martinez for The New York Times
JUPITER, Fla. — Despite growing up amid a sizable Cuban population in Tampa, Connor Scott did not learn any Spanish. Yet as he stood in front of a dozen fellow Miami Marlins prospects during a mock news conference at the team’s spring training facility in February, he sounded more adept than someone who had been taking Spanish classes for less than a year.
“Connor, what is your favorite car?” Luis Palacios, a pitcher from Venezuela, asked in English, the language he was learning.
“Mi carro favorito es el Ford F-250,” Scott answered in Spanish, with only a bit of help from an instructor.