Miguel Rojas Twitter Q&A: Baseball roots; stay-at-home workouts

By major league player standards, Marlins infielder Miguel Rojas makes himself very accessible. He accommodates all fan requests at the ballpark. He gets involved in the team’s community initiatives (and now makes his year-round home in South Florida). He even had a heartfelt conversation with Fish Stripes’ own Tyler Wilson prior to Spring Training.

But Friday night, Miggy Ro made himself more vulnerable than usual. The 31-year-old hosted a Q&A on Twitter, responding as quickly and bluntly as possible to dozens of messages.

Several fans wondered what his favorite visiting stadium to play at is. Rojas says PNC Park in Pittsburgh. His career .891 OPS there (31 plate appearances) is a personal best for any National League venue.

(Another fun fact: he is the only batter with multiple career home runs vs. former Nationals/Pirates reliever Felipe Vázquez.)

Rojas cites multiple generations of his family as influences that pushed him to play baseball early in life.

As was the case for countless Venezuelans growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s, he admired slick-fielding shortstop Omar Vizquel. He advocates for Vizquel to make the Baseball Hall of Fame in a separate tweet.

There were low points during his career that made it seem unlikely Rojas could earn a living as a professional athlete. But he insists no “Plan B” ever entered his mind.

José Fernández’s 2015 return from Tommy John surgery sticks out above the rest as his favorite Marlins game, Rojas says.

Though seem doubtful to make the 2020 Marlins Opening Day roster, outfielder Jerar Encarnación and left-hander Alex Vesia had great success in Spring Training. They received Rojas’ seal of approval.

With the COVID-19 crisis still in full swing across the United States, he emphasizes that safety is the utmost concern when weighing if/when/how to start the MLB regular season.

On a lighter note, Rojas has his adorable son Aarón helping him with indoor defensive drills.

You may browse through Miguel Rojas’ Twitter replies for the full Q&A. While you’re there, follow him and all the other Marlins-related accounts!