Family motivates Pirates' Cervelli

Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli plays – and lives his life with – a bunch of energy, a trait that’s catching on with his new teammates.

“I think Cervy may even have more energy than Russ had,” Chris Stewart told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Doesn't matter the situation, he's looking for the positive. He's always got a smile.”

So where does all that energy come from? The answer is Cervelli’s parents.

“The only way I'm here right now is because of them,” Cervelli said.

When Cervelli’s career was in jeopardy and he was bouncing around in the minors, he started to lose his focus and his fire.

It was his mom that saved him, and his career.

“My mom talked to me straight,” Cervelli recalled. “She said, ‘You got two choices: Come back to Venezuela with me or start playing like you play, because what I see right now is embarrassing.' ”

Those may have been tough times for the catcher, but they made him mentally stronger.

Now, despite all the success Cervelli is experiencing, he never forgets what got him here and is cherishing the opportunity.

“You know, people think I had no luck in the past,” Cervelli said. “But I'm a lucky guy, because I got hurt so many times and was able to stand up again and have a chance to play in the major leagues. So if I say the past was bad, I'm lying. The only thing I never liked was the bench. I hate the bench. It was always in my brain that I would be starting.

“I prepared myself for this. Now I'm just trying to stay humble and thank God. Now, I just want to be healthy.”                                 

(h/t Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar