Almost 9000 kms separate the Ezeiza National Baseball Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina from the Rogers Centre, in Toronto. Maximiliano Hernández-García is a young Uruguayan-Canadian prospect with ties to Argentina, and has dreams of playing for Los Gauchos and reaching the Major Leagues or playing in Asia.

Max is 18 years old and stands 6’1. Max went to high school at Western Technical Commercial School and is currently enrolled at the University of Toronto. As far as his game goes: he bats and throws right. He plays as a shortstop, pitcher, outfielder and catcher. Although his parents are Uruguayan, he can wear the Albiceleste because his mother has dual nationality, as she was born in Argentina and lived in Longchamps until she moved to Toronto.

Maximiliano’s start in sports began with a ball at his feet.“I started playing soccer when I was seven, I was doing well. One day I told my parents that I wanted to try out for a better level team, a stronger one, with better players, I wasn’t selected and I started looking for other sports.”

Max really is a star athlete. In high school he played badminton, volleyball, golf, basketball, he even swam and ran track.“I played baseball when I was 12-13 years old when I was in grade seven. I played several minor tournaments and at 14 years old I played my first U18 tournament with a team from Ontario. I am a Blue Jays fan. When I saw the stadium for the first time I fell in love with it. I was lucky enough to participate in several pre-game ceremonies and was able to step on the field. My dream is to be able to play there one day.”

It was not easy for Hernández-García to transition from soccer to baseball and especially to get a spot on his high school team. This is what encouraged him to learn different positions.

“When I started it was difficult for me to find playing time because there were kids established in different positions for several years and it was not easy to get a place. My desire to be on the field made me learn to play different positions to replace any teammate.”

When we asked him about his favourite position, he responded: “I prefer to pitch, now I am at 85 miles, but the coaches tell me that I should be a catcher, it is a reality that the position demands a lot physically, there is a lot of risk of injury and it is not so easy. At shortstop I did very well in several tryouts.”

Argentina has two Pan American gold medals and has also participated in all editions of the World Baseball Classic.

“Honestly, until a few years ago, I saw myself representing Canada. In fact, they wanted me on the youth team, but I was never able to train because the pandemic.”

However, approximately three years ago and when the world was in quarantine, Maximiliano began to investigate and learn about gaucho baseball and how quickly the sport is growing in Argentina. Several players of the national team are playing professional in Italy.

And he added: “A short time later I decided that I wanted to play for the national team. Immediately, I told my grandfather and he was happy with my decision. My dream is to wear the Albiceleste in an international tournament. I was born in Canada, but I want to represent Argentina. “I’m going to do everything possible to get there.”

Just two years after finding out that baseball was played in Argentina, Max had the chance to show himself through video and he was taken into consideration by the coaching staff headed by Rolando Arnedo. Unfortunately he was not chosen.

Despite not having been selected, Max was very involved with Argentina’s participation in the tournament: “I saw all the games they played in Panama. The day of the debut I was nervous and anxious. When the game against Pakistan started and I saw the players on the field, I imagined myself playing with them in a couple of years. Everything that happened that night was incredible. The team had a great tournament in general terms, won the games they had to win and played a great game against Nicaragua,” said Max.

“Several of my former high school classmates are playing at the collegiate level. I was in contact with some of their coaches and they offered me a spot, but I stayed in Canada due to cost issues. In the United States it costs a lot of money to study, even if they give you a scholarship,” he described.

More recently, Los Gauchos called Max and they want him to play with the U23 team. He’s aiming to get down there during school winter break.

We spoke to Max earlier today. Such a mature young man. We wish you all the best!