To friends and opponents alike, Gabe Rincones is simple. He's a power hitting left-handed hitter with incredible feel for the strike zone and a passion for playing defense. This wasn't always the case however. It was not too long ago that Rincones was on the outside looking in on the baseball world trying to make up for lost time. This lost time was not due to any personal fault of Rincones, its simply hard to perfect much of anything when you have grown up on 3 different continents.

After being born in Boynton Beach , Gabriel and his immediate family moved to Venezuela to be closer to relatives. Like many in the South American country he was promptly introduced to – and then fell in love with- the game of baseball. For the first six years of his life Rincones adored baseball. It was thought about and practiced daily and he dreamed of making it out of Venezuela and into the Major Leagues. Of those two wishes, the former would be granted first.

At the age of 6, Rincones and his family uprooted and moved to Scotland. Rincones' father had secured a job in the offshore oil industry and now Gabriel found himself in a different continent, speaking a different language, all while playing the wrong sport. "I remember getting teased about playing baseball from my classmates in Scotland. They always said baseball was just another way to play cricket- and they weren't always nice about it" Rincones recounts. Playing organized baseball there was virtually impossible and Rincones remembers him and his father trying to carve out some space on the local soccer field just to play catch. While kids in America were playing little league and having weekly practices, Rincones balanced learning two languages and practicing a locally unknown sport.

Before what turned out to be his first year of high school Rincones uprooted again, leaving Scotland for the baseball rich city of Tampa. Instead of a pseudo-homecoming, Rincones had to adapt all over again "the culture of America and Scotland are just so different. The way people interact, speak and the overall way of life are in such contrast I basically had to change my life"

These cultural hurdles were accompanied by athletic hurdles as well. Rincones found himself unprepared for baseball in Florida and was cut during high school tryouts. This lit a fire under Rincones who admits" I never really came to terms with that failure, instead I determined that I would set out to prove that not only would I dominate in high school, but to be known as great in this game". Rincones did exactly that. He adopted a weight-lifting program the summer of his sophomore year at Plant High School all while practicing and improving his swing mechanics .In Rincones' eyes he was years behind his classmates -a gap he was desperate to close. After a position change to the outfield and unrelenting work ethic, Rincones committed to SPC looking to continue his upward trend as a Titan.

Rincones then burst onto the Junior College scene- in his first 25 games he led the state in hitting with an average of .432 and was top ten in RBI's. In addition to his production at the plate , Rincones led the Titan outfield with 4 assists while splitting his time between center and right field. Recruiting Coordinator and Outfield Coach Mitchell Wydetic put it flatly " He's our gamechanger, and its because he outworks everyone. Gabe is the most goal driven player I have ever been around". Rincones is humbler in his assessment, giving the credit to his parents, coaches, and his personal savior Jesus Christ.

With the shortened season and limited Major League Baseball draft, Rincones is aware of the challenges facing his road to professional baseball this year. " I know one day people will see my name and associate it with greatness. I genuinely believe that any organization that takes me will be making the best decision they've ever made". For a young man that has already overcame so much, its tough to doubt the extent of his resolve.

Very few things about Gabriel Rincones' life have been comfortable. The now second year Titan outfielder has gone from feeling like a foreigner in his own home to eyeing the 2020 MLB draft with hopes to hear his name called in the now shortened draft process. Although his teammates and family are excited for his future, it's his road to the present that is the better story- for now.