TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL

He seemed to be just the average eight-year-old boy, but Angel Aguirre was missing something. Sitting still in his elementary school classroom became difficult. Disobeying his teachers became the norm and Angel’s father, George, simply called his son a troublemaker.

Whatever was missing from young Angel Aguirre’s life was found in a simple game, our national pastime – baseball. Angel began playing little league baseball at age eight but only played half of his first season. His talent was recognized right away, but it wasn’t until this year, as a nine-year-old, that young Angel began to make some strides.

“He throws hard, catches well, and hits well,” said George Aguirre, the manager of Athletics, Angel’s current team in the Upland American Little League Association. Angel’s prowess on the field is evident as he leads the entire league in home runs. His father, and his teammates, realize he is the best player on their team.

While baseball has made a difference for Angel, it was not baseball alone that started the transformation out of the troublemaker stage. Ely Ruiz, one of Angel’s teammates, invited him to attend church. With the help of Ely’s mother, Mrs. Ruiz, Angel became hooked on attending church. So hooked is Angel that he encouraged his own family to do the same and now George and company attend regularly.

Along with attending church on a regular basis, Angel has begun reading from the Bible and enjoys it almost as much as baseball. The combination – sports and religion – has had a profound effect on the young boy who still has a little trouble sitting still in class. In a day and age when athletes are mocked for their beliefs (think Tim Tebow), young Angel’s new attitude is directly attributable to his participation in baseball and his attendance in church. And George, his dad, is a believer.

Since he has a budding young star, George thought about football for Angel. He still may have him try the sport and will likely have him try his hand at basketball and possibly soccer. As for the very near future, though, the Athletics still have three more games to go this season and Angel and dad are thrilled. There is the possibility that Angel may be picked up by a traveling all-star team which would allow him to continue developing his skills this year. 

Regardless, the “touched” Angel will continue being a nine-year-old boy who loves Los Angeles Dodgers’ right fielder Andre Either and dreams of becoming a special operations soldier. Yes, like many boys of his age, Angel enjoys video games and especially likes Call of Duty: Black Ops.

For now, Angel will continue on his path. He still struggles some in school but has improved tremendously. His grandmother has offered $20 for every home run he hits. Angel will continue working on his hitting in an attempt to push that number into the three figures and put a nice hole in Grandma’s purse. And, more importantly, he’ll continue his spiritual development, something that will carry him a long way in life.

Follow this athlete and his exciting family by subscribing to his Sports Page in the MySportsPage section of this website.

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One Comment

1. 

   SmithJr

   October 9, 2014 at 7:32 pm

   This guy has been blessed and has great talent good story.

   Reply