Baseball
Example of Perseverance,
Gabby Delgado went thru countless barriers to achieve his dream. The road to becoming a professional baseball player was not easy.
Since he was 15 years old, he listened to coaches and scouts say that he was never going to be a professional baseball player or college baseball player because he was very small, he had below average power & speed, and he did not speak English.
However, he used those comments as motivation to work harder to achieve his goal. "I was a fighter with an indestructible heart," Delgado said.
In 1996 was Gabby's first opportunity to be selected in the MLB Draft and he remembers that he was hopeful to be selected by a team. However, the call never came.
“I was crying uncontrollably for weeks, for the first time my heart was broken. I didn't understand how some players with less skills than I had been selected ” he recalled.
But that moment made him stronger and filled him with motivation. He didn't want to give up his dream. "Many people thought that I was crazy or obsessed with this idea that would never come true."
Gabby chose to sign with Seminole State College in Oklahoma to play Junior College. There he had moments of glory to be a fundamental part in the success of his team that became ranked number one in the entire nation. But it also came with moments of disappointment.
“The most shocking thing for me was living racism, something I had never faced in Puerto Rico. That rejection for being from another nationality, having dark skin and curly hair. It was many days and nights that I called my family crying and my family told me not to suffer more, that they can bought me the ticket to return to Puerto Rico. But I always seized strength and said no. I want to be a professional baseball player and I will achieve it here. I want to thank my Head Coach Lloyd Simmons that teach me how to manage these adversities and mature as a person.” he explained.
After his Sophomore year he transferred to Oklahoma City University. After he finished his Senior year, he was hopeful that a Major League team would select him in the MLB Draft, but it again did not happen.
“This was my last chance to be selected in the MLB Draft, my heart was broken and I suffered for long time. I never understood how I was not selected when I had hit more than .400 on average, 20 stolen bases, and finished every year with less than 4 errors.” he said.
After this disappointment, Gabby got a contract in the Independent League with London Werewolves thanks to his hitting coach at OCU Keith Little. In 2001 he have his first professional experience, but he was not satisfied because his goal was always to sign with a major league team.
In 2001, his first year as a professional baseball player in the Independent League, he got traded to Evansville Otters were he won MVP, Batting Title and best defensive honors. He had an excellent year, but no MLB team bought his contract.
“When I arrived in Puerto Rico, my father told me: "Gabby is time to stop playing baseball and find a job. You already have a College degree. You've already demonstrated everything you can do in baseball and no scout has valued your talent. But I didn't listen to it because I felt inside my heart that one day a MLB team would sign me to be a professional baseball player” he recalled.
Two years later, former MLB Super Star Rubén Sierra took him to the Texas Rangers Spring Training camp and got him a practice on front of the Minor League Director and the Minor League coaches. There he demonstrated his talent and ended up getting the best news of his life.
“I knew that was my great opportunity and I demonstrated all my talent. I remember that they evaluated me for about one hour. It was impressive to see so many people evaluating me. My performance was identical to what I had done since 1996 and at the end of the evaluation they told me to stop by the office to sign the contract with Texas Rangers. ” he said.
That year I started in the Midwest League Class A and around a month later I was promoted to the California League Advance Class A where I finished the year with a batting average of .306.
“My story proved that in baseball there are no so-called experts. To all those children and young people who dream of being a professional baseball player, I urge you to be an excellent student, never give up, do your best and focus on what you can control. Dreams can come true if you have patience and perseverance.” he said.
Business
Before Hurricane Maria
Gabby Delgado's business experience began in 2003 when he was a professional baseball player with Texas Rangers in the minor leagues.
During his baseball career, Gabby also built a successful Sports Agency company in 2003, sending professional baseball players to Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. Subsequently, he created a company that manufactures sport uniforms, baseball gloves and batting gloves. Following the success of his companies, Gabby was hired as General Manager of the Carolina Giants in the Puerto Rico Professional Winter Baseball League.
After a career as a baseball player and entrepreneur, Gabby developed a Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico to help the youth baseball players from Puerto Rico in their education, development and the exposure to be awarded scholarships at universities in the United States. Thanks to his program, he was able to impact the lives of hundreds of young Puerto Ricans by sending them to universities in United States with baseball scholarships.
Gabby also successfully created his sporting events company, in which he held events in Puerto Rico and the United States.
After Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico and changed the lives of many Puerto Ricans forever. Gabby and his family lost most of all their belongings to Hurricane Maria. All sports facilities in Puerto Rico were completely destroyed and this meant that their companies would also be completely affected. Given the situation, he made the difficult decision to move to Tampa Florida with his family and start a new life from ZERO. No friends, no close relatives or customers.
In Tampa Florida he was hired by Northwestern Mutual, an Insurance Company. Here he started in a new industry and in a state where he didn't know anyone who could help him. His talent, work ethic and perseverance placed him among the best Financial Adviser of Northwestern Mutual with less than 1 year of experience. Gabby was able to achieve the Pacesetter First 40 Award.
Then he began a new stage in his life with Brownstone Wealth Management. Today Gabby owns his own company and helps professional athletes, celebrities, parents of youth athletes and business owners find success.
Community Involvement
Gabby genuinely enjoys meeting new people while maintaining lasting friendships and is able to do so through his philanthropic efforts. As a former professional baseball player, he has built strong relationships nationwide. He helped develop many youth players. Gabby is very proud to say many of them went on to receive scholarships to play ball at universities in the United States. Some even advanced to become professional players.