Interviewed in Spanish and translated by Marly Rivera. This interview is also posted in Spanish.

Aledmys Diaz shone in his first year as a starter for the St. Louis Cardinals last year, backing up an All-Star campaign with a fifth-place rookie of the year finish. Diaz had been signed by the Cards as an international free agent just two years before, after growing up in Cuba on the same street as his childhood best friend, Jose Fernandez.

In 2017, Diaz is looking to continue to build on that success and remembering his boyhood friend. As the season starts, he talks about Fernandez' legacy, how he's transitioned to the U.S., and his thoughts on the future of Cuban relations with MLB.

Why did you decide to put Jose Fernandez' initials on your glove?

During the offseason I was thinking of a way to honor him. [We were friends since we were children,] and now he can't be with me on the field every day. I think I came up with the idea of ​​putting his initials on my glove next to my initials as well as a way of keeping him close to me during the season.

Is it somewhat difficult to see that and know he is no longer here?

Yes, it is very difficult. What I think about is that this is what he loved to do the most, to be here every day on the field with his teammates. But at the same time, I think that I can take the positive of what he taught us, which is to come here every day and do our best and give 100 percent for your team.

The number of Cuban players in MLB continues to grow. What does it mean for you that Cuban players are having so much success?

First, [we must] be grateful to that first generation in the '60s who came to this country and who lead the way for us. Then in the '90s, [René] Arocha, [Orlando] 'El Duque' [Hernández], those are people who I am very grateful to for opening the doors to us for teams to have confidence in us to give us the opportunity to sign with them and play every day. [I feel] very happy and proud of the Cuban players who have exalted the virtues of Cuban baseball here in the United States. I hope that in the coming years they will continue to add young players and that can contribute to grow the Latino movement in MLB.

Is there any way to describe coming from Cuba, and now having your dream come true of being a starter with St. Louis and wearing No. 36?

Every Latino in MLB knows how difficult it is for us to get here to play at this level. Having the opportunity to play every day at the highest level in the best baseball in the world is very difficult. I don't take anything for granted. I think the one thing I've learned is that it's a very difficult sport and one has to try new things every day, but at the same time stay focused. It's a very long season. So you have to simply trust the process and keep working hard every day.

When you look back on everything it took for you to get here, was it worth it?

Yes, yes, absolutely. One has to take risks in life in order to have a good outcome. I am just happy and grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to get to this great country and do what I like to do, which is play baseball.

Do you ever feel like "I've made it"?

I still have a lot of baseball to play. I don't want to take for granted that I'm playing in MLB; playing every day. Sometimes that mentality can hurt you as a player. I just want to keep working hard and I hope to play 10 or 15 years in the major leagues, and then I can look back and say, "I made it." There's a lot of baseball left to play, there's a lot to accomplish, and I hope God gives me the chance to stay healthy and have a great baseball career here in the United States.

Have you had a "fan boy" moment?

Yes, last year when we went to Anaheim and I saw [Albert] Pujols for the first time. In 2006, I was 16 years old and was in school watching him during the World Baseball Classic, and now I was there, playing against Pujols; it was incredible. Then, in the All-Star Game, being in the clubhouse with the best players in MLB and also having the chance to be with [David] Ortiz in his last year was incredible.

What was the hardest transition for you, coming from Cuba?

The hardest part is mostly the off-the-field stuff. When I got here to this country I didn't even know what a credit card was. I had to make a lot of adjustments, [with] the language too. But I had the opportunity and the blessing of having been signed by the Cardinals. They helped me a lot during that process. I had very good teammates in the minor leagues that also helped me in that process. I just had to ask. I think sometimes some Latinos shy away from approaching an American teammate and asking for something. I think you also have to show some interest from your part in order to learn the language and then be able to make the adjustments.

With the food it was also very difficult. The first year I didn't have my family here, so I just went from restaurant to restaurant. I would get to a restaurant and the menu had no pictures. So I just pointed to anything that looked familiar; it can be very difficult to make that adjustment. It's no secret that after eating in restaurants for two weeks straight, food just does not taste the same. But then I simply had to expand my palate. I learned how to eat sushi, all kinds of food to have some variety, and that helped.

How long did it take you to feel comfortable with English?

About a year and a half. I had really good teammates in Double A my first year that helped me a lot. One teammate, who's Puerto Rican, Jonathan Rodríguez, he helped me a lot. I always listened to all the advice he gave me. Having Latino teammates in the minor leagues was very important, [and] above all, having confidence in yourself. The manager in Double A also helped me a lot at that time. He approached me every day and asked me questions. But indisputably, when you are surrounded by Latinos, it makes things easier.

How do you prefer to watch movies, television, listen to music, read? Do you prefer to do it in English or Spanish?

Unquestionably, Spanish is still my first language. Whenever I can do things in Spanish, go to the bank, to the doctor, one always prefers to do it in their first language. But it is important to combine the two languages, so I watch the news in English or a movie or listen to music in English.

What do you do to improve your English language skills?

I watch TV, with no subtitles, just listening. Last year I had the opportunity to watch "The Ellen Show" a lot, and I really liked it. She's very funny. She keeps you entertained and focused at the same time. It captivates you. I would like to meet her someday.

Did you ever dream that this was going to be a possibility, when you were in Cuba?

No, it was too far away for me. The mentality that one has in Cuba is to make it to the national team, and try to play several years there. I never thought I would have the chance to get to the United States and play at this level. When you have the opportunity to see [Yoenis] Céspedes, [Aroldis] Chapman, players who played with me in Cuba, and they had the opportunity to get here first and have good results, I think that opens our minds a bit that "if they could it, we could go there and do a good job, too."

Can you see a day when Cuban players get to MLB and sign contracts like any other player?

Yes, of course. At some point it has to change. There is a Cuban saying that "there is no evil that will last a hundred years" and I hope it does not last much longer. They have to realize that one has to be able to choose where you want to play and where you want to live. There is nothing political about that. A human being has to have the ability to play in the United States or Japan or wherever your talent gets you; that you have the possibility to experience playing Major League Baseball. Hopefully in the near future, the Cuban government will realize that a Cuban player wanting to come here is not a matter of politics, it is to prove themselves in the best baseball in the world.

Tell me about the main difference between clubhouses in the U.S. and in Cuba.

Professionalism. Here everyone knows what he has to do to get ready for the season. Sometimes in Cuba we have paternalism; we want to be told everything we have to do. That's one thing that shocked me a lot when I got here. Sometimes I would get to the stadium at 7 a.m., and there was a sheet that spelled out where you had to be and where you had to go at a certain time, and that was something I had never done. I always had someone telling me where I had to be. I think that's something that all Latinos have to deal with when we get here. Everyone has to have their routine and know what to do to get ready for the game.

It was very difficult to adjust to that, especially during my first year. It was very difficult, because I would get there early and I didn't even know where I had to go. I did not have a routine. You learn that over time, what you need to do to get ready for that day, for the rest of the week, for the rest of the season.

How was it being away from your family?

It was very difficult. It is very difficult to have all these achievements, like last year, to go to the All-Star Game, spend the whole year in the majors, and not have the possibility to share that with the people that you love. That they don't have the chance to come here to the United States or one to go there [to Cuba] to share in those achievements. It is very difficult, but at the same time, it gives me strength to keep fighting and honor my family.

Who is here in the U.S.?

I've had the chance to bring my mother, my father and my sister here, but I was alone for almost two years. My Uncle Nelson and my other uncles were the ones who taught me baseball. My Uncle Nelson was the one who took me to the field, the one that pushed me most of my career. I still call him and ask him for advice. We talk every week on the phone and I keep him informed of what I'm doing. Besides my mom and dad, my Uncle Nelson has been my biggest influence. Everything I remember from baseball can be traced back to him, the way I catch ground balls, how to hit. He's the person who always led me by the hand.

It is very difficult for me that he can't share in my achievements. [In Cuba] I have a friend who shows him videos of me playing, but when I need help, it'll take him a week or more to even see them, so we can't communicate. That would be one of the key moments for me, that my uncle gets to see me play baseball in the big leagues.

Would you go back to Cuba?

That is what one longs for as a Cuban. We [defectors] are not allowed back in for eight years. But [the visit to Cuba] was a very good thing by MLB. Someone has to take the first step and the most important thing is in the near future to open the doors for those children who are starting to play baseball in Cuba; that they can dream about the possibility of someday playing here in the major leagues. I hope that doors will open once and for all, and we can go back there, like all Puerto Rican, Dominican and Venezuelan players, who play the whole year here in MLB and then return to their homeland.

How worried are you about the current political climate and how it may affect Latinos?

The most important thing is to always to support Latinos with a positive message. We may go through very difficult things, but we also have to recognize all the achievements and the great contributions that Latinos have made to this great country. I am always supporting my Latin people, whether I can give good advice or say something positive. We come to this country with a lot of dreams and we just come here to work hard. I think that's the thing that's most important about us Latinos.