With help from some famous friends, Vlad Jr. hosts charity softball game at loanDepot park

MIAMI -- Miami’s loanDepot park became the stage on Saturday for a fundraiser to support children and communities in Latin America and the United States, thanks to a partnership between La Gente del Barrio Foundation and VG27, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s charitable organization.

The event featured a celebrity softball game followed by a home run derby, during which the participants' pop was on full display. And it boasted plenty of Latin American star power.

From Guerrero himself, who hosted the event, to José Ramírez, Juan Soto, Randy Arozarena, Junior Caminero, Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Ezequiel Tovar, Teóscar Hernández and Julio Rodríguez, and such retired stars as Edwin Encarnación, Carlos Baerga and Andruw Jones, fans in attendance were treated to an impressive roster of baseball talent.

“For me, it’s a big achievement to be here with my teammates and to be able to put on a good event here in Miami,” said Guerrero. “The main thing is that we can help low-income children in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, all of Latin America.”

The celebrity softball game was a true spectacle. With two teams made up of athletes and figures from the world of arts and entertainment, the game featured such standout moments as Arozarena robbing a home run, a Guerrero swing-and-miss that elicited laughs from the crowd and a great defensive play in right field by Hernández ... all while holding his cell phone. Not to mention a shutout performance by retired slugger Encarnación.

“More than being here enjoying ourselves, it’s about the cause. ... It’s super important to be able to bring some kind of support to those people who need the foundation," Hernández said. “For me, [participating] is more than a point of pride. I think [these events] are good for Latin culture and for all those people who love baseball.”

After five scoreless innings, the softball game was decided by a mini home run derby that Caminero won. Caminero was crowned MVP, which earned him a custom event jacket in the style that Guerrero Jr.’s Toronto Blue Jays have implemented in recent years.

A display of distance and power

Then came the main course: A home run derby featuring a group of names that would be the envy of any other competition.

Noelvi Marte, Perdomo, Caminero, Oneil Cruz, Arozarena, Ketel Marte, Guerrero, Ramírez and Carlos Santana were the protagonists, and with aluminum bats in hand, they unleashed mammoth blasts.

In the first round, two monumental shots from Caminero and one from Ketel Marte hit the loanDepot roof. Both Caminero and Ketel Marte advanced to the second round, alongside Noelvi Marte and Guerrero, who led the opening round with nine home runs.

Noelvi Marte and Guerrero made it to the final, with Marte claiming the crown (or, in this case, a commemorative jacket) after hitting five home runs compared with Guerrero’s two.

Prelude to the World Baseball Classic?

With so much Dominican talent in one place, it was impossible not to think about what’s to come in just a few months, when loanDepot park hosts games for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Many of these same players will be back, but with a different aim: to clinch a second crown for the Dominican Republic. Several players were already thinking ahead on Saturday.

“There are a few [players already ready], yes,” said Hernández. "Hopefully, when the event comes, they can triumph and try to bring the championship to the Dominican Republic.”

Added Ketel Marte: "I am ready; thank God I am well physically. The key is to get to Spring Training healthy and hope in God to continue like this and receive the invitation there."

Even Guerrero, who came up just short of a World Series title last month, is already focused on getting in shape for the tournament.

“I started working out exactly last Monday," he said. "Next Monday I start hitting and running. But I feel physically very good right now.”