This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola's Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

These days, owning a pair of Jordans is a rite of passage for professional athletes.

Over the weekend in Milwaukee, Miguel Rojas and Sandy Alcantara went with the rookie position players and pitchers, respectively, to buy them each a pair. Rojas and Alcantara, both of whom purchased dinner for Marlins Minor Leaguers during Spring Training, are keeping with tradition of veterans taking care of the young players.

Rojas remembers Adrián González getting suits for the Dodgers' rookies in 2014 and Martín Prado paying for a range of things during his Marlins tenure. Rojas picked up the baton in '19, then had limited opportunities in '20 because of COVID restrictions. Last season, he bought a couple of rookies suits and sport jackets in New York.

"I feel like carrying on that tradition is always important," Rojas said. "It's always nice to show appreciation for your teammates, and as one of the oldest guys in the clubhouse -- and not just in this clubhouse, but in the organization -- I feel like I've got the necessity of keeping that tradition on, and hopefully someone else in the future can actually make them feel special like I felt one day, like these kids. 

"It's more than just a pair of Jordans. I did it with a pair of Jordans because everybody knows how much I love shoes. And I feel like that's something that they'll always remember: 'I got this from Miggy this year, when I was his teammate.' So for me, it's a special day, and I wanted to do something for them. Hopefully, they can learn from me not just on the field, but off the field as well."