PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Mark Vientos, Jeter Downs and Freddy Zamora grew up together in the Miami area, playing with and against each other during their travel ball days.
Nearly two decades after they first met, the trio is back together, comprising three-fourths of the starting infield for Team Nicaragua in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
“We've seen each other since we were 10 years old, which is kind of crazy now that we're playing on the Classic team together,” Vientos said. “It’s funny because we were the same [high school] Draft class in 2017 and we were all shortstops, so we've known each other for a while.”
Team Nicaragua opens its WBC schedule on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET on FS2 against the Dominican Republic at loanDepot park in Miami.
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“It’s a pretty surreal moment,” Downs said. “Everything is coming back full circle; we get to play at home again in the backyard with all our friends and family that watched us play when we were little. We’re just trying to enjoy it, have as much fun as possible and put our best foot forward.”
Downs was the lone first-rounder of the group, taken by the Reds with the 32nd overall selection. Vientos was selected in the second round of that Draft by the Mets with the 59th overall pick. Zamora chose to attend the University of Miami, getting drafted in the second round (53rd overall) in 2020 by the Brewers.
“There was a lot of competition,” Zamora said. “We all played shortstop, so growing up, iron sharpens iron. We were just getting the best out of each other. Now it's pretty cool to be playing together with them on the same diamond.”
Downs was traded to the Dodgers in December 2018 as part of a seven-player deal that sent Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig to Cincinnati. He was dealt again in February 2020, this time to the Red Sox as part of the return for Mookie Betts and David Price.
The infielder played 14 games with Boston in 2022 before being selected off waivers in December 2022 by the Nationals, for whom he played six games in 2023. He was claimed by the Yankees after the season, but never suited up for New York, which released him in July 2024.
“It's always been one of my dreams to play in the WBC,” said Downs, who has been playing for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan since August 2024. “I've been watching it since I was a kid, so it's a pretty cool moment to play with those three guys again, to play in the WBC and to get to play back home in front of friends and family, especially since I've been in Japan the last couple of years.”
Zamora – the only remaining shortstop in the trio – has yet to reach the Majors, playing the past five seasons in the Brewers’ organization. He recalled he and Downs taking a 30-hour bus ride to Cooperstown with a number of other local kids and their families when they were 12 years old.
“We got really close,” a smiling Zamora said. “We were all shortstops, so it was hard to be on the same team. Mark grew a lot, so he’s the third baseman now, and Jeter plays second base in Japan, so it worked out perfectly.”
Vientos has been the most successful of the three, making his big league debut with the Mets on Sept. 11, 2022. He had his best season in 2024, hitting 27 home runs with 71 RBIs and an .838 OPS in 111 games, but he struggled with inconsistency last year, leaving him in a spot to compete for at-bats in 2026 after the Mets signed Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette to handle corner-infield duties.
“That's another dream of mine that I get to cross off the list, to play in the World Baseball Classic and play for Team Nicaragua,” Vientos said. “Most importantly, play for my family and play for the kids back home in Nicaragua, just try to represent the country that's in my blood and represent it well.”
Dusty Baker was unaware that three of his infielders grew up together, but that was music to the manager’s ears as he prepares to lead a team with very little experience as a unit.
“It's really helpful for us and for me, when this isn't the first time they played together,” Baker said. “It helps a lot of knowing who's to my right or who's to my left, knowing the range that they have, knowing the arms of each other and knowing each other's temperament.”
Zamora was born in Managua before moving to Miami, while Vientos and Downs each have one parent born in Nicaragua. Vientos was eligible to play for four teams – the United States, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua – but the opportunity to honor his mother while playing with a pair of old friends made it an easy decision.
“We wanted to play together,” Downs said. “Baseball is short, life is short, so we might never get this opportunity again. I think we wanted to take full advantage of it.”