Angel Presinal doesn’t want to talk to anybody, is what a source who was close to Presinal’s family said about the absence of the notorious and world-famous baseball trainer in the recent World Baseball Classic. He’s been reported sick and lost some weight, trying to recuperate in his countryside home in Dominican Republic.

According to his friends, Presinal is avoiding the public spotlight and is battling with diabetes-related health issues. Since his ban from the World Baseball Classic by the Major League Baseball last month, Presinal has been keeping it low and avoiding the public eye. Last month, he was implicated in the steroid scandal concerning Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez.

It was reported that Presinal was traveling with A-Rod during the 2007 season despite the fact that the MLB banned him from clubhouses as well as private areas in ballparks due to a steroid incident in Toronto sometime in 2001. In that incident, Canadian border agents seized a gym bag full of steroids and linked them to Presinal and former slugger for Cleveland Indians, Juan Gonzalez. The 2001 steroid incident in Toronto was included in the Mitchell Report which was released December 2007. The Mitchell Report became the basis for MLB’s anti-doping strategy, including the process of catching and sanctioning players who are caught on steroids.

The second ban which happened just last month took a toll on the trainer and also angered some baseball players from the Dominican team. They were not happy that the reason why Presinal could not be there was because of A-Rod. Presinal has been the personal trainer of some of the biggest Dominican baseball stars including Robinson Cano, Pedro Martinez, Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon, two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzales, and most recently, Alex Rodriguez.

Recent reports indicate that Presinal worked with Rodriguez in Miami and New York as recently as last fall and in the Dominican Republic last January. While there was no report that Presinal and A-Rod traveled together extensively in 2008, sources say that both traveled extensively together in 2007, the year A-Rod became MVP. In late August of last year, Presinal was also seen working with local prospects in Washington Heights.

While MLB has warned its players to stay away from Angel Persinal (he has been thrown out of clubhouses in Texas and Anaheim), with one source saying that he was an “unsavory character,” Presinal is looked up to in Dominican baseball circles. In the island, he is known for getting the most out of his players who works out in his humble gym in Santo Domingo. Former Mets left fielder and captain of the Dominican WBC team, Moises Alou, says that Presinal works his players out like they are going through the Olympics.

Under Presinal’s guidance, young prospects and major leaguers go through the same grueling training including weight training exercises and outdoor cardiovascular drills. Alou further notes that “the guys love Presinal” and from what he knows, the notorious trainer is a hard-working guy and that they are going to keep on working for him.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS