Baseball's stars come out for Cubs' Morel in rookie season originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Hours before Wednesday's Cubs win over the Blue Jays, Christopher Morel posted a photo of him and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Instagram.
Morel captioned the post thanking Guerrero Jr. while sharing his respect and admiration for the Blue Jays superstar and 2021 AL MVP runner-up.
For Morel, moments like this have frequented his special, if not unexpected rookie season since his promotion from Double-A in May — moments his outgoing personality has been on display.
As much as he’s made a point to introduce himself to players like Guerrero Jr., they’ve noticed him along the way too.
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Take just the last few weeks, when Morel posed for photos with Hall of Famer David Ortiz at the Field of Dreams game.
“It was my first opportunity to be close to David Ortiz,” Morel said through Cubs interpreter/media relations staffer Will Nadal. “It’s someone I consider a legend of the game, a legend of the Dominican Republic as well."
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Then there’s Morel's interaction with Albert Pujols during the retiring slugger’s final trip to Wrigley Field last week.
“It's really exciting,” said Morel of Pujols, whom he’s interacted with throughout the season when the Cubs and Cardinals have played.
“It's something that's been like a dream that I was able to just live out. Someone who's broken so many records, done so many great things for the game. Just to be able to meet him, it’s something that it's a wish that came true.”
The moment with Guerrero Jr. was the latest in a long line of interactions Morel has had with young and established superstars alike.
During a Cubs-Dodgers game this season, he crossed paths with Mookie Betts between innings and the two shared a conversation on the field.
“I told him, 'I need your consistency and the way that you take at-bats,'” Morel said. “And then he joked with me as well.
“He just told me, ‘Let's exchange consistency: the one that I have for your power. I wish I had that.’”
Morel's play had already earned Manny Machado's attention when he approached the Padres superstar for advice before a game earlier this season.
MORE: Morel’s impressive first month grabs Machado's attention
Morel said he looked up to Machado as a kid, as well as Cardinals All-Star Nolan Arenado, whom he also met this season during matchups with St. Louis.
These moments even date back to a few months before Morel made his big-league debut. He met and interacted with Mike Trout in spring training.
His outgoing nature has been a common sight all season, whether it's before or during games. Each time he steps into the batter's box, Morel has a customary greeting of the home plate umpire, catcher and starting pitcher.
Monday, it was featured on the Blue Jays' television broadcast, when two-time All-Star José Berríos was the pitcher on the receiving end of the greeting.
The acknowledgement he's received from some of the game's biggest names has been special to Morel.
"Very happy, filled me with a lot of joy," he said. "These are guys that I saw on TV.
"Just having that type of conversation with them, that exchange is something that just brought me joy and made me feel really happy."
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