CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Jose Trevino has returned to his hometown.
“It’s crazy man. It’s great to see a major league baseball player,” Blake Gonzalez, a young baseball player competing in Friday's Home Run Derby said.
The Gold Glove, New York Yankee arrived in style to Whataburger field sporting a jersey with the number "361" on the back. When he saw how many people attended his charity events at Whataburger Field, you could see him mouth the words, "Wow, this is crazy."
Before the gates were open, a line of fans stretched down the street towards the end of the parking lot.
Rick Molina was one of those fans in line. He said Trevino is a good kid, having known Trevino's father and working with him.
“It’s all about the kids," Molina said. "Go out there and help the kids and raise money for the kids and getting ready for Christmas.”
Trevino is putting on his third annual Trevino Toy Drive, but this is the first time it’s in Corpus Christi.
"We knew that Corpus Christi and South Texas in general is a massive baseball area," Corpus Christi Sport Commission Executive Director Joey Jewell said. "And so, when we have an opportunity to have a sport like this come to town and we have all of these kids, both local and non-local coming in, to really enjoy what's going on, I mean it's perfect for us."
Trevino has already helped a few families with their Christmas shopping. During his toy drive, he distributed toys to various charities, as well as collecting food for the Coastal Bend Food Bank. Trevino's partnered with 24 Sports to incorporate baseball and softball tournaments for several age groups.
For the kids in attendance, seeing the MLB star was enough for them.
“It’s funny I got a little bit of a recording this morning at batting practice of all the kids saying "We skipped school." And so, they were just chanting that over and over. So, that was probably my favorite thing that I heard out of that,” Jewell said.
Trevino loves being able to give back, but he was surprised when Mayor Paulette Guajardo presented him with a key to the city.
To add to the fun, Trevino brought along some other big name ball players for his charity events. The likes of the Savannah Bananas and Blake Mitchell, the Sinton grad who was drafted in the first round of this year’s MLB Draft. It all began with batting practice atop the USS Lexington.
“I'm just glad Jose gave me the opportunity to come out here and support these kids and just give them a grand time while they’re out here,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell was surprised himself to see the reception he and the other ball players got.
“It was a big reaction when I was there at the Lexington earlier today, I don’t think I was really expecting it. But once they started cheering it kind of got my heart pounding a little bit. But, it's great to see all that support," Mitchell said.
The young ball players taking part in the tournaments were treated to an autograph session with all the celebrities.
The festivities continue on Saturday with a baseball camp and baseball and softball tournaments in Portland, TX.
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