One of Dariel Carrion's earliest memories of baseball is the time that one came hurtling at his face.
A six-year-old Carrion was watching his older brother take batting practice one day and asked to take a few swings, but the ball came at him a little too high and hit him square in the face. Though he knew it wasn’t on purpose, Carrion promptly developed a distaste for the sport. But it only took a year for his attitude to change as he watched his brother’s game improve and was inspired to follow in his footsteps.
Growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carrion’s baseball journey has been a little different from athletes that grew up in the contiguous 50 states. He attends Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (CBBA) in Florida, Puerto Rico, where his days are split between academics and training.
“We have to work a lot, but they’re great people,” Carrion said. “My inspirations were Yadier [Molina] and [Carlos] Beltran so it was my dream to be there.”
It’s a long day of travel, training, and schooling, but Carrion says he wouldn’t trade it for anything – not even a bit more sleep in the morning.
“We have to get up at like 5:30 a.m. to get a bus in a place called Plaza Las Americas in San Juan, and then we have to go to Florida,” he said. “That's like one hour or one hour and 10 [minutes away.]”
His daily schedule looks nothing like a typical high schooler’s, but he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out on the traditional high school experience. He knows that the knowledge he’s absorbing and the skills he’s honing at CBBA will help him achieve his goal of playing at the next level.
In addition to his schooling, Carrion is a catcher for SBA National, a premier travel baseball and player development organization, and competes in tournaments all over the U.S. His years of showcasing his hard work on a national level have led to countless opportunities, including representing Team USA as a member of the 2024 15U National Team.
“In Puerto Rico, the economy is not good. We had to work in the streets,” he said. “That [invitation] tells me if you work hard, [it pays off].”
That year, the team played an International Friendly Series against Australia and went 5-0. Carrion started three of those games behind the plate and boasted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while scoring five runs of his own and driving in two. While it was a valuable experience from a developmental standpoint, Carrion’s favorite part was the team camaraderie.
“The players were so great to me and nice [to me] even though I was from Puerto Rico and I was not from the U.S. One of my best friends was Jared [Grindlinger who] signed already with the Angels,” Carrion said. “He was [always a] leader and he'd say, ‘Hey, keep it going, get up, and let's work. Let’s work like teammates and win.’”
Achieving his goal of making a national team not only made his years of hard work and sacrifice worth it, but fulfilled his promise to his grandfather as well.
“That was my dream because of my grandfather. I promised him I was gonna do it and I'm gonna work hard,” Carrion said. “He passed away years ago, [but he’s] my inspiration.”
Carrion strives to not only make his grandfather proud, but the rest of his family as well knowing how much they’ve sacrificed to support his dreams. Experiences like these don’t come easily. Only the very best players earn training camp invites, and Carrion doesn’t take them for granted.
In 2025, he was invited back to the National Training Complex to participate in the 16/17U National Team Development Program, and his performance there earned him an invitation to the second phase 18U National Team Training Camp just a few weeks later. Carrion didn’t make the final roster, but this only motivated him to work harder during the following school year. It paid off, as the 16-year-old was invited back to Cary, North Carolina, to participate in the first phase of 18U National Team Training Camp earlier this month.
The opportunity to learn from seasoned coaches while making lifelong friends is something Carrion cherishes, and says USA Baseball has played an integral part in his development.
“I have to say a lot of thanks to USA Baseball because they’ve helped me a lot. They’ve given me a lot of things and I’m so humbled [to be here]” Carrion said. “They’ve made me the player I am right now.”
His journey as a player has been unconventional, but it’s one Carrion owns with pride. Hard work and dedication earned him the opportunity to wear USA on his chest once before, and as he continues to add to his story, he looks to do it again.
