In late July of 2008, Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias defected from his country's junior national team while playing in a tournament in Canada. For almost a year, Iglesias waited in the Dominican Republic while trying to obtain free agent status by Major League Baseball, juggling agents and working out tirelessly for major league teams in the process. Finally, this summer, MLB declared him a free agent. The Boston Red Sox quickly signed the 19-year-old to an $8.25 million contract to be their shortstop of the future -- a future that could start as early as next year.

La Esquina caught up with Iglesias, who was stuck in his hotel room with the flu near Boston's spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., for an exclusive interview. The young Cuban, who already counts David Ortiz and Miguel Tejada as friends, touched on a variety of topics including his feelings about being in the United States, his career in Cuba and his favorite player, Derek Jeter. In an hour-long interview conducted in Spanish, Iglesias displayed confidence, charm and an intelligence (he quoted the Cuban poet Jose Marti) that could make him a star in Boston.