Detroit fans know him as a promising youngster with an abnormally-large neck, but Detroit outfielder Andy Dirks is currently viewed through a vastly different lens by baseball fans in the Dominican Republic. After collecting a pair of game-winning hits during his Leones del Escogido team's eventual path to the Caribbean Series Championship earlier this week, Dirks' transition to "Ondy-der", a clutch-hitting, fun-loving speedster, became complete.
↵Mobbed by fans for autographs and pictures like you'd expect to see with a famous pop star, Dirks has quite literally become a cult hero in a country where baseball players are often seen as larger than life individuals. Despite the language barrier, his humble nature and obvious team attitude has endeared him to locals.
↵↵↵"Andy Dirks could run for president right now," said Gary Ruby, pitching coach for Leones del Escogido.
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By the time Dirks is back in a Tigers' uniform, he will not only be fresh from having a bevy of winter baseball under his belt, but he'll have more confidence and more fan support than he ever could have imagined.