Baseball really is a small world; when Miami Marlins reliever Victor Vodnik hit the big leagues, he scored an awesome connection to franchise legend Ricky Nolasco.
Besides their Marlins connection, both right-handers hail from Rialto High School in California, making up two of the only three major leaguers ever produced by the school. The other isJosh Whitesell, who played from 2008 to 2009) with the Arizona Diamondbacks before continuing his professional baseball career overseas.
Their mentor-mentee bond actually kicked off back in 2018 when Rialto's coach asked Nolasco to check out a teenage Vodnik. Nolasco watched a bullpen session, was blown away by Vodnik's maturity and big-league arm, and offered some solid advice.
"I talked to him a little bit first, and then watched him throw, and obviously he's got a lightning bolt in his right arm, which was very impressive," Nolasco recalls about that meeting. "He was raw, no doubt about that, but most high school kids are."
"I was instantly very impressed with his maturity and things like that, and that was the most important thing that I wanted to stress. Make sure that he's going in the right path, and understand that this is a very small window that a lot of people don't get, so make sure to take advantage of that."
Nolasco's scouting report proved to be spot on: The Braves drafted Vodnik in 2018. He debuted with the Rockies in 2023, and just two years later, he was throwing nearly 99 mph with a 3.02 ERA and 10 saves.
"It was a huge dream, and it was cool to have somebody who had gotten drafted out of there talk to me during that process," Vodnik said. "It was huge for me... It meant a lot to me because he helped me out a lot, and I like to help people."
Fast forward to August 2026, when Vodnik got traded to Miami, prompting Nolasco, the Marlins' all-time wins leader (81), to text him: "Hey, good luck. You're going to love the 305."
The 27-year-old reliever posted decent numbers, with a 3-3 record and an earned run average of 4.91, and four saves in 53 appearances overall. With his experience and performance, he looks earmarked to be a setup man in the upcoming season. He is under contract on a pre-arbitration deal, is under team control, and isn't scheduled to become a free agent until 2030. That means he could be hanging around South Florida for a while.
Now, Nolasco acts as a friendly sounding board, following Vodnik's outings and dropping encouraging texts after tough games. And it's definitely different than a regular legend-and-youngster connection. The two share similar roots, along wiht their time wearing Marlins colors .
Off the field, both still support their hometown school and were recently honored together at Rialto High for the unveiling of new field lights. It's a full-circle moment, proving baseball bonds can span different times, coastlines, and borders.
That baseball bond is another example of how hardball truly is America's Pastime. An established, star pitcher once told a promising teenager he had the arm to make it. Years later, that teenager is pitching in Miami, wearing a Marlins uniform and receiving encouragement from the winningest pitcher in the history of the franchise.wo mari
