Teens of Bay Area

Ever since his father gifted him a baseball bat and set up a baseball batting tee in the backyard gravel area of his old house at the age of two, Amado, a senior at James Logan High School, never stopped playing baseball. 14 years later, the sport still remains his passion.

Throughout his journey, Amado has played baseball through various competitive traveling baseball teams and his high school team. After hearing about the opportunity to join the Philippines Baseball Group from his father’s former student, he immediately signed up for tryouts, seeing it as a perfect chance where he could blend his cultural identity with his love for baseball. 

“I always found it so awesome to be able to blend and represent two crucial parts of my identity,” Amado said. “As a Filipino, I can represent my country, and blend it together with my love for baseball.”

Initially, staying consistent with his conditioning was hard for him. But after he started using a planner to document all of his baseball-related training, he’s been able to consistently work out 6 times a week. He’s held this streak of non-stop training for over 4 years now. 

“If it’s something you love, then you’re always going to find the time for it,” Amado said. “It’s all about putting in the hard work to figure it out, even doing the little boring things, like, doing landmine one leg RDLs to strengthen your hamstrings for when you’re pitching or doing the dumbbell incline bench” 

Amado’s plan with baseball after high school is to play at the collegiate level and beyond. He hopes to represent his Filipino identity by playing baseball in international tournaments such as the Olympics and the Asian Games.

In addition to baseball, music has also been an essential part of Amado’s identity. Karaoke and singing have been activities that connected Amado’s family together. His uncle, Errol Viray, was one of the members of the first Asian American boy band, KAI, to be signed with a record label. 

“It’s always been such a big part of, such a crucial part of my life, my family’s life,” Amado said. “It’s how we love, share, and spend time with each other.”

Independently, he also picked up the guitar during the Covid-19 Pandemic, which was an instrument that had been in the corner of his room before. He watched videos on music theory for hours on end and played around with the instrument until it began to click. He decided to take his passion to another level when he met Anaya, a singer who was looking for a lead guitarist to join their band, 5.25, and he jumped at the opportunity. Since, he’s played genres of music such as R and B, Reggae, and Original Filipino Music.

Although he hopes to venture into professional sports, Amado also wants to become a cardiothoracic surgeon and hopes to use what he learned to better serve his community.

“If you’re going to show up, do it 100% . If you’re going to show up and not give it your all, then why are you there?”

Amado Viray Santos, 2025