Jorge Polanco, now a member of the New York Mets, revealed a key factor behind his decision to come to Queens, and it wasn’t just the chance to play alongside stars like Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, but also something much more personal tied to his family.
“What really caught my attention was the players on the team like Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. On top of that, my dad has always been a Mets fan, so the chance to come here and be closer to him made the decision even easier. Thank God we did,” Polanco told Miriam Luz on Instagram (@miriamluz._).
While there isn’t much widely available information about his father, it is known that his name is Marino Polanco. According to SportsKeeda, he once played for the San Francisco Giants, although there are no official stats listed for him in either the minors or majors.
Polanco was separated from his father for years
Beyond the opportunity to share a clubhouse with Soto and Lindor, fellow Caribbean stars, Polanco is also reconnecting with his father, who has lived in New York for years. The two were separated not only during Polanco’s time with the Mariners and Twins, but also earlier in his childhood.
Jorge Polanco was just a few feet shy of a walk-off homer as the Mets fall to the Pirates 4-3 pic.twitter.com/IJFfQnwEAN
— Shea Station (@shea_station) March 29, 2026
SportsKeeda detailed that Polanco did not see his father until he was four years old, after returning to the Dominican Republic with his mother. It remains unclear whether they were separated again during his teenage years, as Polanco signed with the Twins at just 16.
Now on a two-year deal with the Mets, Polanco will have the chance to stay close to his father. If he performs well over the next couple of seasons, there’s a strong possibility he could earn another contract to remain in New York, both with the club and near his family, while already off to a modest .200 start at the plate.
