Right after the MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby in Seattle, we flew straight to the Dominican Republic. We followed a 12u and 15u baseball team with Coach JR Lewis from Blackbelt Baseball and Coach Tony Castro from the Carribean Baseball Academy on their tour through different cities and baseball academies in the Dominican Republic!! What an incredible, eye opening experience as we got to see what baseball, and life is like, for the thousands of professional baseball players that come from this beautiful country!!
Our first stop was Pimentel Baseball Academy in a suburb of Santo Domingo. This place was absolutely beautiful and we got to see all the cool aspects of the complex. The first pitcher we saw throw was a 14-year-old throwing over 90 miles per hour!! We explored a weight room in centerfield that looked like a castle, cows roaming around the property, and a bunch of different birds roaming around the whole time. MLB players get signed out of these academies as international free agents at ages as young as 15!!
Our 2nd stop was Liga Los Trinitarios Academy, also in a suburb of Santo Domingo. This was where Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, and Rafael Devers grew up playing!! We Mic'd up both American and Dominican players in the 15u game and interviewed a bunch of the local kids. We also trained with one of the Coaches who used to play in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
Day 3 brought us to Carribean Baseball Academy in La Vega, Dominican Republic. This is where 14-year-old shortstop prospect Randy Arias trains. He is in the middle of the hectic scouting and signing process, and he's projected to sign for up to $5 MILLION as an international free agent. He has received a ton of interest from teams like the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. We Mic'd up players again, conducted more fun interviews, and showed off the gym and other aspects of this academy. We also had a Coaches Home Run Derby, but unfortunately, Liam wasn't able to put one out, but did hit another ground-rule double just like in Seattle!! We again saw 15-year-olds throwing over 90 mph and hitting absolute tanks. It was such an honor and a privilege to meet all these kids and to be accepted in their community. A lot of these young baseball players in the Dominican Republic come from poverty, but that doesn't stop them from grinding their butts off to make something of their baseball career. Getting firsthand exposure to the Dominican culture is something we will NEVER FORGET!! We can't wait to come back here one day!
Some of the favorite MLB players mentioned on this trip included Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Elly De La Cruz, and Rafael Devers, Shohei Ohtani, Marcus Stroman, Babe Ruth, Kyle Tucker, Francisco Lindor, Salvador Perez, and Javier Baez.
Baseball has a long history in the United States, but it also has strong roots in the Caribbean and Latin America, particularly in the Dominican Republic. The sport became deeply ingrained in Dominican culture and has evolved into a multi-million dollar industry.
As Dominicans showed their skill and success as baseball players, the MLB started establishing academies in the Dominican Republic, which were affiliated with MLB teams in the United States. This system facilitated the influx of numerous talented Dominican players into MLB teams. Currently, Dominicans dominate Major League Baseball in the United States, making up more than 15 percent of all players in the league.
Yankee Stadium? Dodger Stadium? Fenway Park? Wrigley Field? Where should we go next!!? LET US KNOW!! We want to interview Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mookie Betts, and every famous baseball player you can think of soon so stay tuned!
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Maybe we should take a swing at Diamond Dynasty and Battle Royale! Maybe we should open some baseball cards! Who knows what's next...
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This video was filmed on July 15th, 16th, and 17th in 2023 in the Dominican Republic!
#baseball #beisbol #dominicana #spanish #latino #mlb #littleleague
18 июл 2023
