MotoCaribe is adding a third tour, this one to the East, and Alida and I were scouting roads and resorts last Thursday.
We were on Rte 23 from Bayaguana and getting closer to Guerra, just enjoying the nice drive, when we passed the gate and logo of a MLB baseball academy-I forget which one. I had barely thought "whoa, my first glimpse at a baseball academy" when we passed the Tampa Bay Rays academy.
Being an original "Devil Rays" season ticket holder, then the "Rays", before moving to the DR I pulled over, stopped, and did a U-Turn. I told Alida I wanted to check it out and maybe take a couple of pictures.
So we drove back and pulled up to the gate. A burly uniformed guard came and we told him we'd like to take a few photos if possible, seeing how I'm from Tampa.
A few minutes later, after consulting on the phone, he opens the gate, directed us to the parking lot and told us to check in at the main office.
So we did.
We met a super nice woman, Cinthia, who is the administrator of the academy. She couldn't have been nicer. We chatted for a while. She explained that Thursday was a holiday and most of the kids had gone home. She gave us a personal tour and I snapped a few photos, not nearly as many as I wanted.
The kids there are 17-20 years old, and there is some turnover through the year. Many go on to play in the minors, but so far not many in the MLB ranks. From what she said, the Rays facility ranks in the Top 5 of the Dominican academies. I have no way to compare.
To the office:
The entrance, Cinthia and Alida:
Outside BBQ area, used for banquets and socializing:
Lobby floor:
A classroom, much nicer that anything I ever experienced in my bourgoise high school:
Cinthia was very proud of this, plaques of the kids that graduate from High School. She said many if not most of the kids come to them with very, very poor educational fundamentals. Seems most kids just quit going to school when they have even modest baseball talent, some as early as 12 y.o. Sad. Really sad. They have a bigger party when a kid graduates, than when the team wins a tournament:
Some of the kids/players relaxing in the common area lounge. The kids we saw weren't big, as in thick, but they were all very tall. There are strict rules of dress and decorum:
The dining hall:
A sign on the door going in to the dining hall, gym and locker room. I liked their attitudes toward discipline:
The locker room. There was a bulletin board area with all sorts of notices and schedules each kid was supposed to initial with a pen-on-a-string. Seems there is no room for "I didn't know/nobody told me" excuses. This HAS to be like heaven for most of these kids who came from very modest background. They practice 6 days a week, and there is a clean uniform waiting for them each practice:
Their expectations; this is posted all over the players area. I didn't see one for pitchers. Note it's in English, not Spanish.:
The training room and Head Trainer (whose name I forgot, but he was a really nice guy) who said his role is more than a trainer, also like a Big Brother:
We also met the Latin American psychologist, a guy from Venezuela with 19 years with the Astros and Rays. He visits every Latin player in the Rays organization, especially the ones in the states. He said the transition from their culture to the US is daunting and he basically helps them adjust and keep out of trouble. He showed us a stack of 12 thick file folders with players names on them. He said "This is my June work in the states and Venezuela."
Here is a stitched panorama (that didn't come out very well) of the back area where the playing fields are. We didn't go walk around, but they have two full fields, a half field for infield practice and two batting cages, all excellent condition and perfectly groomed. Cinthis said they are always playing tournaments with the other academies, and a big one is coming up later in June.
Cinthia was also really proud that one of "her guys", Alex Colome, was going to have his starting pitching debut that evening against the Marlins. He won and struck out 7 in 5 2/3 innings. No doubt the entire academy watched and cheered and the sodas were flowing freely. I wish I could have witnessed that occasion.
Great way to spend an hour. We came away as impressed with their focus on education and socialization even more than baseball development. Certainly it's business for the Rays, but every kid that gets a shot at the academy is better for the experience. The Rays Academy will definitely be a major stop on the MotoCaribe East Tour.
We were on Rte 23 from Bayaguana and getting closer to Guerra, just enjoying the nice drive, when we passed the gate and logo of a MLB baseball academy-I forget which one. I had barely thought "whoa, my first glimpse at a baseball academy" when we passed the Tampa Bay Rays academy.
Being an original "Devil Rays" season ticket holder, then the "Rays", before moving to the DR I pulled over, stopped, and did a U-Turn. I told Alida I wanted to check it out and maybe take a couple of pictures.
So we drove back and pulled up to the gate. A burly uniformed guard came and we told him we'd like to take a few photos if possible, seeing how I'm from Tampa.
A few minutes later, after consulting on the phone, he opens the gate, directed us to the parking lot and told us to check in at the main office.
So we did.
We met a super nice woman, Cinthia, who is the administrator of the academy. She couldn't have been nicer. We chatted for a while. She explained that Thursday was a holiday and most of the kids had gone home. She gave us a personal tour and I snapped a few photos, not nearly as many as I wanted.
The kids there are 17-20 years old, and there is some turnover through the year. Many go on to play in the minors, but so far not many in the MLB ranks. From what she said, the Rays facility ranks in the Top 5 of the Dominican academies. I have no way to compare.
To the office:
The entrance, Cinthia and Alida:
Outside BBQ area, used for banquets and socializing:
Lobby floor:
A classroom, much nicer that anything I ever experienced in my bourgoise high school:
Cinthia was very proud of this, plaques of the kids that graduate from High School. She said many if not most of the kids come to them with very, very poor educational fundamentals. Seems most kids just quit going to school when they have even modest baseball talent, some as early as 12 y.o. Sad. Really sad. They have a bigger party when a kid graduates, than when the team wins a tournament:
Some of the kids/players relaxing in the common area lounge. The kids we saw weren't big, as in thick, but they were all very tall. There are strict rules of dress and decorum:
The dining hall:
A sign on the door going in to the dining hall, gym and locker room. I liked their attitudes toward discipline:
The locker room. There was a bulletin board area with all sorts of notices and schedules each kid was supposed to initial with a pen-on-a-string. Seems there is no room for "I didn't know/nobody told me" excuses. This HAS to be like heaven for most of these kids who came from very modest background. They practice 6 days a week, and there is a clean uniform waiting for them each practice:
Their expectations; this is posted all over the players area. I didn't see one for pitchers. Note it's in English, not Spanish.:
The training room and Head Trainer (whose name I forgot, but he was a really nice guy) who said his role is more than a trainer, also like a Big Brother:
We also met the Latin American psychologist, a guy from Venezuela with 19 years with the Astros and Rays. He visits every Latin player in the Rays organization, especially the ones in the states. He said the transition from their culture to the US is daunting and he basically helps them adjust and keep out of trouble. He showed us a stack of 12 thick file folders with players names on them. He said "This is my June work in the states and Venezuela."
Here is a stitched panorama (that didn't come out very well) of the back area where the playing fields are. We didn't go walk around, but they have two full fields, a half field for infield practice and two batting cages, all excellent condition and perfectly groomed. Cinthis said they are always playing tournaments with the other academies, and a big one is coming up later in June.
Cinthia was also really proud that one of "her guys", Alex Colome, was going to have his starting pitching debut that evening against the Marlins. He won and struck out 7 in 5 2/3 innings. No doubt the entire academy watched and cheered and the sodas were flowing freely. I wish I could have witnessed that occasion.
Great way to spend an hour. We came away as impressed with their focus on education and socialization even more than baseball development. Certainly it's business for the Rays, but every kid that gets a shot at the academy is better for the experience. The Rays Academy will definitely be a major stop on the MotoCaribe East Tour.
