Between July 2017 and June 2018 the Major Leagues in the United States have signed 612 Dominican baseball players for an amount of around US$70 million, according to Rafael Oscar Pérez, director of the MLB in Santo Domingo.
However, he pointed out that even though many were signed, those who get to play in Major League Baseball is only around 6%. This percentage has increased from the historical figure of 5%.
Perez said that the reason so few actually make it to the Majors is due to several factors including the high number of games that prospects must play that puts pressure on the body as well on the mind. Perez says that the pressure to succeed often overwhelms the young athletes. He said the lack of education, language barriers and difficulties in acculturation also make it hard for Dominican prospects to succeed in the US. In contrast, 17% of Americans signed make it to the MLB, nearly three times the success rate compared to Dominicans.
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Listin Diario
27 June 2018
