The New York Mets have officially completed and inaugurated a state-of-the-art player development facility in Boca Chica, located approximately 30 minutes from Santo Domingo. Funded by team owners Steve and Alex Cohen, the project represents a nearly $10 million investment designed to give the organization a competitive edge in developing international talent, Anthony DiComo reported in his Mets Beat newsletter.
All 30 Major League Baseball teams have training camps in the Dominican Republic. These mainly prepare Dominican and Venezuelan players. The primary residents are teenagers in the Dominican Summer League (DSL).
The Boca Chica training facility was inspired by high-performance training centers found in US Division 1 college football. Mets executives, including Director of Player Development Andrew Christie and Assistant General Manager Eduardo Brizuela, emphasized that the complex addresses the “physical element” often lacking in young international prospects compared to their American counterparts.
Facility highlights and specifications
The complex is designed to be an “outlier” in the Dominican Republic, surpassing the scale of rival facilities. The facility includes A 929 m2 (10,000-square-foot) weight room complemented by a dedicated nutrition bar. Also part of the complex is a 1,570 m2 (16,900-square-foot) turf agility field, an expanded training room with hot and cold plunge pools, and an open-air batting cage expansion. A clubhouse supports daily operations.
The complex houses between 70 and 120 athletes, depending on the time of year, with 18 suite-style bedrooms available for full-time residency.
As is usual with other baseball academies, the facility includes modern classrooms for educational programs. The facility is specifically for the youngest athletes in the organization, typically aged 16 to 18 who have yet to complete their high school studies. In addition to core high school subjects, the classrooms are used for English immersion classes and cultural assimilation workshops to prepare players for their eventual transition to the United States.
The facility is also utilized by:
• Dominican Major Leaguers: Active MLB players from the DR often return to the facility to train during the offseason.
• MLB free agents: The Mets intend to use the “best-in-class” nature of the academy as a recruitment tool for free agents considering signing with the team.
• Rehabilitating players: Athletes working through injuries may use the advanced medical and recovery zones (such as the hot and cold plunge pools) before moving to the Port St. Lucie complex in Florida.
The project was spearheaded by a leadership team including John Ricco (Senior VP of Business Operations), Juan Henderson (Director of Latin American Operations), and Virgilio Santamaria (Dominican Facility Manager).
JMF Arquitectos, under José Mella and Amelia Mella, were in charge of the project design and supervision. JMF has been a key participant in 16 of the 30 MLB baseball academies in the country, one in Panama and another in Venezuela. Construction of the Boca Chica center was the responsibility of Constructora Hermida, a local engineering firm.
22 April 2026