The Dominican Republic Major League Baseball Academies: Facilities of Opportunity

Abstract

Nearly 30% of all Major League Baseball players today are from Latin America, and with the exception of the United States, the Dominican Republic is the most represented on all MLB rosters. The recent significant increase in Dominican players in the MLB is in large part due to the baseball academies on the island. The facilities, built and funded by the MLB teams, are an integral part of the Dominican player’s development on and off the field. They provide the young players with opportunities to succeed as players and as overall persons for their lives in between the whites lines of the diamond and beyond. I explore the holistic approach that major league teams are taking towards their academies in the Dominican Republic. When teams sign a player, they immediately uproot him out of his impoverished lifestyle and provide him with the opportunities and resources to improve as a player, receive a formal high school education, and learn acculturation techniques. I analyze the growing sense of responsibility of major league teams for the future of young players. The institutions offer players the opportunity to escape poverty and to develop overall. This paper will unveil the significant impact the academies have on the lives of average Dominican young men.