The Baltimore Orioles held a grand opening for their new, state-of-the-art Dominican Republic Baseball Academy last week, a celebration with various officials, Orioles front office staff and players from today and yesteryear.
The facility didn’t take long to get up and going. The following days, the Orioles held a youth baseball clinic at the academy, quickly immersing themselves in the community.
The clinic was open to youth across various communities. The Orioles and Orioles advocates also provided 150 gloves for kids that were collected throughout the 2023 season.
The clinic was run by Orioles coaches, players and alumni, providing various baseball skills and lessons.
“The impact this complex will have on the future success of the Orioles and the young players that we recruit and sign is immeasurable. Having a state-of-the-art facility will not only allow us to continue to attract top international talent to the organization but will also allow us to teach them valuable life skills off the field that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”
– Koby Perez, director of the academy and head of international scouting
Players like Félix Bautista, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, were on hand for the youth clinic, where kids from his own hometown were attending.
“It really is important for me to have kids from my hometown be able to come out here and be part of this and see this in person. Hopefully, they’re able to follow in my footsteps and see some of the things that I’ve been able to do, and hopefully, they can have the opportunity to do things like I’ve been able to do myself.”
– O’s closer Félix Bautista
It’s a commitment the Orioles have made to not only help out in the community but also provide an area of learning, development and growth. It also gives the organization a strong showing in the international market, especially in an area that is full of talent.
With players like Bautista, Samuel Basallo, Braylin Tavera and Leandro Arias all making their presence felt in the Orioles system, this is just one more step in the O’s developing their Latin American roots with an eye on improving their organization and international relationship.
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