NewsWhore
05-01-2008, 03:00 PM
Feeling they were losing the race to find and sign baseball talent in Latin America, the San Diego Padres have invested US$8 million in a new academy built on six hectares of land in Najayo, San Cristobal province. The new baseball complex is the most luxurious and modern of all the MLB baseball academies in the DR. It has the capacity to house 60 players in training. Team chairman John Moores said that the completed facility went beyond expectations. Moores visited with Padres executives Sandy Alderson, Kevin Towers and Dave Winfield. Major League Baseball vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. also flew in for the opening. Sports Minister Felipe Jay Payano and US Ambassador Robert Fannin were also at the ceremony.
The complex includes two baseball fields, a half field for infielder practice, batting tunnels, clubhouse, gymnasium, dining room, conference rooms and classrooms, dorms and a hotel for players with 33 bedrooms. The Padres are one of the few MLB teams that don't have a single Dominican player on their roster. Only one Latin American player is on their team. The plan is for the new academy to change this within the next four years.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)
The complex includes two baseball fields, a half field for infielder practice, batting tunnels, clubhouse, gymnasium, dining room, conference rooms and classrooms, dorms and a hotel for players with 33 bedrooms. The Padres are one of the few MLB teams that don't have a single Dominican player on their roster. Only one Latin American player is on their team. The plan is for the new academy to change this within the next four years.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)