This is an older article from my collection of favorites, but I still enjoy it for the insight it offers. The influence of Dominican players is not to be glossed over, and as the MLB continues to struggle for professional sports supremacy (is baseball still the national pastime?), players from the DR and other parts of the Spanish speaking world will become more and more important to the success and preservation of the game. Of course, MLB must also compensate and care for all of its players equally.
What are your thoughts on the issues raised in this piece? What about those stats? DR players account for 10% of active roster players and 24% of the farm system. Not bad for such a little country.
This piece shows a very interesting side of recruiting in the major leagues. While in the US there seems to be a clear path to getting recruited either straight out of high school or during/after college, 15 year old kids in the Dominican Republic are on this massive recruiting radar. Scouts in the US have pretty normal standards, but like in many smaller countries it's much more difficult to regulate the recruiting system without infrastructure in place. It also seems that they're are a large number of challenges in developing infrastructure that will work with the pre-existing recruiting system in the Dominican Republic. Having 10% of the active roster and 24% of the farm system is an impressive feat, especially when there are about 50 Division I NCAA baseball teams all with well scouted players. While understandably all those players aren't major league material, there sure is a lot to work with and that is a true testament to the training and talent found in the Dominican Republic.
ReplyDeleteAs Callan said, this article contrasts the path to Major League Baseball for a player in the U.S. to a player from the Dominican Republic. What amazed me about Futterman’s analysis was the emphasis put on not just stats, but drug-testing and background checks on each player from the Dominican Republic when being scouted. Although players in the Major Leagues from the Dominican Republic hold great presence and contribute immensely to the game’s success—as shown in the two stats discussed in the prompt—there is a level of skepticism that each player is approached with at the start of his career. Since this is based on previous actions of recruits, I think it will be interesting to see how these new requirements change Major League Baseball—if at all.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading this article, the idea of baseball being the "American Pastime" comes into question. You would think from events like the World Baseball Classic that baseball has not spread to countries outside of the United States, because the point of this event it to expand baseball to other countries. Even though the population of Dominican Republic is slightly over 10 million, Dominicans account for 10% of the players in MLB and a good majority of the stars. This is an incredible accomplishment for a country the size of the Dominican Republic. Reading that every MLB team has an academy in the Dominican Republic speaks to the unique ability of these young Dominicans and the commitment Major League teams are expressing towards them. In many of the countries, especially the spanish-speaking nations, where many major leaguers come from, baseball is the main sport and the best way to escape poverty. That truly shows the power of baseball.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found very interesting was the danger of players using steroids and faking their ages to get recruited. The article talked about how the Dominican Republic is the "wild west" of baseball recruiting because a lot of these teams are taking a chance with players that they don't have extensive profiles on. This is then leading to paying them less than the average amount from players drafter during the MLB draft. I thought that this is actually somewhat fair for them to be paid less because they are much riskier than a player who came up in the US and played college baseball. Fortunately, the games where they have the best prospects come and play and get seen by scouts is a strong step toward hopefully paying some of these players what they deserve because their is a much lower risk of them turning out to be a bad baseball player. One connection is that many of the Dominican Republic youth may see baseball as their only way out of poverty which pushes them even harder to succeed. This is very similar to soccer because many of the best players come from some of the poorest areas of the world. When growing up all they do with their time is play soccer or for the Dominican Republic play baseball. I am not saying that it is a good or bad thing but I just wanted to comment on the similarity that baseball has with soccer.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by how much baseball means to the Dominican Republic and its youth. I knew that the MLB imported a lot of players, more importantly a lot of very talented players, from the country, but never really thought about the other side of the coin. Even with beginning salaries of half as much as Americans, the opportunity that baseball provides to Dominican youth is huge. I had thought that the American baseball scouts were responsible for searching through the country to find the few diamonds in the rough that they happened to come across, when in reality thousands of Dominican teens are competing in tournaments and trainings geared towards getting recruited by the MLB. I was surprised to see that, despite the rampant drug use, fraud, and conniving that occurs, Dominican teens want to play baseball for the MLB even more than the MLB wants to recruit them.
ReplyDeleteI am curious how the MLB will ultimately deal with the problem of an unregulated draft source. The need for age verification, drug testing and a generally more official system is obvious, but I think I also understand the objections from the Dominican trainers. Any business based on percentages of million-dollar contracts is lucrative, and they make a good point that the system seems to be working well. The statistics given for performance and a quarter of the farm system are very impressive. However, I don't think regulation would hurt this player success, except perhaps steroid users. I think the best solution would be to integrate the talented trainers into a more official development and draft system, with the recognition of American coaches. Then their impact on Dominican talent would not be curtailed, but the MLB would get the information surety it needs.
ReplyDeleteI think having baseball in a country plagued by violence and poverty is a great outlet for the youth. It keeps then off the streets and on the fields. I think that the opportunity to play in the US and in the MLB should be a goal for the kids there. Obviously, I agree that all identities and paperwork should be checked over to make sure it's legit and if so, the payment should be equal to that of others in the amateur draft. I think that there should be more farm teams and opportunities for Dominican teens to be scouted because talent is talent and as we've seen there is a lot of talent that has come out of the DR and it would be detrimental to the league to ignore that talent simply because they are out of the boundaries of the US.
ReplyDeleteWith the continual rise of foreign presence in Major League Baseball, especially from the Dominican Republic, it will be interesting to see if baseball will continue to hold the same significance in the United States. Even now, it appears that the American youth are losing interest in baseball in favor of soccer or even lacrosse; this decline opens more spots for Dominican teens. Also, with more regulations being established for recruiting/scouting in the Dominican Republic, I wonder if the Dominican Republic can still comprise 10% of MLB and 24% of the Farm League systems. I never really knew that signing Dominican teens, even at the age of 16, would present so many problems. Age verification and drug tests make it easier to sign a player and be confident before spending such large amounts of money. Futterman presents baseball as central to a Dominican teen's life, something that cannot be said for the average American teen.
ReplyDeleteThe main factor to this significant stats is that "14 year old ballplayers in the Dominican Republic are getting training that US ballplayers don't get until their 18." This is very instrumental in the quality of players that come out of the DR. The earlier you play at a higher level, the better you will become. In the future, with this new system being implemented in the DR, more players will be brought to the major leagues. And in all fairness, more players being signed will receive higher salaries and signing bonuses. This will be very good for young ballplayers in the DR. It would be very interesting to go down the DR and see this broad range of talent arise.It will also be a tough situation for them as well, with little promise of a future in the DR, the leagues will become extremely competitive because this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for youngsters in the DR.
ReplyDeleteWhat I enjoyed most about this article was the author's comparison between baseball scouting in the states and in the DR. His description of the DR as an "unregulated wild-west atmosphere," was fascinating. This presents itself in many ways. Some of the greatest talents in the world of sports have come from developing countries like the DR. Sports like football (soccer) and baseball are central in communities and absorb the lives of many young players. Often, it is a way to a better standard of living for them and their families. In this way, the "unregulated" atmosphere produces a different type of talent, as the people of the DR are exposed to baseball in a different way. On the flip side, the fact that the DR is a developing nation, means that a lack of infrastructure and regulation leads to corruption and exploitation of the system. Many players are exploited for their possible ignorance of the financial demands of most professional athletes in the states, or of their greater necessity. On top of this it has created steroid abuse, and bribery, meaning that the scouting is less accurate and efficient. The wild-west of baseball that we see in the Dominican Republic promises an exciting type of athlete for the baseball fans of the United States. But for many of the same reasons the athletes are so desirable, it presents in many cases, risky investments in the still not fully exploited baseball talent of the DR.
ReplyDeleteThe question that surfaced for me, when reading this article, is whether baseball is still America's game. While America invented the game and still provides the majority of the professional players in the game, it is clear that baseball is quickly becoming a more global sport. As the article stated, The Dominican Republic is one of many smaller countries that produces a large number of professional baseball players. For a country of 10 million, 10% of the MLB and 24% of the minor leagues is a staggering statistic. With new regulations regarding drafting young players and baseball academies run by every team in the majors, it is clear that The Dominican Republic's influence on the game will only continue to grow.
ReplyDeleteOne indicator of their global success in baseball is their placement in the World Baseball Classic this year. They are one of three teams that remain in the tournament. The other two teams, Puerto Rico and The Nederlands, are small countries/territories like The Dominican Republic. While many American stars did not participate in the World Baseball Classic, their failure to make it to the semi-finals furthers the notion that baseball is no longer only America's sport. It has developed into a global game that reaches every part of the globe.
As with soccer in Brazil, baseball in the Dominican Republic is the nation’s sport. Part of the reason is because these countries suffer from high levels of poverty and crime. This propels the youth enter competitive programs at a young age; these kids are presented with an opportunity to better their financial situation by playing in the sport they love the most. But the fact is that they are being exploited. Any big American corporation, such as the MLB, will seek to maximize their profits, even it means doing illicit deeds. The “Torneo Supremo” will not stop this corruption. Rather, it may serve as an illusion that the MLB actually care. Edgar Mercedes alludes to this when he explains that "It's all about controlling the signing bonus money.” Regarding the question, is baseball still America’s favorite pastime, perhaps we may want to reevaluate because it is clearly not just America’s but also the Dominican Republic’s favorite pastime.
ReplyDeleteI think the heightened regulations and organization in the DR really helps all of the hopeful young men trying out. Because the MLB organizes and sponsors the Torneo Supremo on the weekend, young men who may not have had the chance to try out and be scouted are given the opportunity. The experiences of Andres Corporan and Eudy Joseph stood out to me because it seems to give them such a sense of hope and something to look forward to in their future, which is invaluable to both them and their country.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to echo what Jose is saying about the MLB's influence on the DR. I believe a big, very American entity will only cause more harm than do good. When it comes down to it, the franchises are looking for the best ratio between talent and cost. As Stan Kasten said: "The talent is the talent;" the talent is all there, so what about the cost? Well players are available to be drafted earlier at age 16 because the whole process to become a Major Leaguer starts a lot sooner. A younger draftee could result in a more advantageous contract for the franchises. It's also sad, but true that the MLB presents a fiscal opportunity to players of the DR where what they might consider substantial, isn't necessarily the same for those in the U.S. This also allows the franchises to sign players at a lower cost than those from America. It's a fact that these players are coming cheaper and are, apparently, carrying their weight and more within the MLB. It's practically a free for all for the franchises down there with loose drug and identity verification processes. From an American perspective, what the MLB is doing in the DR is unfair compared to what it does to those players in America. However, no one has necessarily asked if the players of the DR are happy or sad about that. I personally believe most would say that they are glad to get an opportunity to play. But the MLB's presence is not fair for those of whom the players affect, American perspective or not. I'm sure the government of the DR isn't very happy that the American MLB is holding, for the most part, a monopoly over their baseball players and profits. And now that some DR agents are getting involved with talks with the MLB, it's also not a good thing that some peoples' livelihoods are dependent upon a foreign entity. In conclusion, the MLB's influence on the DR is doing more harm than good because it can be considered unfair to an American, has some possible negative repercussions to the DR as a whole, and mainly benefits the MLB. When there's a relationship that benefits one party way more than the other, it can't be good.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see the lengths at which ball clubs will go to get great players. Torneo Supremo is a good example of this. They realized that the DM had great potential so they set up a system that would allow reliable recruitment. It seems like this may help them more accurately identify quality players (more chances to observe, identity issues, steroid misuse, etc..). Terneo Supremo also seems to provide ball players in the DM more of chance at being recognized.
ReplyDeleteWhile all of this may be great, I am not convinced that these ball players are being treated fairly. The large signing bonus is great, but is the yearly wage up to the average MLB standards?
Its also interesting to look at who calls this sport their pastime. As many have already mentioned, the DR is also very passionate about baseball. With all things considered, they may have more of a right to call baseball the national pastime than the US. In the US there are many other widely popular sports that dilute the importance of baseball, while in the DR, baseball is "the sport". Baseball has been around for a long time in the US, and has stood the test of time. This is one of the main reasons I believe that we still say its our national pastime, but this article illustrates that it may not only be ours for long.
I think the fact that Dominican players are sort of taking over the league is not necessarily a bad thing. The purpose of sports is to entertain the viewer. If Dominican players are more skilled and entertaining to watch than American players then their place in baseball is rightfully deserved.
ReplyDeleteThe issue I have is with the way the MLB acquires these Dominican players. Although the MLB has gotten better at rightfully paying these Dominican players, the league has a history of giving Dominican players less money to play than they would give to American players. In 1990, major league teams signed around 300 Dominican boys to contracts for a total sum of $750,000 and most of the players only received bonuses between $2,000 and $5,000. In 2005, the 405 players drafted by major league teams had average signing bonuses of $33,000. Nowadays, the MLB's payments to foreign players are a lot better and justified. Unfortunately, I can't help but think that, if 20 years ago players from the Dominican Republic were being economically abused by the MLB, who's going to be next?
Like many others have said, the notion that baseball is America's "pastime" has come into question with the recent surge of quality players from around the world, including the Dominican Republic. I knew that baseball was bug in the Dominican Republic, but I had no idea that MLB teams had training facilities for prospects, or that there was a weekly MLB-sponsored tournament that teenagers would compete in to get recognized by scouts (Torneo Supremo). The opportunity to play for a MLB team is huge for these teenagers because it is probably the best chance they have to upgrade to a new lifestyle. Even though they were being offered much less than Americans that were two years older, the Dominican teenagers still come back every week to compete in this competition. With this Dominican minority representing only 8.9% of all non-pitchers, they still managed to account for 10.8% of the total runs. The Dominicans are on the rise, and have proved that they are still producing, yet MLB teams are very hesitant to sign them.
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