Baseball runs on passion, hope in Dominican

Baseball is a universal language. Like any language, there are different dialects, and the Dominican Republic’s is one marked with passion and hope.

“Baseball is like an exit,” D-backs vice president of international operations Junior Noboa said. “It’s the goal for the young kids as they see a better future for themselves and their families. That’s why they have a lot of passion in baseball.”

The players begin to develop their own flavor for the game at a young age, not in structured Little Leagues like their counterparts in the United States but rather in streets by their homes or at grassy lots masquerading as fields.

#DominicanDbacks coach and Baní native Manny Garcia leads practice at one of the fields he used to play at as a kid. #DbacksGiveBack pic.twitter.com/gDuLEBCMGx

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) November 26, 2016

#DominicanDbacks coach and Baní native Manny Garcia leads practice at one of the fields he used to play at as a kid. #DbacksGiveBack pic.twitter.com/gDuLEBCMGx

D-backs catcher and San Isidro native Welington Castillo started out using a water bottle and a piece of wood in place of a bat and ball. When he finally was able to play in actual games, it wasn’t like he signed up at a local club.

“Here, you just go and play,” Castillo said. “We don’t have really good fields. It’s like a thousand people at one field and everyone wants to practice at the same time. We don’t have a lot of stuff to get better.”

But, Castillo added, the hope of getting noticed and signed by a Major League team pushes them to work at their craft, even if that means forgoing schooling. For many, that’s a troubling trend among Dominicans, because even if the players eventually land a contract, the odds of making it to the United States, let alone to the big leagues, are stacked against them.

Noboa estimates that out of the 70 or so players currently at the D-backs Academy located in Boca Chica, about 10 will make their way stateside each year. When factoring in the approximately 30 new signings the …

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