January 11, 2008
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Pittsburgh Pirates are investing heavily in a new Dominican baseball academy.
"Latin America needs to be an even greater priority for our ballclub," Nutting said. "The Pirates have had a great history of Latino ballplayers making a significant impact at the major-league level, including the great Roberto Clemente. Today, no team has more opportunity or, frankly, a greater need to acquire and develop quality players from this region than we do."
Players in Latin America are not included in Major League Baseball's draft and, thus, available only as free agents.
"This facility will help our baseball operations staff attract, retain and teach the best players, coaches and scouts in the region," Nutting said.
General manager Neal Huntington said the academy "will provide us with an advantage in recruiting players, while providing an optimal setting to teach our young players not only baseball skills but also life skills."
I like everything I'm seeing so far from the new Pirates management team. However, I liked Littlefield for a long time, too. We'll see if this group does more than just talk a good game.