WILLEMSTAD - A team of scouts and trainers of Major League Baseball (MLB), assisted by coaches of the Curaçao Baseball Development Foundation, successfully held a three-day tryout at Tio Daou Ballpark. Almost seventy young players between the ages of 13 and 18 years old participated in the tryouts. These tryouts were held in connection with the upcoming relaunch of Elite Development Program by MLB on the island. This program was established previously already on the island and various players had the chance to either signed professional contracts or had the opportunity to go study in the U.S.
Curaçao has a lot of baseball talent, and this was once again demonstrated during the intensive tryouts that took place last week. The evaluation was based on running various exercises and drills in order to collect data with sophisticated equipment of each player. The MLB personnel will evaluate and choose the next group of players that will join the Elite Development Program based on the collected data. The players were assessed among others on their speed by sprinting sixty yards. Their speed was also measured with splits at 10 and 30 yards. Electronic timing gates were used for this exercise to measure the speed of each player. The arm exit velocity of the defensive players (outfield, infield, and catchers) was also measured. During batting practice, the players received two rounds of 6-8 swings where the trackman technology was applied. The same technology was used to collect data from the pitchers. The pitchers held a 10-pitch bullpen session from the mound.
Demonstrating the importance of re-establishing the EDP on the island, MLB sent a delegation of six people to conduct the tryouts. From MLB New York came Chris Madden, Senior Coordinator International Baseball Development. This was the first visit for Madden to Curaçao and he was impressed by the local talent. From the Dominican Republic came a 4-person delegation of scouts lead by Henry Gonzalez who is Director International Baseball Operation for MLB. Gonzalez is not a newcomer to the island as he previously coordinated the Elite Development Program in Curaçao. To demonstrate the importance of a healthy body MLB brought from South Africa Chad Gravenorst, a strength and conditioning coach, to run warm up and stretching skills prior to the other baseball exercises. Strength and conditioning are important for MLB and the program as it contributes to maintaining a healthy body for the players. Local coaches, Ben Thijssen and Payo Faneyte, with ample experience with local and international baseball, completed the coaching staff that ran the tryouts.
For MLB it is important for the game of baseball to grow around the world, and it considers Curaçao as an important market in its strategy. Curaçao is still the country that produces the most major leaguers per capita of all the countries in the world. MLB is excited to restart the Elite Development Program and the intention is to be a long-term commitment of MLB with baseball on the island of Curaçao. MLB will in the coming days evaluate all the data collected and based on this select the group of thirty-four players who will form part of the Elite Development Program. MLB via its local partner Curaçao Baseball Development Foundation will contact the selected players and inform them of the next steps for the start of the program.