They have rolled up the unpaved dirt road, past the unassuming double socks logo hung near the four lounging men providing lax security on this Wednesday in mid-January, to try out, in hopes of signing a contract with the Red Sox. Though the evaluators know, midway through the session, that just four will be brought back for a second look the following week in front of the team's vice president of professional and international scouting, Craig Shipley, the effort of each participant is epic, heard in the pops of caught balls and self-flagellation of mistakes.
These hopefuls bring nothing more than their talent and dream of trading their mismatched uniforms for the academy's crisp home whites. They look, enviously, at the signed players, whose often meager bank accounts swelled by bonuses of $20,000 to $800,000 when they joined the Red Sox, in the batting cages or over on the other field doing drills. For both groups, the academy offers a chance, even though many go no further -- not even to the lowest levels in the States. Fundamentals are taught. English is taught. Life is taught. And, as they learn, you realize the kids are not the only ones receiving lessons.
"To tell you the truth," said Jesus Alou, who spent 15 seasons in the major leagues and now is the director of the academy, "I believe all of us are learning what an academy is."
Latin American investment Having shuttered their Venezuelan academy in December 2005 amid political concerns about the reign of president Hugo Chavez, the Sox have made the Dominican academy the center of their Latin American scouting operation.
Though Shipley emphasizes that the Japanese major leagues are increasing as a key source of talent -- witness the signings of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima -- a larger percentage of the team's scouting dollars are still poured into Latin America, with Venezuela (five scouts) and the Dominican Republic (three) leading the pack.
