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High praise for Major League Baseball instructional program held in The Bahamas
By The Bahamas Weekly News Team
Jul 29, 2016 - 7:01:25 PM

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Major League Baseball program participants in Nassau, Bahamas - Summer 2016

Nassau, Bahamas - Major League Baseball (MLB) was in Nassau this summer to conduct a two-week development program which involved approximately thirty high-school-aged participants from Nassau, Freeport, and Eleuthera. Four MLB coaches (Edgardo Lebron, Hiram Bocachica, Jose Amancio and Mark Weidemaier) flew in and worked with five local Bahamas Baseball Federation coaches. The BBF hosted program ran six days a week between two local fields (Freedom Farm and the Junior Baseball League of Nassau). Local coaches were Jeff Francis, Ken Adderley, Crachard Laing, Mario Ford, and Dominic Elliott.

"Having spent two weeks learning from their MLB instructors (who are former Major League players and coaches) about what it takes to succeed at any level, these players are better prepared to achieve their goals, whether it’s playing at the collegiate level or even signing a professional contract," said Rebecca Seesel, manager of international baseball operations for MLB. She said the program focused on fundamentals as well as in-game situations, with the idea that a strong foundation can and should be engaging for the kids involved.

Seesel said they received a great reception from the participants and were thrilled with the progress and development seen in the players, especially given the relatively short time-frame.  "What the players have learned, from the strength and conditioning to the on-the-field skills and situations, will definitely help them as they are scouted and pursue future opportunities in the game. I was thrilled with the positive feedback from the players, both about the improvements seen in themselves and the experience of the program overall."

"There’s no question that the Bahamas is home to immensely talented athletes," Seesel continued. "The players we saw were fast, strong, and quite importantly, very quick learners. Practicing for four hours a day, every day, was something many of these players hadn’t ever done, but their aptitude and commitment were very impressive, and we definitely felt that we had some future ballplayers on our hands."

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MLB program in action in Nassau, Bahamas

Participating local JBLN coach Dominic Elliott spoke to the importance of the program which placed emphasis on learning about the history of baseball in The Bahamas along with skill development in pitching, hitting, fielding, conditioning and proper baseball mechanics.

"MLB's interest in The Bahamas speaks to their belief that there is real talent here and also to their desire to assist in providing opportunities for Bahamian youth to play baseball at the Major League level. This program provides a level of training that can prepare for scholarships to either high school or college, and to ultimately play baseball in the Major League.  Any opportunities to better our youth, whether through education or through sports is a benefit to our country as a whole."

Coach Elliott said he saw major improvements in the participants over the two-weeks, but he also spoke to the importance of the program for Bahamian coaches. "The more we coaches learn about current techniques and improve our own skill level, the better trained our children will be moving forward.  Because of the size of our country, we have been able to receive training from MLB that many in the United States have not been exposed to at close proximity, and for that I am grateful."

"I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the MLB coaches and former players that took the time to come here for two weeks to train both our coaches and players. They have left behind invaluable information that can assist in moving baseball forward in The Bahamas and I look forward to many future collaborations with them."
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MLB program underway at the Freedom Farm field in Nassau in July, 2016


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