LOS ANGELES, CA — I recently read an investigative article on ProPublica published by Gus-Roberts Garcia titled “The Dominican Baseball Factory,” and was deeply shocked by the details it revealed about a largely unknown side of professional baseball: the abusive arrangements that can be imposed on families by buscones—baseball handlers who recruit and develop young prospects. What was particularly disturbing was learning that some of these arrangements involve children as young as 11 years old, long before they are old enough to fully understand the implications of the agreements being made on their behalf.
The article was so troubling that we felt compelled to share it and bring greater attention to an issue that deserves far more scrutiny within the baseball community.
Baseball is everywhere in the Dominican Republic, from the 13,000-seat Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo to shaggy sandlots in the countryside – Image Credit:
Latino Sports has been committed for decades to improving conditions and opportunities for young baseball prospects in the Dominican Republic. Our involvement has ranged from helping expose the inadequate conditions of academies in years past to working directly with teams to provide training that helps young prospects prepare for the realities of professional baseball—including dealing with the media, adapting to a new environment, and developing the life skills they will need if their baseball dreams do not lead to the Major Leagues. That history is precisely why, after reading this investigative article, we felt compelled to share it.
We believe bringing greater public attention to these abusive practices is an important step toward demanding accountability and encouraging the meaningful changes so desperately needed to protect the young players whose talent and dreams fuel the baseball industry.
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