Recent Events: School Supply Distribution:
Like most of the world, the Dominican Republic was hit hard by the pandemic. Schools and business
closed; the country was under curfew for months at a time, baseball came to a standstill, as did the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy (DRSEA). But last week, the DRSEA began its comeback, holding its first event in more than two years by distributing school supplies to a group of young baseball players that are part of Los Delfindes de Caballona, a youth foundation in Santo Domingo. “We want these kids to love baseball, but also understand the importance of education in their lives,” said Cesar Geronimo, a former player with the Cincinnati Reds and a DRSEA board member.
Much more is being planned by the DRSEA in the near future, including preparing Dominican baseball players academically for college baseball scholarships in the United States. The pandemic may have slowed the DRSEA, but the organization is getting back up on its feet. If you would like to reach out or help, please visit www.drsea.org and consider a donation.
Jesus Alou (right) with Ozzie Virgil (left), the first Dominican in MLB, and Juan Marichal (center), the first Dominican enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame at DRSEA fundraiser.
Jesús Alou, a two-time World Series champion and a big-league veteran of parts of 15 seasons, died on Friday, March 10th , according to ESPN's Enrique Rojas. Alou would have celebrated his 81st birthday on March 24. Rojas added that Alou had suffered two "cardiovascular accidents" in recent times, but that he was not known to be dealing with a "serious illness."
Alou, for his career, hit .280/.305/.353 (86 OPS+) with 32 home runs and 31 steals in 1,380 contests. His contributions were worth an estimated 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
Jesús was, of course, the youngest of the Alou brothers, alongside Felipe and the late Matty. The Alou family tree has since produced several other notable big-league players, including Moises, José Sosa, Luis Rojas, and Mel Rojas. Jesús, Felipe, and Matty made history on Sept. 15, 1963 when they appeared (but did not start) in the same outfield for the San Francisco Giants.
Alou, for his career, hit .280/.305/.353 (86 OPS+) with 32 home runs and 31 steals in 1,380 contests. His contributions were worth an estimated 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
Jesús was, of course, the youngest of the Alou brothers, alongside Felipe and the late Matty. The Alou family tree has since produced several other notable big-league players, including Moises, José Sosa, Luis Rojas, and Mel Rojas. Jesús, Felipe, and Matty made history on Sept. 15, 1963 when they appeared (but did not start) in the same outfield for the San Francisco Giants.
About the DRSEA
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The Dominican Republic Sports and Education Academy (DRSEA), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, is in the design stages. The DRSEA is planning a sports and education academy in the Dominican Republic aimed at giving talented baseball players the option of attending U.S. colleges and universities on athletic scholarships. The academy is being patterned after one in Puerto Rico that has had a high success rate of placing baseball players there on U.S. college teams. Land for the academy has been identified in the Dominican Republic, not far from the capital of Santo Domingo. If all goes well, the academy could open its doors in the not too distant future, said Charles S. Farrell, founder, principal and senior consultant for Sports Perspectives International, a sports advocacy, marketing and consulting firm. The ultimate goal of the DR Sports and Education Academy is to level the playing field in terms of full minority participation in the $450 billion a year global sports industry; amateur, professional, and on the educational level. “The Dominican Republic has embraced baseball more passionately than any other country I know,” Farrell said, “and already, some of the best baseball players in the world come from there. “Sammy Sosa, Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Many Ramirez, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon, Moises Alou, Alex Rodriguez, Damaso Marte, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Reyes; the list goes on and on. Of the international players on Major League rosters last year, 75 percent came from the Dominican Republic.” Unfortunately, most rarely obtain even a high school degree, Farrell said. Players in the Dominican Republic can sign professional contracts at 16 ½, so education is usually bypassed in pursuit of the dream of success in baseball. “We want to provide young baseball players with an option by preparing them both academically AND athletically to succeed,” he said. “The addition of some of these players on U.S. college teams will be the equivalent of getting a 7-foot center in basketball, or a running back who does a 4.2 sixty. One solid hitter and fielder in a lineup could be the difference between a good college team and a great one.” The academy will be able to take gifted baseball players and prepare them academically for the college classroom. The academic program will exceed the minimum requirements for college eligibility now required by the NCAA. “We not only want them to succeed in college, we want them to excel,” Farrell said. |
Leadership
Cesar Geronimo Geronimo serves as the Honorary Chairman of the Board Trustees. |
Charles Farrell
Farrell is a Co-Founder of the DRSEA. |