Via Vice Sports:
Over the last few decades, the Dominican Republic has changed the face of American baseball by churning out talented players whose humble beginnings have helped cultivate a unique passion for the game. That passion is often due to dire circumstances that drive all focus to the diamond instead of the classroom. The result is thousands of young Dominican men sacrificing their education and formative years for a 2% chance of making it to the big leagues.Over the last few decades, the Dominican Republic has changed the face of American baseball by churning out talented players whose humble beginnings have helped cultivate a unique passion for the game. That passion is often due to dire circumstances that drive all focus to the diamond instead of the classroom. The result is thousands of young Dominican men sacrificing their education and formative years for a 2% chance of making it to the big leagues.
Check out the video above to follow Vice’s Jaimie Sanchez to Boca Chica, a small, rural town that is home to the MLB’s training camps as she visits Junior Noboa. Junior is the head of Latin American Affairs for the Arizona Diamondbacks and has helped develop a digital education program for their young players. Witness Boca Chica through the eyes of two players who were forced to adjust to life back home after their dreams of major league glory never became a reality.
