Study: Educational Opportunities for Baseball Prospects in the Dominican Republic
The main objective of this study is to understand informal baseball training programs and the education of baseball prospects in the Dominican Republic. The study primarily focuses on identifying opportunities for improvement in the prospects’ educational outcomes for those youth who never sign a contract with a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, which is estimated in 97% of all prospects. The study also explores the educational context of those who do sign a contract, but do not reach the Major Leagues, despite playing in the minor leagues for several years. In addition, the study aims to integrate perspectives of the different participating actors that affect the (1) informal training industry and (2) overall development of the prospects (i.e. Ministry of Education, parents, etc.) Lastly, the study identifies areas of opportunity for addressing educational disparities or trade-offs for young prospects and their families.