Padres and Navy Team Up In Dominican Republic

By Nick Wilson |

In 2008, the Padres opened up a state of the art complex in an effort to incubate Latin American ball players.

Wow, that sounds like Disneyland. With state of the art facilities players in the Dominican Republic Academy have access to the resources they need to reach the big league level. In addition to the obvious benefits of training such an environment, the San Diego Padres have incorporated on site classrooms so players can further their education.

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The complex isn’t just for developing baseball talent though. On August 20th, the Padres teamed up with the USNS Comfort to and volunteers to teach local children the fundamentals of baseball, and improve facilities at Escuela Primaria La Playa.

“Part of our community program mission here is to help the kids of our surrounding area” said Jess Negrete, San Diego Padres administer of DR operations.

Helping children in the Dominican Republic not only improves the lives of DR children, but boosts the morale of the men and women serving on the Comfort. LTJG Andrew Ritz stated, “working with the baseball players and staff here to teach kids how to play baseball was the best part of my day.

The Padres have always had a strong relationship with the US military. In a disappointing season, it’s great to see the club looking at the big picture and using their military ties to do some good in a less fortunate country.

The facility was created with latin american baseball development in mind, and that remains the primary objective. With so much power and influence as a major league ballclub the Padres can improve the lives of many while continuing to scout and develop new talent.

What do you think of the Padres’ presence in the Dominican Republic? Please post your opinion below.

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