by Reto Piva, Canary Baseball and Softball Federation
Second season of talent developing
The Atlanta Braves repeat their academy in Tenerife based on last year’s experience that proved that there is talent in Europe worth watching and that Tenerife unites baseball and organizational skills that make the operation feasible. It has been quite a step for the Braves to concentrate so much energy in Europe not only to detect the talent, but to help building it. This year there are some very young kids present that have some years to go to reach eligibility, but for sure the academy will show them what coaches and scouts are looking for and teach them ways to work out to improve on the skills needed to become a professional player.
International players are coming to town
Although the weight is on the Spanish players, this year there are youngsters from different European countries present since the first concentration. Four of the players in the roster are Russian, two Italian and one is a Dutchman. This aperture adds interest for both the Major League franchise and the Spanish because there is a direct comparison between elite players from different countries. In the near future, you can expect to see more nationalities around the Tenerife ballpark.
Honing skills first, playing games later
The first days of the academy, the emphasis is on the practice routines. Coaches teach how to warm up with the same procedure the Atlanta Braves use in their training camps. Position specific workouts are next and a batting practice follows. As the days pass by, there will be a shift towards inter-squad games. This will give the players a chance to apply in a game situation what they learned in practice, as well as the scouts will have the opportunity to watch the players where things matter.
(Update: complete list of players in camp)
Spanish Players:
- Manuel Alejandro Díaz Morales (FC Barcelona)
- Marlon Baeza Elizondo (FC Barcelona)
- Ugueth U. Urbina Machado (FC Barcelona)
- Carlos Sousa Navo (Baseball Navarra)
- Andrés Casado Echavarri (Baseball Navarra)
- Juan Ramón Martínez Boado (CBS Rivas Vaciamadrid)
- Ernesto Isaías Pino Mesa (El Llano)
- Cristian Aineto García (CBS Antorcha)
- Alejandro Sánchez Martínez (Tenerife Marlins Puerto de la Cruz/Atlanta Braves)
International Players:
From Italy:
- Davide Anselmi
- Paolo Taschini
From Russia:
- Antonio Bulte
- Nikolay Lobanov
- Nikita Lobanov
- Viacheslav Shmelev
From The Netherlands:
- Ruben Rijkhof
From Canary Islands:
- Alegría, Cristian
- Binetti, Giovanni
- Galvan, Deion (Atlanta Braves)
- Hernandez, Alejandro
- Leon, Aaron
- Novo, Vicente
- Peña, Gary
- Piva, Angel
- Piva, Diego
- Rodriguez, Raul
- Torres, Manuel
- Valera, Kleiver
- Velazquez, Vicente
- Velazquez, Victor
