By Jason Daniels.
It is rare that our staff has the opportunity to visit the heart of the Caribbean to cover European baseball, despite the fact that dozens of teenagers from Europe first experience pro ball in the Dominican Republic. In this case, two of Europe’s brightest talents are developing their trade in the D.R.. Intrigued to learn more about this baseball-mad culture and how its European prospects are faring, I took a trip this past June to find out more. Read Part II here.
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“People want to know our secret sauce. Our secret sauce is our people, process, and culture.”
Following that morning’s game, Jesús Negrette – the Facility Manager for Dodgers’ Dominican facility and my personal guide – takes me through the rest of the academy. We stop by his office, where he introduces me to the “meat” guy – a chef by way of Argentina and Venezuela. A coach walks in, very personably shaking my hand and asking where I am from. When I say “San Francisco,” home of the Dodger’s main rival, he smiles wide, drops his head, and hugs me around the waist in a rare moment of LA – SF solidarity.
In the middle of the room, several trophies rest on the table. A plaque of Ralph Avila, the visionary who brought the academy to the country, hangs on the wall. “He was a pioneer,” Negrette says. He had a vision no one else did.
As we move from the office toward the cafeteria, Negrette takes a moment to share that in MLB, teams simply do not do new things until other teams first take a risk on something new. He emphasizes that point by adding: “People want to know our secret sauce. Our secret sauce is our people, process, and culture.”
We meander to the cafeteria, where players are already loading up at the buffet. Negrette greets players down the line, laughing and bonding after a long day at the yard.
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“In Spain, you train to have fun. But here, no. Here you train for a purpose.”
As I finish lunch, Peter Bonilla walks inside the cafeteria doors. Another European pitcher, but with a vastly different background, we step outside to discuss his story.
Unlike Fischer, Bonilla grew up in a Latin environment. He is the son of a Spanish mother and Venezuelan father. Bonilla at once appears at home at Campo Las Palmas.
“My upbringing was Latino. So, I’m used to all of this,” the left-hander says in his native tongue.
The irony is that Bonilla and Fischer have known each other for some time. “We played against each other in 2018 in Germany. And from there we got to know each other,” says Bonilla. “It’s a totally different world for him,” he concedes, “but we do get along very well.”
What does Bonilla think about the differences in baseball and culture?
“From what I have experienced here, baseball is life. That has to do with everything because here what is done is to play baseball. When you are little, you go to an academy. And if you have the talent or are lucky enough, then you sign. And if not, you just keep trying and then you can go to other countries.”
“Spanish baseball and Dominican baseball can’t be compared,” he says. “Baseball here is the main sport. And in Spain it’s not. In Spain you only practice two or three days a week. And you play only one game on the weekends. There aren’t that many academies. You don’t train with the same focus. In Spain, you train to have fun. But here, no. Here you train for a purpose.”
For Bonilla, now in his third year in the DSL, he says the staff are prioritizing his velocity as the next step in his development. “We are focused on trying to throw harder so that I can travel to the next level, Arizona,” he says. According to coaches, “I [already] had the ability to play at a higher level, but I needed the velocity. So now I’m really focused on that.”
With the Dodgers organization behind him, Bonilla feels that he is making headway. “The first time I stepped foot in this complex was in 2020, before COVID. And from the first day I stepped foot here, I learned a lot. I have improved a lot, both physically and mentally.”
With Fischer alongside, he is not alone. All as more and more Europeans are getting a chance at an MLB dream, whether based in small-town USA or the red-hot Dominican summer.
“I’m very happy that baseball in Europe is growing,” says Bonilla. “Little by little, there are more professional players that can have a future.”
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For more on how the two have been performing since our visit, check out the Europeans in the Majors & Minors: Mid-July Update.
All photos courtesy Jason Daniels. Translations by Jason Daniels.
