The 2012 MLB had a big surprise in the first pick of the draft. The Houston Astros chose 17-year old Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School. The 6' 4" 190 pound kid has drawn comparisons to Alex Rodriguez.
He is also said to be the best Puerto Rican ball player since Carlos Beltran
Within the first 51 draftees, three of them were Puerto Rican.
Also with a large frame, the Minnesota Twins selected right-handed pitcher, Jose Orlando Berrios. At 6' 1 and 210 pounts Berrios has shown great velocity on his fastball, which was clocked in the mid 90's.
Berrios just turned 18 on May 27th and was taken 32nd overall.
A few picks after the Los Angeles Dodgers picked up Jesmuel Valentin. He is a short stop with a strong arm, solid contact and speed.
Valentin is 5' 10" 174 pounds and also attended Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School.
What sets this school apart from any other in Puerto Rico or the United States is the programs' strong focus on both academics and baseball.
Imagine going to school and learning how to play baseball? That sounds absolutely awesome.
They prepare their students/players by teaching them about every position. They have a full curriculum on specific drills each position should know. For examples, they teach pitchers the "Mental aspect of the game" and catchers work on "Calling games."
Established in 2002 the school hopes to increase the numbers of Puerto Rican players in the Majors. At the time, there were not as many Puerto Rican baseball players in the Majors as Dominican players.
This could be prompted by the lack of urgency placed on education in the Dominican Republic. At the age of 16, most children should be in their junior year of high school, but in the Dominican Republic kids are able to sign with Major League clubs.
Ultimately, this comes out cheaper for clubs and they are able to sign these youngsters for a few bucks. The PRBAHS wants their students to focus on education and then get drafted by teams in the Majors.
This Puerto Rican academy has two youngsters on the verge of signing deals with the Major league clubs. Scouts are very excited to see what both Correa and Valentin can do as they will also be able to showcase what they learned from their academy back in Puerto Rico.
Hopefully, they can get Puerto Rico back on the baseball map.
