After Hiatus, MLB is Back in Brazil to Invest in Athletes Development

Major League Baseball has returned to holding tryouts with Brazilian athletes as a fundamental part of the league’s new investment phase in Brazil. After about four years, due to the forced pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is once again having active projects with MLB aimed at the constant development of athletes who can play professional baseball.

A group of MLB coaches and executives has been traveling through Brazil since July 31 and has already visited cities in different regions of the country. The search is on for young talent between the ages of 14 and 16, with or without baseball experience.

The number of people selected could reach 50. In 2025, they will make up the next group of athletes admitted to the Yakult Training Center, a South American reference in the development of professional players. There, in addition to full-time baseball training, the athletes’ studies will be prioritized, with all costs covered by MLB.

“The main goal is to train players, but also for them to apply for scholarships at universities, with a view to a profession and living any experience abroad,” explained André Rienzo, former pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins and the first Brazilian pitcher to open an MLB game.

Selection process covers eight Brazilian cities

São Paulo opened the tryout work, held at the recently renovated Mie Nishi stadium; in Atibaia, the tryout brought together teams from one of the most promising regions in Brazilian baseball. In the first two days, more than 80 children and teenagers were tested, most of them with solid experience in the sport.

In Recife (which recently hosted a Project Béisbol visit) and Rio de Janeiro, an important cultural center in Brazil, the selection process explored players with an athletic physique without necessarily having any baseball experience.

“These are players who have the athletic ability to play baseball well, who have the tools and can demonstrate good skills, whether it’s hitting, running or throwing the ball,” commented Henry González, MLB’s Director of International Operations in Brazil.

González, who is responsible for the project in Brazil until 2020, highlighted the profile of the athletes found in the selections. “Brazil is a country with good athletes and good competitors; the level is always remarkable. They are young people who can play soccer, tennis, and basketball, and if they are good athletes, we can have good baseball players.”

Technology in the training of athletes

On Wednesday, October 7, MLB coaches were in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, in one of the stages of the tryout trip. They analyzed over 30 players from the Nikkei Curitiba and Pinheiros teams, clubs with a tradition of developing players who are commonly part of Brazil’s youth national teams.

The analysis methodology is based on Driveline Baseball, one of the world’s leading data-driven athlete development programs. This is one of the main differentials of the new stage of MLB investments in Brazil. Both Rienzo and Thiago Caldeira, Technical Director of the Brazilian Baseball and Softball Confederation, underwent a period of training in the United States to be able to apply it to the tryouts.

“We were taken to the US to receive instruction so that we could understand the process, what they do, and how they do it. This technology will help bring a different view of training. We know it’s a slow process, but we’re taking the first step,” said Rienzo, who now works as MLB’s representative in Brazil.

Among the equipment brought to the tryouts is a jumping platform that allows data to be collected on impulsion and leg strength, for example. Also, the Trackman reads the speed and distance the ball travels during a pitch. All the data is compiled and sent to Driveline, a partner in the project, for further analysis.

The selection series continues until Aug. 13, concluding at the Yakult Training Center in Ibiúna, São Paulo. More than 500 athletes will be assessed. The results are expected by the end of 2024.

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