The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WITH a resurgence in local popularity and international recognition due to several professional signings over the past few years, the Bahamas stands a chance to enter into a partnership with Major League Baseball to facilitate the development of the game.

Rebecca Seesel, specialist in international baseball operations for Major League Baseball, has been in the country on a fact-finding mission for Major League Baseball as they evaluate whether the Bahamas would be a candidate for its investment in global baseball development.

While no commitment has been made just yet, Seesel said a possible partnership would create an avenue for a myriad of opportunities for those locally invested in baseball.

“One of our missions is to grow the game internationally and that could mean a lot of things. For the kids who are ready and able and went to sign, that means giving them the opportunities to be exposed to scouts. For the kids that just want to learn to play and have it be a life-long thing, that means giving them an opportunity to play. For those that want to watch the game and be fans, that means making the game more exciting for them. Our goal is broader, it’s more international development than one specific thing. Wherever we are, baseball can provide a lot of opportunities - whether it’s for those kids who sign, ones who go to college or there are others who end up working in the game of baseball like I did. There are a lot of opportunities that come with the game.”

Seesel, who has been recognised as one of the top female leaders in the MLB, explained why the Bahamas has become a possible target of development for her organisation.

“The Bahamas has an amazing history of athletics and competition. Theres’s no question that you guys have tremendous athletes and people are very passionate about sports. It’s always been an attractive place and we know there is talent here with potential. In the last few years people have definitely taken notice,” she said. “Commitment is very important, everywhere we work we are only as committed as the people on the ground want us to be. Whatever we do and wherever we go, the goal is to make it accessible for everybody. The fact that the government appears interested and committed to building facilities is a great sign.”

The Dominican Republic has been the hub of baseball in the Caribbean for decades, and while they would not look for the Bahamas to follow that exact model, she considers the Bahamas “a new challenge.”

“We work in a lot of different countries. We have an office in the Dominican Republic and we work in a lot of Latin American countries. We look at each one individually and we look at the nuances of each place and try to figure out what we could do to help there,” she said. “We view the Bahamas as a completely new challenge, a new adventure.  I don’t go into any other country thinking that’s what we have to get to because each country is unique and each country has its own potential. My goal isn’t to change the Bahamas to get it to become more like the DR, the goal here is to find what fits here.”

The most immediate impact the MLB would look to have is in the coaching arena. “We believe that coaching is really fundamental and kids can only get as far as their coaches can help them get,” she said. “In the near term, help with coaching is a real possibility. Coaching is crucially important. We have some programmes we have implemented in other countries that we think are important and there is the potential to do that here. In the longer term we have to see what fits here.”

Persons interested in being a part of the programme can email rdorsett@tribunemedia.net or sports@tribunemedia.net as the group continues to gauge local interest.