The Tribune

CHERIF Neymour and Toby Simmons became the latest Bahamian prospects to join the Miami Marlins organisation.

The International Sports Academy prospects officially signed their professional contracts surrounded by their respective support systems at the Balmoral on the opening day of the 2022 International Signing Period.

The duo will join a group of Bahamian prospects in the Marlins organisation headed by starting infielder Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr, Ian Lewis, Andre Arthur and Steven Adderley. Neymour, a 17-year-old infielder, said his mother Kimmy Neymour served as his inspiration for much of his baseball journey.

“I would like to thank my biggest supporter, my mother. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here playing baseball right now. I know how much you’ve sacrificed for me and I’m reminded everyday. The early mornings, the late nights, everything, I know. Some days you would be tired and I wanted to get extra ground balls or batting practice. You would always make time for me and I truly appreciate that,” he said. “Baseball and softball are generational sports for my family but it wasn’t until I was 10-years-old that I realised that this is what I loved to play and I wanted to be a professional baseball player. To all the pros that came before me, thank you for cheering me on and always supporting me. They say you are the company you keep. The journey was long and tough but we worked and trusted the process and stayed true.”

Simmons, 17, is described as an electric outfielder which he said was a credit to both his older brother and his mother.

“To my iElite crew you have been there with me the whole time. To my brother Sean, you have been so important for my process.

“Having a big brother as a personal trainer isn’t always the best thing, but it’s helpful and he always made sure that I was always on my ‘A’ game and never missed days in the gym. He’s a big role model in my life,” he said.

“Mom, you’ve been with me from the beginning, all the long days at the field. There were times we went from baseball, to the track, to the baseball field. You spent long days and weekends with me and I thank you for that. One thing I can say is that we got it from the bottom.”

I-Elite was founded by directors Geron Sands and Albert Cartwright. It provides an avenue for players between the ages of 11 and 17 years an opportunity to hone their skills with the view of playing at the professional level.

“I want to say congratulations to everyone that signed today. It is tough, it is a long journey, countless hours and these guys have been in a tremendous amount of work - not just on the field but in the classroom as well,” Sands said.

“The Marlins have been good to The Bahamas. I think they have bought into what we bring and I cannot say thank you enough to you guys for believing in this talent, wanting to be in this market and giving so many young Bahamians an opportunity. It takes great determination, it’s knowing what you want and these guys knew what they wanted from the age of 11-12. They stuck with it and did what they had to do the entire time.”

Sands said both players have positive attributes to bring to the Marlins organisation.

“Toby is electric, powerful, brings it everyday, he will run through a wall for you, he will do whatever he has to do to get that fly ball or to get on base. He works hard, he’s a machine,” Sands said. “Cherif is a shortstop. Those guys [Chisholm and Lewis] I have to watch out for because I really and truly believe he’s going to be a starting shortstop.”

Adrian Puig, Miami Marlins international crosschecker, said his organisation will continue to explore The Bahamas for its rich talent pool.

“It’s been a mutually beneficial relationship. I believe this is still only the beginning of some real growth of baseball in The Bahamas. It’s been growing really fast and is going to keep growing,” he said. “We’re excited to have these two athletic, dynamic players with the Marlins officially. It’s no secret, we’re going to continue to come back here and are going to try and be here every single year. We’re excited for iElite and are excited for your country.”