Representatives of the Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Office met with sports authorities of the Dominican Republic to discuss a new proposal in the recruitment model for international prospects
For years, Big leagues have tried to implement a International Prospects Draw in order to homogenize the access of prospects born outside the USA, which obviously includes the Dominican Republic.
So far, all teams can approach prospects in which they have an interest and can sign them to the 16 years, once the corresponding international signatures window opens.
As confirmed by the Baseball Commissioner of the Dominican Republic, Junior Noboa, to the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre, the conversation that took place between the representatives of the Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Office and the Dominican authorities in the presidential palace, revolved around the implementation of the International Prospects Draw, a measure that they plan to present during the negotiations for the new collective bargaining agreement to the MLB Players Association (MLBPA), during the month of December of this year.
Through a post on your social networks, Noboa He indicated that the formal proposal of the new prospect recruitment model was presented to the Dominican authorities during the meeting in the palace.
“The Major Leagues informed the Dominican government that in the negotiations with the players’ union for the next collective agreement they will try to implement an international draft that includes the Dominican Republic. We listened to what they presented to us and we are going to analyze this position ”, were the words of Noboa to Diario Libre.
One of the existing criticisms of the current recruitment model of prospects in Dominican Republic, is that agreements have been created “under the table”In which children below the statutory age for signing are engaged by coaches for eventual signing.
In this regard, the president of the MLBPA, Tony clark, who on previous occasions has expressed that he will not support this type of initiative, since in his opinion all they do is limit the options of prospects to choose teams.
On his side, other opponents of International Raffle of Prospects suggest that, if approved, the number of Dominican players in MLB could be reduced in the same way that it occurred in Puerto Rico, after the draw for his prospects included the American one.
.