Sueños de Béisbol: Hopes, Experiences, and Expectations of Professional Baseball Players in the Dominican Republic

in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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Leonardo Ruiz Springfield College

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Judy L. Van Raalte Springfield College
Wuhan Sports University

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Thaddeus France Springfield College

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Al Petitpas Springfield College

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2018-0091
Keywords:
athlete perspective; career transition; elite athlete; Latin American; youth sport
In Print:
Volume 14: Issue 1
Page Range:
1–19
Restricted access

More than 1,400 Latin American professional baseball players, age 16-21, are employed by 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) academies in the Dominican Republic. The popular press has highlighted scandals related to professional youth baseball player recruitment, selection, and exploitation in the academies, but little attention has been given to the academy experiences of youth baseball players from the perspective of the players themselves. For this research, 11 professional baseball players residing at an MLB Academy in the Dominican Republic participated in semi-structured interviews. Players described their transitions into the baseball academy system, their experiences in the academy, and their perceptions and expectations upon leaving or being released from the academy. Themes that emerged from the data included athletes’ hopes and dreams, stress, faith, and career transitions. Clinical implications of these findings for sport psychology practitioners are discussed.

Ruiz, Van Raalte, and Petitpas are with the Department of Psychology, Springfield College, Springfield, MA. Van Raalte is also with the College of Health Sciences, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, Hubei, China. France is with the Department of Physical Education and Health Education, Springfield College, Springfield, MA.

Address author correspondence to Judy L. Van Raalte at jvanraal@springfieldcollege.edu.
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