The Cano Baseball Experience: culture and baseball in the Dominican Republic

Yankees all-star and perennial MVP candidate Robinson Cano has been trained most of his life by his father.  While growing up and training in the Dominican Republic, Cano and his father have both lived and trained in the United States since Robinson started as a professional stateside.   The Canos have come to realize the benefits of understanding baseball and the culture of two countries.

The Canos are not alone in realizing the need and the market for cultural immersion activities around Dominican baseball.  People know that Dominicans are great at baseball and they know that the game occupies a central part of Dominican culture.  So, people want to learn more about the game and see more of Dominican baseball, whether it be in the United States or in the Dominican Republic.

In recent years there have been many groups involved in cultural immersion programs that feature Dominican baseball.  The TCU baseball team made a trip to play some games in the Dominican Republic.  A group of Arkansas baseball players took a missionary trip to the country.  Beyond the Game is a sports tourism company that leads trips to the Dominican Republic in which clients get a crash course in Dominican baseball and culture.

And of course, Major League Baseball and it's teams are growing their cultural development programs for Dominican players.  Even American players are learning Spanish and growing their baseball knowledge by learning more about baseball in the Dominican Republic.

So, in this tradition, Robinson Cano and his father are offering the Cano Baseball Experience.  From the website:

The Canó Baseball Experience (CBE) is a unique, authentic Dominican baseball experience. CBE is directed by Jose Canó, father of New York Yankees All-Star second baseman Robinson Canó and former Major League Baseball pitcher. After years of training Robinson, Jose and Robinson decided it would be great to share the experience of authentic Dominican baseball, Canó style. The goal of CBE is not only to instill and further the most core and fundamental baseball skills and instincts, but to also allow for an appreciation of the game and art of baseball. Your Canó Baseball Experience will last a lifetime, while testing and improving your baseball aptitude and allowing you to experience the methods that make Canó what he is.

So, the Cano Baseball Experience will be grounded more in growing baseball skills and aptitude.  But there will also be a cultural component in that American baseball players will be learning from a Dominican coach.  The Canos will also be offering the experience in Cano's hometown, San Pedro de Macoris.  So, players that choose to have the experience in San Pedro will be visiting one of the most historic baseball towns in the world, and be gaining invaluable cultural knowledge.

So, the Cano Baseball Experience also sees the immersion into Dominican baseball culture as an important aspect.  According to Robinson Cano:

My dad and I have been talking about giving kids a chance to experience baseball, the way I grew up learning it in the Dominican Republic; the whole idea of The Canó Baseball Experience is more than just baseball, its about culture and sharing the Dominican Republic with the kids of the US.

Visit the Cano Baseball Experience website to register:

BYU baseball team goes 4-0 against Major League Baseball Dominican academy teams, and make huge charitable donation to Republica Dominicana

As the Dominican Baseball Guy (DBM) recently blogged, the BYU baseball team planned to play a series of games and do some charitable work over Thanksgiving in the Dominican Republic.  Well, they just completed their trip.

The BYU baseball team went 4-0 against the Rangers, Red Sox, Royals, and Yankees Dominican academy teams.  See the official press release here: BYU baseball team returns home from Dominican Republic trip.

The baseball games were surely a great workout, but the entire team agrees that is was there work and donations with local schools and baseball programs that was the most fulfilling part of the trip.  According to BYU head baseball coach Vance Law:

Initially, our players felt they were going to be helping people in need and now in hindsight it was they who benefited the most from these experiences.

The team and coaches coordinated with 5 Star Legacy to make the donations.  They donated 1300 hygiene kits, 11 pallets of baseball equipment, and nutritional supplies to schools, orphanages, and private homes.  Spending as much time as the Dominican Baseball Guy has spent in the country, the DBG can attest that all these things are sorely needed.  Americans take things like toothbrushes and soap for granted, but these things are luxury items in poorer parts of the Dominican Republic.  Many of the DBG contacts did not brush their teeth or bath regularly.  And a great number of children are malnourished, so nutritional items are also needed.  And of course the baseball equipment is needed and appreciated.

Great work by BYU and the 5 Star Legacy Foundation.  Visit the 5 Star Legacy Foundation and make a donation:

BYU college baseball team to play Major League Baseball academy teams in Dominican Republic, equipo de universidad norteamericano va a jugar Dominicanos

Another day and another amateur team is traveling to the Dominican Republic to play a series of games against Dominican competition.  The BYU Cougars will be traveling the Republica Dominicana to play a series of games against MLB academy teams.

The TCU Horned Frogs recently made the trip for a series of exhibition games.  And just after them a youth team traveled to the Dominican Republic to play some games and donate some equipment.

Well, the BYU Cougars have the same idea.  They collected a ton of equipment and will be giving it out in between their games.  They also plan to pass some time at the beach, being that the Dominican Republic beaches are some of the best in the Caribbean.

Good looking out BYU!  Any equipment is sorely needed in the Dominican Republic, as there are youth playing with cardboard gloves and balls made out of socks everywhere.  The team will spread some goodwill, and get a great workout against the academy teams.

TCU Frogs baseball to play series in Dominican Republic, universidad de Tejas va para jugar pelota en Republica Dominicana

There have been a number of youth teams or individual players travel to the Dominican Republic to play tournaments or single games over the last several years.  The Dominican Baseball Guy recently mentioned that a youth baseball team traveled on a missionary trip to the country, and played some baseball games.

The Dominican Baseball Guy has heard little (well, actually nothing) about college or professional teams traveling to the Republica Dominicana to play games.  But this week, the Frog Face blog reports that the TCU baseball team will travel to play an exhibition series this year over Thanksgiving.

This should be a great experience for the Horned Frog players.  Wherever they visit in the Dominican Republic (other than perhaps the actual baseball fields) will be a far cry from their homes in Fort Worth.  It will surely be a great experience for their Dominican competition too.  In addition to some great life lessons on intercultural understanding, both teams should get some great work in on the baseball field.

The Dominican Baseball Guy applauds TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle for the move.  TCU ended up ranked #19 in the final NCAA Division I poll last season.  The Dominican Baseball Guy wishes the team luck on their upcoming year, except when they are playing the Dominican Baseball Guy's own Texas Longhorns of course.

Ex-Husky slugger, Kyle Conley, plays in minor leagues with Dominican baseball players

Everyone knows that once a college player enters professional baseball he is going to see many more Latin and foreign players than he saw at the high school or college level.  The minor leagues are full of Latin players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Columbia.

As the Dominican baseball blog at the start of the MLB season, over 10 percent of players on opening day MLB rosters were Dominican.  Though MLB does not take any official numbers of minor league players and nationality, most believe the percentage of Dominican and Latin players on minor league rosters is even higher.

Kyle Conley has gotten a chance to see some of this Latin baseball talent since moving from the University of Washington into the minor leagues.  He is playing in high-A Florida, and has played with a bunch of Dominican baseball players.  He feels this experience has made him a better baseball player and more rounded person.  From the official University of Washington athletics blog:

Our team has been comprised of guys from all over the US, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Panama, Cuba, and Colombia. It's fun to practice and play with guys from different places and really has shown me the game of baseball is universal and made me realize how special of a game it is and can be. My understanding and appreciation of Latin America and its different cultures has grown exponentially from my experience here and building great friendships with teammates.

As the Dominican Baseball Guy, and other cultural anthropologists understand, baseball and other sports can be an arena for cross-cultural understanding and allow people to suspend previously ethnocentric judgements and views.  Kyle Conley has had this experience thus far in his short professional career, and the Dominican Baseball Guy would think that many other minor leaguers (both Dominicano and American) have a similar experience.