Trying out for the big leagues
Sonto Jesus, a center fielder from Santo Domingo, eats lunch at a training camp owned by the Boston Red Sox in San Antonio de Guerra.
The Dominican Republic is one of the most baseball-crazed countries in the Caribbean. Major League teams have set up multi-million dollar training and scouting facilities here to find the next great prospect.
Meanwhile, with seven-figure signing bonuses and million-dollar contracts, baseball is seen by young Dominicians as the only possible ticket to success. Many drop out of school, only to fall short of the difficult professional standards. Still, players, scouts, coaches and agents know that somewhere out there, the next great Dominican baseball star is waiting to be discovered.
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