BOCA CHICA, D.R. -- The greatest catcher in D-backs history, Miguel Montero, kicked away some leaves to reveal a square slab of cement at the uninhabited Las Americas academy where he first played as a professional. It was there that a pay phone once stood, and Montero recalled dialing home daily to Venezuela -- via collect call -- as a homesick teenager thinking about calling it quits.
But Montero stuck with his dreams, and on Tuesday morning, he was encouraging others to do the same as one of the key figures at the groundbreaking ceremony of the D-backs' new complex, which will be built on the same land where their original academy stood from 1996-2003. The youngest players in the D-backs' farm system, many of whom signed within the past month, were on hand to witness history being made.
"When I come here, it brings a lot of good memories and a lot of appreciation for what this academy made me as a baseball player," said Montero, who was recently named to the D-backs' 20th Anniversary team. "What this organization is going to do for these players is amazing, because they're going to have the best academy in the Dominican Republic and they're going to have all the facilities to develop better and to bring the game to a higher level. Hopefully they appreciate what the organization is doing and put a big effort into getting better every day."
The significance of the ceremony was evident by those in attendance, which included the president of the country, Danilo Medina Sanchez, D-backs president & CEO Derrick Hall, mayor of Boca Chica Radhames Castro and representatives from Major League Baseball and the Dominican summer and winter leagues. D-backs vice president Junior Noboa detailed the history of the franchise's operations on the island and introduced the first player ever signed by the D-backs, Jonathan Leyba, who still works in MLB.
"Today is a huge day for our organization," said D-backs legend Luis Gonzalez. "This academy will be the place where our prospects' dreams begin on their way to Chase Field. We know that players here have great passion and love for the game of baseball and so do our fans, and you can feel that here today."
The multimillion dollar investment is expected to create more than 150 jobs during construction and result in a complex that includes three full fields, a half field, covered batting cages, an agility field and housing for more than 100 prospects, coaches and visiting staff. There will also be a classroom to create a conducive learning environment for the team's education program, created in 2013 following a meeting between Hall and President Medina, whom Hall called a "great friend of the organization."
"We want this academy to be the place where every young Dominican player wants to play," said Hall.
"We understand that this is home, this is school and this is recreation. This investment from our ownership group ensures that we will have an incredible academy for our prospects that will focus on fostering relationships with teammates, healthy living habits, education and of course, state-of-the-art baseball facilities."