SANTO DOMINGO, D.R. -- During Saturday’s festivities at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal for the Twins-Tigers game -- the first MLB contest in the Dominican Republic in 20 years -- Nelson Cruz, Miguel Sanó, Iván Nova and other Dominican big leaguers were the most sought-after by fans and reporters.

But one player on hand represented a legacy that has had one of the greatest impacts on the history of Dominican baseball and its influence in the Major Leagues: Twins catcher Alex Avila.

• Sights & sounds from MLB's return to D.R.

It was Alex’s grandfather, Rafael, or Ralph, who was a groundbreaking scout in the Dominican for the Dodgers in the 1970s and '80s and founded Los Angeles’ Dominican academy, Campo Las Palmas, in '87. When it comes to scouting and academies, the trail that Ralph blazed has since been followed by all 30 Major League teams.

Ralph’s son and Alex’s dad, Al, is the current general manager of the Tigers, whom the Twins defeated on Saturday, 7-6.

“It seemed like a great time to come back and play against the Tigers with my dad over there,” Alex said on his eagerness to make the trip. “It was something that I think we were both looking forward to.”

With Ralph running Campo Las Palmas in the 1980s and '90s, his grandson, Alex, spent several summers as a youngster at the academy, cutting his teeth in baseball with freshly signed Dominican prospects.

“One of the things that my grandfather always preached is the fundamentals," said Alex, who is preparing for his 12th season as a Major League catcher. “That was something that was talked about not only when we were on the baseball field, but when were just having lunch or dinner, and it was always a topic of conversation. We always wanted to talk baseball. Between him and my dad, I learned a lot at an early age as far as the fundamentals, what it takes to be a baseball player, what it takes to be a Major Leaguer, be successful and do it the right way. It was a tremendous experience."

On Saturday, Hall of Famers Pedro Martínez and Vladimir Guerrero threw out the ceremonial first pitches. Martínez, as fate would have it, was signed by Ralph in the late 1980s.

“There’s so much history with my grandfather and what he’s done here,” said Alex, whose dad Al was in attendance in Santo Domingo on Saturday, while Ralph stayed at his home in South Florida. “Whether I’m here or in the States, Dominican players come up to me, or family members of Dominican players will come up to me, and I hear all the time how much of an influence my grandfather was, how many people he helped throughout his time here.

“He’s really created a legacy here. It’s something that I’m proud of and don’t take for granted, the fact that I was able to experience a lot of that growing up.”

For Alex, who went 2-for-3 on Saturday with two RBIs, returning to the Dominican also meant coming back to where he played winter ball in 2009-10 with Leones del Escogido.

“All those memories, I’ll have forever,” he said. “Coming from having fun at the academy with my grandfather to actually playing here in the winter leagues and then now, it goes by quick.

“With our family history, it’s nice to get back to kind of where a lot of it started for me, where learning happened for me as far as baseball.”