This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SAN ANTONIO DE GUERRA, Dominican Republic -- One dirt path now stands out from the others nearby it on the outskirts of San Antonio de Guerra, Dominican Republic. Take that driveway, and immediately, there’s a building with an orange cartoon bird plastered on the side.

The Orioles have arrived in the Dominican Republic.

Well, technically, the Orioles had already been there. They increased their international signing efforts in recent years, and they had a facility in the Caribbean country. But it was nothing like the new state-of-the-art academy unveiled by the team with an opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Baltimore’s Caribbean, Central and South American player development operations will be housed at the academy, which covers 22 1/2 acres and has a similar feel to the club’s Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., the home of Spring Training and Minor League operations. International signees should greatly benefit from the new facility.

It’s time to share some of the sights and sounds gathered from the academy on Tuesday, which was a day a little more than five years in the making for the Orioles’ organization.

The housing

When parking on the north side of the new academy, the first two buildings a person encounters are the ones featuring dormitory-style rooms, entertainment spaces, classrooms, a computer lab and a dining room. International prospects who stay there will get on-site learning via a personalized education plan.

“It’s a beautiful place. Like all the complexes, they look like resorts more than actual baseball complexes,” said Nelson Cruz, who was among the former Orioles players in attendance at Tuesday’s ceremony. “They have all they need, and hopefully, they can take advantage of it.”

The fields

In the center of the academy, there’s an observation deck that offers pristine views of all three baseball fields constructed at the facility. Each is in tremendous condition and will allow international prospects to play in game situations on the best possible surfaces.

“It’s way different than the complex that I was able to experience when I was with the Orioles,” former pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez said. “And that’s great, because they don’t have any excuse to not have great players from Latin countries. They have the facility, they have good player development, they have everything.”

The equipment areas

The fields are much like the ones in Sarasota. So are the surrounding equipment areas, which include sports turf for agility drills, batting cages and pitching tunnels. One of the mounds has been dedicated to the late Luis Andrés Ortiz Soriano, a former Orioles Minor Leaguer who died after a battle with cancer in 2023.

There’s also a weight room next to the aforementioned equipment areas.

“It’s first class, there’s no doubt. It is a top-of-the-line type of facility,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just a really, really well-designed facility, and I’m looking forward to our young players using it.”

The presence

The Orioles’ academy will surely help in their efforts to land top international prospects, which have become a primary focus for the organization since general manager Mike Elias was hired in November 2018.

“I know for a long time when I was playing with the Orioles, I would just think about, ‘Why don’t the Orioles get a complex in Latin America?’” former Baltimore third baseman Melvin Mora said. “This is great for this country, and this is great for Latin America, and this is great for the team.”

Added former O’s outfielder and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr.: “It makes me really happy. As a Dominican, I feel really proud that the Orioles did this, and I hope other teams continue to do this in the future.”

The final thing players will see when departing via the west exit of the academy? A message reminding them of where they’ll all hope to end up one day: