The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation today announced a major partnership with Energy Transfer Partners for the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Complex Presented by Toyota.
The partnership will include a one million dollar commitment by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners that will be utilized for future programs and operations of the Academy.
"On behalf of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, I want to thank Energy Transfer Partners for their incredible generosity in making this commitment to our Youth Academy," said Rangers Chief Operating Officer and Chairman of the Rangers Baseball Foundation Neil Leibman. "This will allow us to continue to grow and expand the programs of the Rangers MLB Youth Academy in the all-important task of developing young baseball and softball players.
"We salute Energy Transfer Partners for its role as a community leader with this partnership."  
The announcement of the partnership was made on Thursday at an event at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Complex Presented by Toyota. As part of the event, Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltré made his first appearance at the Academy's Globe Life Training Center, which opened in December 2017. Beltré provided the financial contribution to build Adrian Beltré Field, a 23,249 square foot indoor facility which includes a major league size infield and is located in the Globe Life Training Center.  
"We are honored to partner with the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation in a way that will help further their vision for the MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street," said Chris Curia, Chief Human Resources Officer for Energy Transfer Partners. "Supporting Youth Services such as this is an important part of our Community Outreach program. 
"The Adrian Beltré Field and this entire sports complex is an amazing asset to not only West Dallas, but to the City of Dallas. There is no better place to for these youth athletes to engage in a sports programs that will help foster the skills needed to become tomorrow's leaders in our community. We are also proud of our association with Mercy Street, which began in 2009. Since that time, our partnership of companies has donated more than $600,000 to help support the valuable programs they offer our youth." 
The Rangers, Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and Dallas-based Mercy St. partnered to build the state-of-the-art facility, which provides free (or reduced cost) and year-round opportunities for North Texas youth, on the 17-acre site at the intersection of Hampton and Bickers. 
The Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex presented by Toyota, which held its official ribbon-cutting in December 2017 after two years of construction, includes five fields (Oates Field presented by Papa John's, the Clayton Kershaw Challenge Field, Josh "Hambone" Hamilton Field, Field of Dreams, and the Mimi's T-Ball Field) and the Globe Life Training Center, an indoor facility which houses the Ian Desmond training room; Origin Bank Conference Room, four classrooms supported by the Hamels Foundation; weight room facilities, Academy staff offices, and a concession stand in addition to Adrian Beltré Field.
In addition, Buckner International operates a satellite Family Hope Center at the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation Youth Academy. The goal is to provide services to children and families using the Youth Academy baseball facilities to strengthen families in the community. 
The Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy is available to children throughout North Texas, especially the more than 9,000 kids who live within the West Dallas neighborhood and youth from the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area. In addition to providing year-round baseball and softball instruction and play, including hosting tournaments, coaching clinics and skills camps, the Academy will provide youth with access to tutoring programs, college prep classes, college and career fairs, financial literacy and internship programs, courses teaching math through the use of baseball statistics, and MLB industry alternative career workshops. 
Youth also have opportunities to be involved in drug resistance and gang-prevention programs and healthy lifestyle classes. Additionally, all Academy members and other community youth benefit from Academy facilities and programs through baseball vocational programming, such as umpiring seminars, athletic field management, scouting and player development, sports information training, and athletic sports training.
ABOUT THE TEXAS RANGERS BASEBALL FOUNDATION 
Since its inception in 1991, the Foundation has invested more than $30 million in our community to help children through support of programs including the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex, presented by Toyota, youth health and wellness programs like the just keep livin programs, educational programs including the Richard Greene Scholars program, and support of the military and first responders and their families.