A puro béisbol| Puerto Rican young Players of 18 and 19 years of age still in limbo

Aqui vemos tres ex grandes ligas que no pasaron por el draft y son el ejemplo de la cantera de desarrollos que teniamos hasta que MLB nos impuso el draft’ en 1989

By: George F. Ortiz, Former Scouting Supervisor, Angels-Pirates

Now we lost the chance to be the house of Baseball World Classics that MLB announces for the 2017. It is the same slap in the face we will continue to receive just like we received the cancellation of the Pirates and Marlins game on the 30th to the 31st of May because of the Zika virus.

This very same problem also exists in the state of Florida and also with pregnant women; in short, there is more risk in Florida that in PR and Brazil. The incredible thing is the impact that affected the municipality of San Juan to invest so much money and later suspend it all when the governor of Florida declared on Wednesday May 5^th a state of emergency in 4 cities due to the same situation of the Zika virus.

I cannot understand something that has no meaning in which a few games are suspended and move it to a city like Miami-Dale, home of the Marlins, probably infected with this mosquito.

I want to congratulate Hon. Carmen Yulin Cruz, mayor of San Juan, who was very outspoken about this snub and lack of respect for Puerto Rico from the MLB organization and did everything that demanded to the MLB office in order to carry out these games. We have these problems from a long time ago with the U.S. Congress now not helping the island of PR with the restructuring of the debt in our country and we now have a Puerto Rican congressman from the Republican party, born here, is opposing the help of the American government to PR.

Let us not forget also that we do not have equal conditions in baseball as International has. The baseball players from 18 to 20 years of age are in limbo, and with no opportunity to achieve a professional contract because MLB are choosing 16-year-olds for July 2^nd, while the old ones are out in the dust. The same scouts that were in Juncos, evaluating the High School ones and only speaking of only from four to six players from the first rounds and all that chit-chat and that does nothing to help those who are older because they are not even invited to the tryout.

I am going to see many parents talking and criticizing why they weren’t selected. Finitico because before the baseball players that signed 18 to 20 year olds, scouts came and had more success even with some reaching MLB, now those prospects of 18 to 20 years of age are left out, waiting for an opportunity that never come, and maybe never will. Congratulations to all those who participated in the game of excellence and those who were selected, good luck. I’ll soon speak about the signing of sixty players with 16 years of age who were signed on July 2nd, 2016. Including the player who was signed with Oakland for 3 million of dollars, breaking the rule of 2.8 millions of dollars to sign the July 2^nd players. Oakland will pay a major penalty to the MLB Commissioner’s Office. Like I said, on July 2^nd, they steamrolled PR in the draft.