Tuesday, 5th November 2024

US Baseball officials to promote sport to children in St Kitts-Nevis

Wednesday, 23rd October 2019

The Major League Baseball (MLB) Players Alumni Association is set to engage some 200 children from St. Kitts and Nevis in an event designed to raise awareness about the sport of baseball. This will be done at The Legends for Youth Clinic Series that will be held at The Gardens Playing Field in McKnight, St. Kitts on Saturday, October 26, 2019, and the Elquemedo T. Willet Park in Nevis on Sunday, October 27, 2019. The training clinic is expected to run from 9 am to 12 pm. According to www.mlb.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, “The Alumni Association has conducted hundreds of free clinics and helped thousands of children over the years. Our mission is to provide a fun, positive baseball experience; to provide children with positive role models at our life skills station, where we talk to them about substance abuse, stress the importance of education and help them recognize they have the ability to make positive decisions; and, to teach young ballplayers the game's fundamentals in a multi-station format.” Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Tom Buchanan explained that children between the ages of seven and 17 years old from St. Kitts and Nevis are invited to the sessions. He added that the training will differ on the assigned days and ferry arrangements will be made to transport participants to and from the respective islands. Buchanan encouraged children from that age group, who are interested in learning more about the sport of baseball, to come to the training sessions on the weekend. Some of the MLB personalities expected on island include McKenzie Mills, current pitcher for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp; Benny Castillo, a member of the Florida Marlins player development staff; and Arturo Caines, a former college and professional baseball player. He played for a number of Minor League Teams including the Bristol Tigers.