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Mets' Carlos Beltran goes to bat for kids from Puerto Rico
BY Adam Rubin
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, March 26th 2009, 4:00 AM
PORT ST. LUCIE - Carlos Beltran always told himself he would build a high school in his native Puerto Rico once he became established as a major leaguer. That ambition is set to open in the fall of 2010.
Using donated land that includes a 30,000 square-foot building in Florida, Puerto Rico, Beltran's foundation will invest $10 million to open an English-only school for ninth through 12th graders. The hope is to enroll 120 for the first academic year of the Carlos Beltran Academy.
The Mets center fielder plans to spend about $2 million of his own money on the project, with the rest coming through fund-raising. In addition to U.S.-style classrooms, Beltran plans to build two or three baseball fields and batting cages.
One objective is to increase the number of professional ballplayers produced on the island, although the academic component will attempt to ensure those who don't make it are prepared for college. Beltran recalled how he was unable to speak English when he signed with the Kansas City Royals after being drafted in the fifth round in 1995. He hopes future players avoid similar experiences.
"When I signed as a professional, it was difficult for me to communicate with my coaches and teammates," Beltran said. "I wanted to talk, but I was afraid to talk because I didn't want to make a mistake or sound stupid."
Puerto Rico lags behind other Latin-American countries in producing players, which Beltran hopes to remedy. On Opening Day rosters last season, 88 were born in the Dominican Republic, 52 in Venezuela and 29 in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans are subject to the MLB draft like U.S. high school students, whereas those other countries' players can sign at 16 years old and be inserted in the major league teams' academies. Beltran recalled playing games in high school only on Saturdays, with practice just two times a week.
"There are not a lot of kids in Puerto Rico that have the habit of practicing every day," Beltran said. "They need to have a place where they can go and study, and at the same time they practice every day and have a good development program so they can become better ballplayers.
"Comparing Puerto Rico with the Dominican and Venezuela, we have to go through the draft; they don't have to go through the draft. So they sign 16-year-old kids and they put them in an academy and that kid can become a very successful player. But for us it's different. That's why I decided to build a high school specializing in baseball. At the same time, I want to create opportunities for the young kids not only about being a professional, but also about going to a good college and finding a scholarship, because all of them are not going to be able to make it to the big leagues."
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