Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association Brings Legends For Youth Baseball Clinic Series To Dominican Republic

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Local youth will have an opportunity to play with their big league heroes at the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) Legends for Youth baseball clinics on Sunday, February 5, 2017 and Wednesday, February 8, 2017. In conjunction with Edwin Encarnación and 2016 Brooks Robinson Community Service Award recipient Manny Acta, the free clinics will feature current and former Major League Baseball players who will teach baseball skills, drills and life lessons for a total of approximately 700 local youth.

"This is what we're supposed to do. This is not an option, to help our community,” said Acta at the 2016 Legends for Youth Dinner in New York City. Acta currently serves as the third base coach for the Seattle Mariners and has been coaching since 1992, spending parts of six seasons as a manager in Major League Baseball.

Acta’s foundation, the ImpACTA Kids Foundation, launched in November of 2007 and provides youth in both the United States and Dominican Republic with opportunities to achieve their dreams by emphasizing the importance of education, health and athletics. Edwin Encarnación is a first baseman for the Cleveland Indians and frequently hosts youth baseball clinics in his home country of the Dominican Republic. Over the last five seasons (with the Toronto Blue Jays) Encarnación has clubbed 193 home runs and driven in 550 runs en route to three American League All-Star selections.

Players attending* the clinic on February 5 include current player Edwin Encarnación and former players José Díaz, Domingo Jean, Warner Madrigal, Juan Morillo, Nerio Rodríguez, Alejandro Sánchez, Luis Saturria, Salomón Torres and Eugenio Vélez. These 10 players combine for 51 seasons, 2,503 games, 1,664 hits, 326 home runs and 58 saves. Players attending* the clinic on February 8 include current players Jeimer Candelario and Miguel Sano, as well as former players Santo Alcalá, Pedro Liriano, Pedro López, Rafael Ramírez and Fernando Tatís, who is the only player in Major League Baseball history to hit two grand slams in the same inning. These seven players combine for 33 seasons, 2,789 games and 2,436 hits in Major League Baseball.

The clinic on February 5, hosted by Edwin Encarnación, will take place at Estadio Francisco A. Micheli, running from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., located at Avenida Padre Abreu 22000 La Romana, Dominican Republic. The clinic on February 8, hosted by the MLBPAA in honor of Manny Acta’s 2016 Brooks Robinson Community Service Award, will take place at Manny Acta Field, running from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., located in Consuelo, Dominican Republic. Alumni players will train at stations including pitching, catching, base running and life skills. Registration for both events will begin at 9:30 a.m. and both mornings will conclude with an autograph session and baseball giveaways for children in attendance.

Registration is closed to the public at this time.

For more information regarding these clinics, please contact Nikki Warner, Director of Communications, at (719) 477-1870, ext. 105 or visit www.baseballalumni.com.

*Clinicians subject to change.

About The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA)

MLBPAA was founded in 1982 with the mission of promoting baseball, raising money for charity and protecting the dignity of the game through its Alumni players. The MLBPAA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO with a membership of more than 7,800, of which approximately 6,100 are Alumni and active players. Alumni players find the MLBPAA to be a vital tool to become involved in charity and community philanthropy. Follow @MLBPAA for Twitter updates.

About Legends for Youth Clinics

MLBPAA’s Legends for Youth clinics impact more than 15,000 children each year, allowing them the unique opportunity to interact with and learn from players who have left a lasting impact on the game of baseball. The MLBPAA has reached children across America and internationally in Australia, Canada, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Nicaragua, the United Kingdom and Venezuela, through the Legends for Youth clinic series. To donate to this program, visit baseballalumni.com/donate. The official hashtag of the Legends for Youth clinic series is #LFYClinic.

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