The Puerto Rico Baseball Academy & High School (PRBAHS) is a
non-profit organization combining
academics and
sports programs into one curriculum. Its goal is to prepare its students for
higher education, competitive
college scholarship opportunities, and the
Major League Baseball Draft. The PRBAHS is one of the baseball
high schools in
Puerto Rico or the
United States with this type of learning environment.
The school is located 30 minutes outside of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
near the
University of Turabo in
Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
It admits students ages 14–18 into 10th through 12th grade.
History
The school was first envisioned by former
Texas Rangers pitcher Edwin Correa
Edwin Josue Correa (born April 29, 1966, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico) is a retired professional baseball player who played three seasons for the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. As a rookie in 1986 Correa lead all rooki ...
, who was motivated by the decline of Puerto Rican players in the
major leagues. The
Dominican Republic has recently had many more players signed than Puerto Rico has, in part because of differing rules. United States standards, upheld by the PRBAHS, require players to complete a high school diploma or to be at least 18 years of age, while Dominican players are able to sign with major league organizations as early as 16 years of age. For the 2003 season, there were 38 versus 79 on the Major League rosters that came from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, respectively.
Although the school was founded in 2002, its inception began 1999, when founder
Ed Correa
Edwin Josue Correa (born April 29, 1966, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico) is a retired professional baseball player who played three seasons for the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. As a rookie in 1 ...
coached at
Las Palmas, the
Los Angeles Dodgers’ complex located in the Dominican Republic. It was at Las Palmas where his vision began and he decided to use the complex as a model to draft his own prototype.
Program curriculum
The core academic curriculum includes courses in
Spanish,
English,
United States History,
Puerto Rican History
The history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the Ortoiroid people between 430 BC and AD 1000. At the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1493, the dominant indigenous culture was that of the Taínos. The Taín ...
,
Latin American History,
Biology, Work Management,
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
,
Physics,
Geometry,
Algebra,
Trigonometry, and
Pre-calculus. The available electives are
Health,
Photography, Psychology, Sports Psychology, Music, Journalism,
Ethics,
History of Baseball, and the Critical Analysis of
Chess.
The baseball program emphasizes the mental, physical, and technical aspects of each
position to create a complete understanding of the game. Topics covered include throwing mechanics,
weight training, fielding mechanics,
communication, running the bases, the mental aspect of the game, run downs, the art of pitching, the art of catching, and
bunt Bunt may refer to:
* Bunt (community), an elite social group from Karnataka, India
* Bunt (baseball), a batting technique in baseball
* Bunt (sail), a part of a ship's sail
* Bunt Island, island in Antarctica
* The Bunt, nickname of the Bunting ...
plays.
Community involvement
In addition to academics and sport, the school also encourages community outreach and involvement in local activities. Students visit
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
s during the
holiday
A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...
s, participate in interactive sporting days with disadvantaged children, and visit centers for children.
Notable alumni
*
Hiram Burgos
*
Carlos Correa
*
Joe Jiménez
*
Christian Vázquez
Christian Rafael Vázquez (born August 21, 1990) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.
Selected by th ...
*
Reynaldo Navarro
*
Jesmuel Valentin
*
Joe Colón
Joseph Colón (born February 18, 1990) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians.
Career Cleveland Indians
After graduating from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academ ...
*
Víctor Caratini
*
Vimael Machin
References
Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High SchoolBaseball Reference
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External links
Puerto Rico Baseball Academy & High School
2002 establishments in Puerto Rico
Baseball in Puerto Rico
Gurabo, Puerto Rico
High school baseball in the United States
High schools in Puerto Rico
Educational institutions established in 2002