Pittsburgh Pirates Chairman of the Board Bob Nutting has unveiled the designs for the ballclub's new Latin American headquarters and baseball training academy. Located on a 46-acre property in the municipality of El Toro in the Dominican Republic, the complex will serve as the new headquarters for the Pirates Latin American baseball operations. The complex will serve as the training and housing facility for players on the ballclub's Dominican Summer League roster and other players invited to train at the academy.
Expected to be completed in the summer of 2009, the campus style complex will feature two full and one half fields, a spacious clubhouse capable of holding more than two full teams, weight rooms, covered batting cages and pitching mounds, bullpens, trainers' rooms, classrooms, computer and video training rooms, conference rooms, administration offices and a dormitory that will be able to house and feed 90 players, coaches and personnel.
Bucs unveil new complex plans
Dominican Republic Groundbreaking ceremony photo galleries I,
II
Latin American headquarters and baseball training academy renderings gallery
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Photographs of progress as of January 2009
Much like the newly renovated Pirate City complex in Bradenton, Fla., that serves as the home for the Pirates Spring Training and the ballclub's Gulf Coast League entry, this complex will serve all the needs of the ballclub's baseball operations staff and players in one centralized location. It will be a significant improvement over the Pirates current rented facility that consists of just one field, inadequate training facilities and rented living space miles away from the field.
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August 12, 2008 Update
Construction of Pirates new Latin American headquarters and training complex in the Dominican Republic progressing well.
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Official press release »
January 27, 2009 Update
The dorm rooms, offices, clubhouse and training areas have been built. The first of the two full fields is nearly finished. The sod for the second field is being laid. A third half-field is also being worked on.
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Photographs of progress as of January 2009