Dominican baseball showcase canceled amid protests: outsidepitchmlb.com

Santo Domingo.- Most Major League players areborn in the US although nearly 30% of those in Opening Day rosters this seasonwere born outside the U.S., outlet outsidepitchmlb.com reports Wednesday.

"Among the foreign countries tocontribute MLB players, the Dominican Republic has long had a stranglehold onthe top spot," it said, noting that the current season marks the 22ndconsecutive year, "the entire time that this data has been released,"that the Dominican Republic ranked first among foreign countries in terms ofMLB players.

"What I’m trying to say is, they’re kindof a big deal."

"MLB’sannual Dominican Republic National Showcase was scheduled to take place todayand tomorrow (10/26-10/27). However, late yesterday, the league announced thatit would be canceling the event due to protests from independent trainers andplayers," outsidepitchmlb.com said.

It adds that in the next CollectiveBargaining Agreement, Major League Baseball has its sights set on implementingan International Draft. As it stands, the procedures for acquiringinternational talent are far different than those for acquiring U.S.-borntalent. "The Dominican Republic would like to keep it that way."