THE GAME IS THE CURRICULUM Nats' Dominican academy instructs and recruits BASEBALL IN DECEMBER DAY 2

The Nationals want to establish a presence on the island.

Date published: 12/18/2006

By TODD JACOBSON

PHOTO GALLERY: Click here to view images from the series.

AN CRISTOBAL, Dominican Republic--While the sun is still low in the sky and the heat is still manageable, Jose Rijo pulls his gleaming red convertible Mercedes into the baseball academy he built atop a hill near the southern coast of the Dominican Republic.

He has a pipe in his mouth and handshakes and hugs for everyone.

Rijo, a special assistant to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden and the man behind the team's operations in the Dominican Republic, has a house on the southern coast of this island, but he might as well be home here.

He built Loma Del Sueño--literally translated as Hill of Dreams--seven years ago at a cost of approximately $10 million, and the seven-field compound shared by the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres is the center of the Nationals' renewed scouting effort in the Dominican Republic.

In this baseball-crazed country, the Nationals' baseball academy is one place where the dreams of a rebuilding organization, its boisterous Dominican kingpin and dozens of hopeful Dominican teenagers converge.

"We know the only way to leave the country is by swinging or throwing," said Rijo, who grew up in San Cristobal and pitched 14 years in the big leagues.

So yesterday morning, 38 hopeful prospects arrived at the Nationals' complex carrying bats and gloves for a tryout camp run by Dana Brown, the Nationals' director of amateur scouting. New manager Manny Acta was there to watch the prospects, as was Rijo.

The pitchers were monitored with a radar gun, and the hitters were timed in the 60-yard dash, fielded ground balls and took batting practice.

After three hours of drills, Brown said seven players have emerged as prospects, including 17-year-old Raudy Almonte, a 6-foot-5 left-handed pitcher, and Jorge Soto, a lanky 17-year-old outfielder.

With Acta--who grew up in Consuelo to the east of the team's complex--and Rijo on board, the Nationals want to establish a presence on the island.

This is a good start.

"The Cowboys were America's team. We would like to be the world's team," Nationals general manager Jim Bowden said. "We want to dominate the Dominican Republic.

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Date published: 12/18/2006