More on the Death of Prospect Yewri Guillen

by Chris Lindsay

A little under two years ago, 18-year old Dominican shortstop Yewri Guillen died of a preventable viral or bacterial infection. You may remember that he was a prospect in the Washington Nationals organization, and that his death made some headlines. But there's a lot more to his story.

Ian Gordon with Mother Jones magazine has written a great article investigating the circumstances surrounding Guillen's death and the system by which young Dominican players enter the major leagues. It's an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. I had a chance to ask Gordon a few follow-up questions about the matter, and my conclusions are outlined below. I'll include the main points of the problem in my discussion, but if you haven't yet done so you should definitely read his article.

Yewri Guillen and the Dominican System

In some ways Guillen was a special case, but most Dominican prospects face similar risks. He had originally been signed by the Nationals back in 2009, but his contract was held up by suspicions about his real age. He continued to train at the Nationals' academy without being an official part of their system, until his contract was confirmed in 2011. Just before he was to have left for the US to play in the minor leagues, he fell ill. The academy did not offer him the treatment he needed, but instead sent him to his family home. His impoverished family struggled to find him private medical care, but finally got him admitted to a clinic several days later. By then it was too late and he died of his infection (the exact nature of that infection is in some dispute).

American baseball fans know that the Dominican Republic is a great producer of baseball talent. As of Opening Day 2012, Dominicans formed 11% of the players on MLB active rosters - the largest contingent of foreign-born players. And anyone who follows baseball can reel off a list of Dominican superstar players. 

But young Dominican players seeking to reach the major leagues face daunting odds. First, they have to be good enough to stand out from the crowd of other players and attract the attention of scouts. Many train with private promoters known as buscones, who will take a share of their signing bonus if they sign with a team. Conditions in the academies run by buscones can be very spartan and dangerous, but as Guillen's example makes clear, the conditions in academies run by MLB teams are not great either.

In fact, Gordon reveals that just nine of the thirty major league teams have certified trainers in their Dominican academies. Guillen's coaches sent him home without treating his illness, but it's unlikely that they recognized the severity of his condition, and it's unclear whether anyone at the academy had the expertise to treat or diagnose his condition. 

For the record, the nine teams that had certified trainers at their academies in 2012 were: ARI, BAL, CHC, CIN, MIL, NYM, PIT, TEX, and TOR. I don't see any particular pattern among those teams, but as this is an Orioles blog it's nice to see that they were among the nine. There might be plenty of other problems at the Orioles' DR academy, though.

The rough physical conditions at the academies are not the only problems facing Dominican prospects. There is intense pressure to succeed, and to succeed quickly, as teams prefer to recruit teenagers. American teenagers may go on to play baseball in college and enter the draft in their early twenties, but Dominican players generally must sign in their teens or be passed over. This of course has led to many cases of identity and age fraud, and abuse of performance- or physique-enhancing drugs.

Once in the minor leagues, the path to the major league level is still quite difficult, as minor leaguers of any nationality could attest. But Dominicans advance slower than their American counterparts through the ranks of the minor league system, a trend probably reflecting the culture shock they must undergo playing in a very different environment against more polished and professionally-trained players.

And if a Dominican prospect fails to land a contract or washes out of the minors, his future life can look pretty bleak. As a rule, the teenage players drop out of any school they had been attending in order to concentrate on baseball training. While American prospects have completed high school, the Dominicans, whose educational opportunities were much sparser to begin with, will be lucky if they have completed grade school. 

How Could the System Be Improved?

Of course the root problem in all this is the extreme poverty in the Dominican Republic. Because baseball offers a small but real chance to escape their impoverishment, Dominican teenagers are willing to risk the long odds and put up with the rough conditions. In many cases, the appalling living conditions at the academies may represent a step up from their home lives. 

MLB and the Nationals, while expressing their regret for Guillen's death, have maintained that there was no wrong-doing involved, and that the Nationals academy followed all the applicable regulations. As Gordon points out, that is true, but the regulations don't require much. 

As baseball fans and as human beings, we should demand more.  I asked Gordon what he thought would be the most important improvements to enact, and he gave me a very sensible list of reform priorities:

• Every team should have a certified athletic trainer at their academy.
• Every team should have a doctor working with the academy.
• Unsigned players (like Guillen) should not be able to live/play at the academies - at least not without health insurance.
• There should be an MLB-led effort to standardize the education provided at all academies.
• Regulating the buscones would be great (this would probably involve forming a buscon union).

One element of the equation that I thought was not covered in Gordon's article was the Dominican government. Ultimately they are responsible for the laws and well-being of their citizens. Obviously they have plenty of handicaps and with very limited resources they cannot do everything, but legally they have the power to regulate how teams and buscones can conduct business on their territory. It appears that at the moment they are a missing stakeholder, but I think they have the most potential to improve the situation. 

I asked Gordon about the role of the government, and he told me that the Dominican government has aligned itself with MLB and generally keeps quiet on these issues. They are cooperating with MLB in the establishment of an educational program to help players released by teams (this is a great idea, of course, but is still in its infancy). No doubt the government is very pleased that MLB contributes millions of dollars to the Dominican economy, and doesn't want to see that threatened. But if that's their reasoning I think they severely underestimate their bargaining power. A few common-sense laws to require decent medical care, living conditions, and educational facilities at academies would not drive MLB out of the country, given the massive value of Dominican talent in baseball. And the government should be in a much better position than MLB to regulate the buscones.

Will There Be Improvement?

Obviously, this situation is very sad. But when you consider the parameters, it's not very surprising. The players are desperate to reach the major leagues and will put up with many hardships in order to get there. The government seems unwilling or unable to regulate the process. The buscones may feel some protective instinct for their players but are basically out to make money. And so are the teams.

Fans of a team may feel great affection and loyalty for that team, but in the end we have to remember that all of the major league teams are for-profit corporations. And the entity known as Major League Baseball is really just a cartel of these for-profit corporations, so it will not act against their interests. In principle the teams have a vested interest in the health and well-being of their prospects, but generally they will do whatever they can to keep their costs down.

A case in point: the 2011 collective bargaining agreement contains numerous provisions that are clearly intended to hold down salaries and bonuses for players, particularly new players. The limitation of signing bonuses on international free agents marks a sudden departure from past policy, and greatly reduces the amount of money that Dominican prospects can expect to receive. In turn, that will greatly reduce the amount of money that the buscones receive.

There has been plenty of speculation that the new limit will drive young people away from the game, as talented athletes turn to other, potentially more lucrative sports, along the lines of what happened in Puerto Rico after it was included in the MLB draft. This is certainly a possibility, but given the overall Dominican enthusiasm for baseball and the extreme poverty of many of the players, it seems rather far-fetched. In any case, we won't be able to see any such effect until several years from now. On the other hand, the new limits will certainly hurt the buscones. Some may shut down their operations altogether, while others may try to save a little money by trimming their expenses. This could result in even worse conditions at their academies.

Rafael Perez, the head of MLB's Dominican operations, told Gordon that teams were improving conditions on a voluntary basis, and that "people have a negative reaction when things are imposed." Certainly, people always complain about regulations that are imposed upon them, and sometimes with justice, but it's really the only sane response to chronic problems like this. Part of the reason why conditions at academies have not improved heretofore may have to do with competition between the teams. Why would Team A shell out extra money to improve its academy when Team B does not, considering that the extra expense will probably not noticeably improve the flow of talent the team receives from the academy? If all of the teams are required to bring their facilities up to a decent standard, they may complain about the burden but at least they would all incur similar costs.

It's hard to see much actual improvement since Guillen's death, and such improvement looks unlikely unless someone brings some pressure to bear on the teams. A widespread outcry from media and fans would certainly encourage the teams to get their act together, but there is really no substitute for regulation. If properly motivated, MLB could require that all its teams improve the conditions at their academies, and if MLB took the lead the government might be more willing to get involved.

It would also be nice to see some more activity by established major league players on this matter. Dominican stars like David Ortiz and Robinson Cano are heroes in their home country and in the US. I know many of them contribute to and organize charities to help poor people in the Dominican, but I think they could also be making more use of their celebrity to raise awareness of the issue and bring pressure to bear on MLB and the DR government.

The bottom line is that baseball can do better. Yewri Guillen was a great talent with his whole life ahead of him. He had a hard path ahead of him, and maybe he would never have reached the major leagues. But he certainly didn't need to die trying to get there.

2013 World Baseball Classic: China

This is the sixth in a series to introduce everyone to teams participating in 2013's World Baseball Classic.  As this series progress, you will find all of the articles under this key world: 2013 World Baseball Classic.  Previously, we reviewed Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the USA.

The body of the China article was written by Chris Lindsay.

China

IBAF Ranking (out of 74)                  18th

2013 Pool                                            Japan

                                                            Cuba

                                                            Brazil

2013 Players of Note                          Ray Chang, 3B

                                                            Jiangang Lu, SP

                                                            Kun Chen, RP

                                                            Wei Wang, C

2009 Record                                       1-2, Round 1

2006 Record                                       0-3, Round 1

China's rapid economic growth since 1980 has turned it into a major player in just about every field. This has certainly held true for sport, but baseball in China, although growing, is still in its infancy. China's economic power and enormous population give it great potential, but baseball there lags far behind sports such as badminton, ping pong, and basketball.

China's baseball history actually dates back to the nineteenth century, when a group of Chinese students studying at Yale University formed a team, and upon their return to China introduced the game to their home country. The game also was spread in many provinces by American missionaries. In fact, the only major league player to have been born in China is Harry Kingman, the son of one of these missionaries, who was born in Tientsin in 1892 and played four games for the Yankees during the 1914 season. Baseball continued to be played in the country during the first half of the twentieth century, and enjoyed considerable popularity within the People's Liberation Army. 

However, in 1965 the government banned the sport, as it was seen as an American game not in keeping with communist and Chinese values. (Conversely, basketball, although clearly American in origin, was not subjected to such a ban, and is now a huge sport in China, with an estimated 300 million Chinese playing basketball, compared to 4 million playing baseball.) In 1974 with the relaxing of restrictions following the Cultural Revolution, baseball in China was again permitted. Since that time, it has been slowly expanding, with the formation of school and amateur teams.

In the leadup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the government aggressively developed athletics of all sorts, with a view to winning international prestige by an impressive showing at the Games. Baseball benefited from this drive, with the building of new stadiums and increased media attention. (However, the Wukesong baseball stadium built for the Olympics was always envisioned as a temporary stadium and was demolished after the Games.)

International Competition

For political reasons, the Chinese national team have always been considered rivals of Taiwan (or Chinese Taipei, if you prefer). Generally, however, the baseball rivalry between Taiwan and China has resembled a baseball rivalry between a minor league team and a little league team. With a well-established baseball culture, Taiwan has historically been dominant in these contests.

The Chinese team has competed internationally in the Asian Baseball Championship since 1985. This tournament is held every other year between the top national teams in Asia and not surprisingly has historically been dominated by Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. China's best performance to date came in 2005, when they finished third. 

In the 2006 World Baseball Classic, China competed in Pool A with Japan, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei. The Chinese team was soundly defeated by all three opponents, with two of the games ending early due to the mercy rule. They were outscored by a total of 40-6 and committed eight errors. 

Beijing hosted the final Olympic baseball tournament in 2008, allowing the Chinese team to compete in the tournament under the Olympic host's automatic qualification. The Chinese team's performance overall was not impressive, as they lost six of their seven games and were outscored 60-14. However, the other game was psychologically important for China, as they succeeded in defeating Chinese Taipei 5-4 in 12 innings.

In the 2009 World Baseball Classic, China seemed to show some marked improvement from 2006. Most impressively, they were able to repeat their Olympic feat and defeat Chinese Taipei 4-1, and although they lost 14-0 to South Korea, they lost to Japan by a more respectable score of 4-0. This represented a combined score of 22-4, with only four errors. Of course these numbers are all in small samples, but nevertheless they represent the kind of rapid improvement that China has demonstrated in many fields of endeavor. 

The China Baseball League

In 2002, a professional baseball league, the China Baseball League, was established with the participation of foreign businessmen. Consisting initially of four teams playing a one-month season, the league has since expanded to seven teams and the playing season has been lengthened.  Each team may include up to three foreign players.

Major League Baseball has been working hard to try to build up the game in China. MLB now runs two baseball academies in the country and has a program to introduce baseball into the athletic programs of 120 elementary schools. Several teams have signed contracts with Chinese players, but no Chinese player has yet reached the majors. Commentators have expressed the hope that China will sometime produce a baseball Yao Ming who can achieve prominence abroad and thereby build the popularity of the sport at home. But judging from the small numbers of Chinese who have made it into the minor leagues, it may be a while.

Nippon Professional Baseball has also been very active; it has partnered with the China Baseball League, each team in the CBL being assigned an NPB team as a sponsor. Under this arrangement, Japanese players may play in China, and Chinese teams may be able to train at Japanese facilities. It seems conceivable that this could at some point develop into a more formalised farm arrangement, with Chinese players being regularly recruited for NPB teams. 

Current Players and Outlook

Since there are no Chinese-born major league players and very few minor leaguers, the Chinese WBC team is pretty much composed of unknowns. In fact, even people who closely followed the 2009 squad would be unfamiliar with this year's roster, as only seven of the 2009 players are returning this year. However, there are a couple exceptions.

Former Oriole and current Royal Bruce Chen, a Panamanian of Chinese descent, was expected to play for China following Panama's failure to qualify, but has withdrawn in order to concentrate on spring training.

Ray Chang, a 29-year-old Chinese-American third baseman now in the Reds' organization, played last year at AAA Rochester, batting an unimpressive .241/.304/.271. Chang was China's best batter in the 2009 WBC, when he was 5 for 11 with the team's only home run.

Another returning player is Jiangang Lu, 34, a starter for the Tianjin Lions who recorded China's lone victory in the 2009 WBC by pitching 5.1 innings of one-run ball. Reliever Kun Chen, 32, recorded the save in the same game.

Catcher Wei Wang, 34, who played in 2006 but not 2009, hit the first home run of the World Baseball Classic against Japan.

China is slated to compete with Japan, Cuba, and Brazil. It's tough to imagine them advancing, and it will be challenging enough for them to win a game this year. Baseball in China certainly benefits from plenty of interest, determined effort, and great potential. International success will have to wait.

2013 World Baseball Classic: Canada

This is the second in a series to introduce everyone to teams participating in 2013's World Baseball Classic.  As this series progress, you will find all of the articles under this key world: 2013 World Baseball Classic.  Previously, we reviewed Previously, we reviewed Australia, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

The body of the Canada article was written by Chris Lindsay.

Canada
IBAF Ranking (out of 74)	6th
2013 Pool	USA
	Mexico
	Italy
2013 Players of Note	Russell Martin, C
	Joey Votto, 1B
	Justin Morneau, 1B
	Brett Lawrie, 3B
	Adam Loewen, OF
2009 Record	0 - 2, Round 1
2006 Record	1 - 2 2 - 1, Round 1

As everyone knows, in Canada ice hockey is king. But Canadians, like Americans and Australians, are an extremely sporting people, and play all sorts of sports. Baseball is very popular there and Canada has a long history with the game. 

In fact, baseball seems to have evolved almost in parallel in Canada and the US. Because both countries shared the British colonial heritage, traditional bat and ball games like rounders were played on both sides of the border. Although modern baseball as we know it evolved out of the games played around New York City in the early nineteenth century, it was very similar to games being played in Canada at the same time. The first documented playing of a game called 'baseball' was in Beachville, Ontario, in 1838, although as was usual for the era, the rules were quite different from the modern game. (The game featured five bases and eleven-man lineups, raising the question of whether they used a fourth outfielder or two shortstops along with a fourth baseman!) As the game evolved into the modern form we know today, Canadians quickly adopted it. Throughout the nineteenth century, baseball was played all over Canada and Canadians often played against US teams. 

For geographic, economic, and cultural reasons, Canada is closely linked with the US, and so Canadian baseball has always been closely linked with US baseball. Various amateur, independent, and minor league teams have always existed in Canada. The only major league teams based outside of the US have been the Montreal Expos (1969-2004) and the Toronto Blue Jays (1977-present). Surprisingly, there is currently only one minor league team, the Vancouver Canadians, the Short-Season A affiliate of the Blue Jays. But there are other independent and semi-professional leagues, so most Canadians can see adult baseball games in person without making the trek to Toronto or Vancouver. Also, a second Canadian team is in the mix as the Birmingham Binghamton Mets have been slated to move to Ottawa for the 2014 season.

Professional teams in Canada have historically suffered from two challenges. The first is climactic - even the southernmost cities in Canada can suffer from cold Aprils and Octobers, making a dome (and artificial turf) a necessity for a major league team. Through scheduling or endurance, minor and independent leagues make do with open fields. The second challenge has been financial, as the Canadian dollar was weaker than the US dollar for many years, making it difficult for the Expos and Blue Jays to compete with rising MLB payrolls. The Canadian dollar now trades at parity with the US, however, and at least for the moment the Blue Jays are once again a big payroll team after an offseason of big signings and trades.

In any event, regardless of the fortunes of professional teams, Canadians continue to follow and play baseball. Children all play baseball or softball in school and many play in youth leagues and amateur leagues. Thus there is a constant, though minor, presence of Canadians in MLB. Canada has produced a number of great players, including historic greats Tip O'Neill and Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins. More recently, Canadian stars have included Larry Walker, Matt Stairs, Jason Bay, Ryan Dempster, Justin Morneau, and Joey Votto. 

International Play History

Canada has seen some modest success in international baseball competitions. They won a bronze medal at the 2009 amateur Baseball World Cup, and placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics. 

Canada played in the first two World Baseball Classics, and its performance was disappointing, failing to advance out of the initial round in both tournaments. In 2006, the team went 1-2, with the lone victory coming against South Africa, and failed to advance to the second round. Then in 2009, Canada went 0-2.

I saw the 2009 team play in Toronto, which was a great experience. The first game of the pool was Canada against the US, and the Rogers Centre was nearly full for the event. There was clearly a large crowd of Americans who had made the trip up, but the majority of the crowd was Canadians, and very enthusiastic. Canada played decently. Joey Votto and Russell Martin had great days, and Jason Bay walked three times but couldn't get a hit, but Justin Morneau and the rest of the lineup were mostly ineffective. The crowd roared whenever Matt Stairs came to the plate, but in this game his trademark all-or-nothing swing produced nothing. In the end the Canadians kept it close the whole game but fell just short, losing 6-5. On the whole it was a very good game, as the Canadians had made a good showing against a superior team, but the crowd was clearly disappointed as it shuffled out of the Rogers Centre.

And they never shuffled back. For the rest of the week the stadium felt empty. Less than 13,000 showed up to see Canada play Italy, and the rest of the home crowd were probably wise to stay away. Morneau and Bay hit well, but the rest of the lineup went down in order inning after inning, baffled by Italian-American hurlers Chris Cooper and Jason Grilli. Meanwhile six Canadian pitchers combined to make Chris Denorfia look unstoppable, and every one of the Italian starting lineup reached base. Italy waltzed out with a 6-2 victory, and Canada was eliminated from the tournament with a whimper. 

Because they failed to win a game in 2009, Canada was forced to qualify for this year's tournament. In the qualifying round, played without major league players since it was held in September of last year, Canada easily trounced Germany and Britain to win their pool and qualify for the tournament.

Current Players 

The roster for this year's tournament, like in previous years, possesses a few bona fide major league stars, backed up by a host of journeymen and minor leaguers. 

Canada has no apparent ace starter. There is no word yet on whether Ryan Dempster will be available - he is apparently still weighing whether he wants to participate, but he did not play in 2006 or 2009. Former Oriole Erik Bedard is evidently unavailable because he will be competing for a roster spot in the Astros' spring training camp. Rich Harden appears to be in a similar position with a minor league contract with the Twins. If they fail to secure the services of any of those pitchers, Team Canada's most experienced major league starting pitcher will be Shawn Hill, who has made 44 starts in parts of seven seasons, most recently for the Blue Jays, with a career ERA of 4.69, WHIP of 1.44, and unremarkable strikeout and walk rates. They may also use minor leaguer starters Chris Leroux and Andrew Albers.

The Canadian bullpen should be quite effective, however, with several quality major league relievers including Phillippe Aumont, John Axford, Jesse Crain, and Jim Henderson.

The heart of the lineup is the trio of Justin Morneau, Joey Votto, and Russell Martin. After his disappointing 2012, Jason Bay is not participating.  Other major leaguers in the lineup include Brett Lawrie, Michael Saunders, and Pete Orr.

Morneau is famous as a great hitter, but in fact has not had a great season since his 2010 was cut short by concussion. Returning in 2011, he was plagued by neck and shoulder injuries and continued concussion symptoms. Last season he returned to everyday play, posting respectable numbers slightly below his career averages. 

Joey Votto is probably the greatest active Canadian hitter, but is not yet on the team's roster. He returned from knee surgery to play in September, but has not yet been cleared to play in the WBC. Votto and team officials maintain that his passing of an insurance physical should be a routine matter. Obviously if caution requires Votto to sit out the tournament it will be a big blow to Canada's prospects.

Russell Martin, though he is not the hitter he was in his early years with the Dodgers, has remained a productive player, compensating for a steady decline in OBP with increased slugging during his years in New York.

Brett Lawrie had an excellent debut as the Blue Jays' third baseman at the end of the 2011 season. Playing his first full season last year, Lawrie's numbers were respectable but not impressive. He just turned 23 last month, so he has plenty of potential left and should be an exciting player to watch.

Canada will compete in Pool D with the USA, Mexico, and Italy. On the whole, this year's team looks a lot like the 2009 team, and Canada's manager Ernie Whitt says that's a good thing. "The familiarity our players have with one another, and the coaching staff, will be beneficial in a short tournament like the World Baseball Classic."  Who knows: there's always a chance that this year it won't be so short for them.