Press Release Major League Baseball
Exhibition Games to Be Played from May 1st – 4th in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Major League Baseball has partnered with the Puerto Rico Scouts Association to host the Torneo de Excelencia Victor Pellot at the Sola Morales Stadium in Caguas, Puerto Rico from April 29th – May 4th. Seven teams composed of top amateur talent will compete in the 2013 Torneo de Excelencia.
The tournament will begin on April 29th, when MLB and Club officials will meet with players and their families to introduce them to the draft process. Former MLB player Carlos Delgado will also be on hand to speak to the players. Delgado played 17 years in the Major Leagues, and was a two-time American League All-Star (2000, 2003) who finished his career with a .280 batting average, 473 home runs, 1,512 RBI and a .383 on-base percentage. The Puerto Rican native played in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics, and in 2013, he served as the hitting coach for Team Puerto Rico, the runner-up in this year’s World Baseball Classic.
On April 30th, the players will engage in a workout in front of MLB and Club brass. The highly regarded amateurs will then compete in three games per day from May 1 – 4.
“We are excited to sponsor the Torneo de Excelencia in partnership with the Puerto Rico Scouts Association,” said Kim Ng, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball. “This tournament will bring together some of Puerto Rico’s most promising prospects, and we look forward to giving these players an opportunity to be seen by MLB and Club officials.”
While this is the first time the Torneo de Excelencia has been co-hosted by MLB, the event has been held annually and is historically regarded as one of the premier amateur baseball tournaments on the island. Past editions have featured top players, including 2012 First-Year Player Draft selections Carlos Correa (1st overall, HOU), the first Puerto Rican player ever selected with the top overall pick; Jesmuel Valentin (51st overall, LAD); and Wilfredo Rodriguez (228th overall, COL).
The Torneo de Excelencia is the latest in a series of showcases and tournaments of top amateur talent sponsored by MLB in the past year in Latin America. Previous showcases for MLB executives and scouts have been held in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
For more information on the tournament and to learn more about MLB in Puerto Rico, follow @MLB_PuertoRico on Twitter.
