Rangers Honor Adrian Beltre in Opening Their New Academy in Dominican Republic

The Rangers just bolstered their status on the Latin America stage.

After years of anticipation, their new academy in the Dominican Republic is finally complete. The new state-of-the-art facility includes new dorms, a new clubhouse, three full fields, a half field, and four batting cages.

The game field in the complex has a name Rangers' fans will cherish.

The game field at Rangers Academy will be known as Field 29. Adrian Beltré Field. His parents help unveil field name pic.twitter.com/SGXWBDxNSS
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) November 15, 2019

Many notable people were in attendance for the grand opening of the new academy, including Dominican president Danilo Medina. Members of Rangers ownership, general manager Jon Daniels and manager Chris Woodward were also present, along with Rangers players Ronald Guzman, Jose Leclerc, and Danny Santana.

The new academy should help the Rangers' ability to sign international free agents. Texas is very active in the international market. At one time, Texas boasted one of the better facilities in the Domincan Republic, but have fallen behind rapidly throughout the decade. It had been surpassed by more than half of teams in baseball.

A state-of-the-art facility that is on the same level as the Rangers' spring training facility is Surprise, Arizona should factor in as a selling point for potential international signings.

Notable Latin players the Rangers have signed from the international pool that are currently on the Rangers 40-man roster include Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor, Jose Leclerc, and Ronald Guzman.

As the Rangers continue to re-stock their farm system, upgrades to facilities can be overlooked by the casual fan. It's crucial to know how important player amenities are for potential signings. Even an uptick in the Rangers' status in Latin America could help sway higher quality prospects toward Texas.

Naming their game field after Adrian Beltre is fitting. Despite spending only a portion of his career with Texas, Beltre and the Rangers are synonymous with one another. Beltre is arguably the greatest Dominican-born player of all time and he spent the more seasons with Texas than any other team in his career.

Reminding the youthful Latin-born players that the Rangers have had one of the Dominican's best all-time players as a key part of their history is part of a great sales pitch. This helps the Rangers put an emphasis on their presence in Latin America.

The Rangers retired Beltre's number 29 as part of their farewell season in Globe Life Park. Now, they've honored him again in his home country.

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