The baseball is a sport with a long history in Argentina. The Metropolitan League was born in 1957, the same year in which the men’s national team played the first edition of the South American Championship. Two years later, he would win the first of his seven titles in that tournament. But already in the mid-1920s there was a national association of this sport in the country. The work, dedication and commitment of Argentine players, coaches and managers have made the sport grow. And the great first participation of Gaucho in a Pre-world classicin early October, in Panama, it was the result of this process.
But today the blue and white baseball it is not just a national product. In recent years it has received a huge boost with the arrival in Argentina of many players and coaches from various Latin American countries, especially from Venezuela-, That with their experience they have favored an improvement in the level of play and the quality of the players. And although that impact has been seen on all levels, in the lower divisions it has become more evident.
“The growth process has accelerated. There has been a noticeable increase in the level of competition in all categories, basically in the under 18s. And when you are placed in a higher level of competition, the level rises because you have to face better players Today the bar is high in children, because there are kids who play really well and the Argentine, if he wants to be at the level, must train more “, he commented in chat with Clarino Roberto Braccinipresident of the Baseball Subcommittee of Daom.
“Historically the minor categories were more formative, the boy learned by playing. The situation started to change from 2015, when some clubs focused on the base of the pyramid, hiring foreign coaches for the little ones. Many came with their families. and they brought their children, who were already playing baseball, “says the leader.
And he concludes: “These new coaches who have begun to pass on their knowledge and the arrival of young people have produced a change in the vision of sport, in the minor categories, where from 8 years onwards we see an important competition”.
The latest wave of Venezuelan migration, which began in 2016 and culminated in 2018 (between January and August of the same year, over 54,000 people entered Argentina), the number of players from that country in Argentine baseball increased significantly. If we talk about the minor divisions (Under 10, 12, 15 and 18, the boys of that nationality represent 33.82 per cent of the 414 federated entered the Metropolitan League for this season.
Daom, one of the most important clubs in the country and one of the most emblematic of Buenos Aires, is the one that has the most Venezuelans in its teams. In addition, their teams under 10 and under 12 they are made up entirely of children from that country. In Sub 15 there are almost double the Argentines (21 against 11) and in Sub 18 there are 7 nationals and 9 Venezuelans.
Iron, another of the greats of national baseball, also has many Venezuelans in his ranks. A 40 percent of the boys who play in the Caballito institute were born in that country: there are seven in Sub 10 and Sub 12, 14 in Sub 15 and five in Sub 18.
Paolo Agaripresident of the baseball commission of that club, agrees with Braccini and explains why the incursion of the Venezuelan boys has accelerated the growth of the Argentines.
“In Venezuela they start playing in public spaces with their parents, brother, uncle or grandfather. The family teaches the boy to play baseball and if they see that he has a certain level they take him to play on a team. different. We do the training from scratch. The guy who approaches baseball basically does it because he hasn’t found his place in football. He starts to venture into alternative sports and that’s how he comes to our sport. He comes without knowing almost anything“, commented.
“Baseball is a rather complicated sport to understand, with a different dynamic than football, basketball or handball. Venezuelan boys come with experience. When they debut in Sub 10, they already know how to play, because they experience it differently from an early age. Interaction with children who know sport accelerates the learning process of Argentinesbecause it no longer passes only through the explanation of the coach or the teacher, but they can visualize the sport from practical experience with their teammates “, he continued.
Sergio Spain is Venezuelan, arrived in Argentina six years ago and plays Communications. Between 2016 and 2020 he was the youth coach of that club, which today has only six of his compatriots in the youth categories (all under 10), although a few years ago he had many more.
With over 15 years of experience as a teacher, he ensured that the difference in level between the children of his country and the Argentines is seen above all among the youngest, for a cultural reason.
“In Venezuela, at the age of two or three, the child already has a club, a glove and a ball in his hand. And at four they are already competing. It is something similar to what happens here with football. In Argentina, it’s different with baseball. I have been working in Communication for six years and I see that only when they are four or five years old – some even at 11 – do they start with this sport, generally focusing more on the recreational one. At that age, Venezuelans already know how to play, because it’s in their blood, “she explained.
Spain recognizes that there is a natural quality of Argentines that makes that difference in level with the players of their country disappear as they move up the category.
“Argentine children are great athletes. They understand the rules of the game very well, they learn very quickly and from an early age it is obvious that they are good athletes. They have the ability to move well and have instilled fine motor activity. And that makes it a little easier to teach them baseball. Even for that the level of Argentines has grown a lot with the arrival of foreigners. Because when they play with Venezuelan children from an early age, they learn faster and when they see that others have another level, they want to improve “, she analyzed.
The reality is clear: the incorporation of the Venezuelan boys has raised the competition in the championship, accelerated the growth process and determined an improvement in the general level of the teams of the minor categories. But, thinking about the future, Will it have a positive impact on the Argentine team?
“I think so. That upgrade and technical preparation at a young age, with experienced foreign coaches, will generate a push that will bring our sport closer to the inclusion of an Argentine in the Major League system, as well as basketball with Manu Ginobili. And the boys will arrive with another level and another experience to the chosen one “, assured Braccini.
Although he stressed: “We still need to work on launchers. Without launchers that launch beyond 90 mph, we won’t make the necessary leap. And for that we need a project that works with all of the age, which still does not exist in Argentina “.
Spain completed the idea: “Today there is a high level between 10 and 16 and certainly many of these children will come to play on the Argentine national team. Maybe some Venezuelans too, because with everything that happened this year with Argentina playing World Classic qualifiers, I think many parents will think of nationalizing their children to give them the opportunity to play for that team in the future.
We will have to wait several years to see if that prediction will come true.
Source: Clarin
