Thread: With whom do young international signings live?

With whom do international signings live the first few years they are playing in the minors? Some of these kids are 16 years old. Does the team pay for the prospects parents to immigrate to the U.S.? Does the prospect live with a coach for a season? Is someone hired to "chaperone" the kid? On a similar note how do the road trips work? When the team is on a road trip does the kid have a chaperone there? Are there restrictions on how these young kids can spend their free time? Who teaches the life skills the prospects will need to flourish as an adult? Inquiring minds want to know if anyone has insights

Fort Myers has a facility where these kids live right away, and in the offseason. I would imagine Beloit and NB have living arrangements like apartments or hotels for the players when they are at home. The Twins also try to do a good job getting these kids an education. There are articles and such through their home website I'm sure.

A lot of the international players from south and central America that sign at 16 spend a couple of years in the Dominican Summer League where the Twins have an "academy." THey have dorms, feed them, teach them baseball and English, stuff like that. Once the players come to the States, in spring training and in the GCL, they stay at a team hotel pretty much. In Elizabethton, they will typically live with a host family. Occasionally, a few guys will split an apartment, but these guys get paid nothing. In Beloit, most live with host families. Not sure if there are any host families or anything like that once they get to Ft. Myers (although I assume the hotel is still an option?).

Thanks for the answers guys. I was looking at Kepler's stats and suddenly was struck with the thought of how difficult his first year must have been. I knew about the DSL and the academy there but for Max that wasn't an option (or for any other prospect in GCL). I know I wasn't ready to be living on my own at 16. I would have been surviving on pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches. And while I had a firm grasp on how money worked I certainly wasn't ready to be in charge of my own bigger picture finances. Do you know if any actual life skills are taught to these guys? Or really any of the incoming prospects regardless of age? It seems that teaching your future players about nutrition, some finance basics and how to avoid STD's makes good long term business sense.

Kepler is a different case for sure but IIRC he enrolled in HS and I think his parents even moved (not sure about the last one).

Seth you'd probably know more than I would. I always thought they had a dorm type thing in Fort Myers?

Originally Posted by kab21

Kepler is a different case for sure but IIRC he enrolled in HS and I think his parents even moved (not sure about the last one).

After signing, Kepler and his Mom moved to Fort Myers in September. He enrolled at the high school across the street from the Twins complex and began his career in EST. The next spring he was in spring training followed by a summer in the GCL. I am not certain how long his Mom stayed in Florida, however, I don't believe she was in Elizabethton in 2011.

Originally Posted by Badsmerf

Seth you'd probably know more than I would. I always thought they had a dorm type thing in Fort Myers?

No. The Red Sox got one with their new ballpark a few miles away. It is one of the things the Twins are working at getting out of a new agreement with Lee County that Bill Smith is working on.