Pedro's Home

The academies were closed today, so I decided to make a trek to Manuguayabo, a neighborhood west of Santo Domingo, and Pedro Martinez' childhood home. Martinez, currently a pitcher on the New York Mets, is probably the most beloved baseball player in the country right now. In addition to having won multiple Cy Young awards and a World Championship with the Boston Red Sox, Pedro has made it a priority to give back to the Dominican community that formed the player and, more importantly, the person he is today.

After two gua-gua (public bus) rides, and a short stint on the back of a motoconcho (motorcycle-like taxi...terrifying experience), I got to Parroquia Inmaculada Concepción de María, a church that Pedro helped construct with his own money. Although simple, it has 17 pews, it is packed every weekend, and has a prime spot on the main spot in town. I was able to talk to the church's coordinator, an elderly lady who knew Pedro when he was growing up in Manuguayabo. She could not stop singing his praise. She said that Pedro had always promised to build a church if he made it to the big leagues, and he followed through shortly after achieving his goal. Having obviously followed his career, she told me that the church was inaugurated in the mid-February 1998, right after Pedro won his first Cy Young with the Montreal Expos, and was subsequently traded to the Red Sox (as an aside, I had the opportunity to meet Pedro at the LA Dodgers Dominican academy that same off-season, and found him, from what I remember, to be a great guy, leaving his breakfast to talk to me).

She said that Pedro has been great for the community and everybody knows about the pitcher and his accomplishments. She also regaled me with stories about his youth; describing his as a troublemaker, but at the same time, a boy that worked hard in the farm and at baseball, knowing the committment it would take to achieve his goal. She constantly recognized the immense impact Pedro has made in the community and told me she hoped that another young boy would make it as far as Pedro soon, so that Manuguayabo could continue to grow. It was fascinating that she put so much hope in a baseball player to increase the prosperity of her town.

In addition to the church, Pedro bought the land for a nearby school, which was built in a partnership with the Japanese government. The school layout is simple, but seems very functional; three stories of clean classrooms with spotless walls (not the norm for Dominican schools). In back of the school, Pedro has begun to fund the construction of a massive baseball stadium. While it seems that the construction has stalled, a lot of people I talked to were excited about the possibility of their very own baseball venue.

I also stopped by Pedro's finca (farm). He has converted his childhood home into an extravagant residence. Although no one was home, the guard allowed me to walk around the premises (I continue to be amazed that almost everyone in this country gives me full access to everything). There were three different houses, a beautiful pool, and a patio that overlooked the forest. Yet, it is evident that Pedro's newly extravagant dwellings have not changed him as a person; he continues to help neighbors. The chuch coordinator told me that friends and neighbors constantly ask him for help rebuilding homes, funding surgeries, and putting their kids through school. He always obliges.

While most of my research on this project will center on the work that Major League teams can do to promote community development, my trip to Manuguayabo demonstrated that players, with their multi-million dollar annual salaries, can make just as much of a difference. Indeed, players are revered throughout the country; everybody in the town could tell me just where Pedro's church was and where he lived, and Albert Pujols appears in Coke advertisements throughout the city. Raul Mondesi, a former ballplayer, appears in an ad for the President in his hometown of San Cristobal, and I talked to a person in Boca Chica today who said that the LA Dodgers are his new favorite team, because Dominican Manny Ramirez was just traded to them.

Because of their salaries and notoriety, Dominican players can make a huge difference in their communities. Some, like Pedro and Angels slugger Vladamir Guerrero, have made a true committment by building sustainable infrastructures in their home communities. Others however, seem to only help on the surfact, like Sammy Sosa, who gives away presents but does not seem interested in more. It was inspiring, however, to see the great work that Pedro has done with the millions he has earned through professional baseball. It is an example of basebally truly helping a community to develop into a better place.