Baseball In Brazil

A few years ago I ran a article on my blog about the Tampa Bay Rays setting up a baseball academy in a small town of Ibiuna thats right outside of Sao Paulo. Back in Feburary of the this year Major League Baseball hosted an one week elite camp in Brazil to find fifty of Brazil's best baseball players. Among the exMLB players that where to help coach included:

• Elias Sosa – Pitching Coach

He played in MLB from 1972 to 1983 with San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Diego

• Barry Larkin – Infield Coach

He played in MLB from 1986 to 2004 with Cincinnati

• Bob Didier – Catchers Coach

He played in MLB from 1969 to 1974 with Atlanta, Detroit and Boston

• Bruce Hurst – Pitching Coach

He played in MLB from 1980 to 1994 with Boston and San Diego.

• Wally Joyner – Batting Coach

He played in MLB from 1986 to 2001 with California, Kansas City, San Diego and Atlanta.

Just recently The 3rd Annual Brazilian University Baseball and Softball Championships got underway this past weekend in Ibiúna, São Paulo, at the Yakult baseball facility. 25 baseball teams and 7 softball teams are participating in this year’s championships, which has definitely grown in size and reach, given a number of teams are now coming from of areas outside of São Paulo state, including from such states as Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul.


The championships are played in 4 rounds over the following 3 months, so the next round is Sept. 17-18 in Ibiúna, then Oct. 22-23 in Ibiúna, and the finals being in Mie Nishe Stadium in São Paulo Nov. 5-6.

The championships are organized by the Confederação Brasileira de Beisebol e Softbol Universitário, or CBBSU, which is a bit of an offshoot from the Brazilian Olympic Committee-sanctioned Confederação Brasileira de Beisebol e Softbol, or CBBS. More information and results of the championships can be found on the CBBSU and CBBS websites.

I am hoping one day that a brazillian player will become a major league player. The only brazillian that came close is Anderson Gomes that played in the minor leagues for the Whitesox. He played from 2006-08. He played the outfield.

Brazil has an untapped resource of athletes that any MLB team can benefit from especially the Cardinals.