USSSA and ABR staff traveled to Barcelona, Spain to conduct a three day player development clinic September 2nd-4th. The event was held at the Barcelona Olympic Baseball Stadium and marked the 20th anniversary of the Barcelona Olympics thus gaining tremendous international recognition.
The ABR/USSSA Player Development clinic served as a development program for Spanish baseball players from around the country and was hosted by former MLB players including:
- Jeffrey Hammonds (12 year MLB veteran, 2000 NL All-Star) 1992 Olympian – Barcelona
- Charles Johnson (11 year MLB veteran, 2× All-Star selection, World Series champion, 4× Gold Glove Award winner )
- Michael Tucker (11 year MLB veteran, 1992 Olympian-Barcelona)
- Luis Alicea (14 year MLB veteran, 3 year MLB coach, World Series Champion)
- DJ Wabick (Mets AA All-Star, NCAA DI All-American)
- Davide Dallospedale (2 x time Olympian and 2 x World Baseball Classic for Italy)
- Andrea D’Auria (General Manager of the Italian professional baseball league, USSSA International Director-International
Each day of the clinic was broken into two parts. The mornings consisted of base running and defense, which was led by the MLB players at their primary positions. The group then broke for lunch and returned in the afternoon for the offensive routine. During the offensive portion of the clinic, each player took part in multiple hitting stations which were geared towards specific fundamental flaws that were discovered by the ABR development staff.
USSSA/ABR has made a major push to help develop baseball on an international level. It is this push that has led to numerous baseball development opportunities around the world. The goal of all these opportunities is the reinstatement of baseball back into the Olympics.
“Teaching baseball in Barcelona was one of the best experiences of my entire life. I was fortunate enough to go to a developing baseball country with former major league players such as Luis Alicea, Jeffrey Hammonds, Charles Johnson, and Michael Tucker. We were able to combine all of our knowledge and experiences and teach a country of players all about the different aspect of the game we love. It was an honor to be asked to go over there and an experience that I will never forget. I cannot wait to go back and continue where we left off.” – DJ Wabick (ABR Player Development Staff)
About USSSA:
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), headquartered in Osceola County, Florida, USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA News!