Coastal Baseball Classic PreviewBy Carter Cromwell

Yes, it may be wintertime, but one can still find baseball in the northern hemisphere . . . After a 12-year hiatus, the Coastal Baseball Classic is back in Houston.

And exactly what is that, one might ask?

To that, one would answer that it’s a tournament scheduled for Jan. 9-10, 2021 at Coastal Baseball Park, matching teams representing six Latin American countries or territories – Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

But wait – there’s more. All of the players on each 22-man roster reside in the Houston area.

Yep . . . A player is eligible to participate on a Coastal Baseball Classic team if:

• • The player is a citizen of the nation the team represents
• • The player is a permanent legal resident of the nation or territory the team represents
• • The player was born in the nation or territory the team represents
• • The player has a parent who is or, if deceased, was a citizen of the nation the team represents
• • The player has one parent who was born in the nation or territory the team represents

  The first Coastal Baseball Classic was played in November 2008, and Team Mexico went 4-0 over the two days to claim the title. Just four teams – Mexico, Venezuela, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic – participated then. The addition of two teams this year owes to the growth of the Latin American population in the Houston area. “All the players live in the Houston area,” confirmed Andrew Dunn, who heads up the Coastal Baseball League and oversees the tournament. “The teams will have a mix of pros, ex-pros, guys who play in men’s leagues and more. There is no age limit.

  “I know a lot of these guys, and they’re really excited about it,” Dunn added. “Because of all the Covid-related restrictions, you can’t do much these days, and you certainly can’t travel.”

  Bill Rogan, a play-by-play announcer in the minor leagues earlier in his career, called all the Pecos League games at Coastal Baseball Park in 2020 and will be back at the microphone for this tournament.

  “It will be fun to broadcast games in January. I’ve never done that,” said Rogan, who lives in Colorado. “I’m looking forward to it. For me, it will be a vacation from the cold, and it will be easier to do because both fields will be usable – only one was available back in the summer.

  “Most of these guys are pretty experienced players, and a lot have played at fairly high levels, so the tournament should be really competitive,” said Rogan, whose play-by-play will be streamed over the Internet along with video.

  The Puerto Rico team, for example, will have players such as infielders Alex Cintron and Edwin Maysonet. Cintron appeared in nine major league seasons with Arizona, Baltimore, Washington and the Chicago White Sox, while Maysonet played for Houston and Milwaukee.

  In addition, a number of the participants have had past minor-league experience, and some are current minor leaguers doing what they can to stay in baseball shape during the Covid-19 pandemic. The brothers of major leaguers Jose Altuve (Houston) and Rougned Odor (Texas) are expected to play for Venezuela.

  “We’re all really excited about this,” said Angel Romero, who is slated to be player/coach for Puerto Rico. “The games should be very competitive. Plus, it’s just fun to get all the guys together, especially since the pandemic has restricted a lot of normal activities.”

  Jordan Alvarado, who will manage the Mexico team, agreed. “We’ll try to have fun and be safe at the same time. We’re lucky to have this tournament. Public parks in the Houston area are closed because of Covid, so a lot of the adult leagues haven’t been able to play.” The Coastal Baseball Park is able to host the tourney because it is privately owned.

  Pedro Rivera, who is helping put together the Venezuela roster and will also coach, said, “We haven’t had this tournament in a long time, so it’s exciting to revive it. I’ve heard a lot of buzz about it from the guys I talk with. I hope we can continue it on an annual basis.”

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  For more information visit Coastal Baseball LLC. http://www.CoastalBaseball.com 713-898-1874