Swedish Try-outs for MLB Europe Academy
On Saturday Swedish junior baseball players will be traveling to Leksand, in the northern province of Dalarna, to try out for this summer's MLB International Academy in Tirrenia, Italy.
Twenty-one players aged between 15 and 18 have been invited to take part. Coaches from MLB International will choose which will be given the opportunity to take part in the prestigious academy in August.
Last year two Swedes were invited to Italy.
Here's the way MLB International describes the academy:
The third-annual Major League Baseball European Academy will take place at the Italian Olympic Training Center in Tirrenia, Italy from August 8 – August 30.
With the 2007 European Academy, Major League Baseball is continuing its commitment to provide promising young players with the opportunity to reach their full potential. The Academy will bring together the brightest up-and-coming talents in Europe and Africa with the best in Major League coaching and instruction.
The Academy will consist of up to 55 players from Europe and Africa who are between 15 and 19 years old and are a part of their nation’s national team programs. A rigorous selection process will ensure that the best young players from the two continents attend the Academy.
Players will work for three-weeks in an intensive Major League training environment featuring skills instruction, strength and conditioning and a complete schedule of games. The program will be run by former Major League player and manager Jim Lefebvre who will head a topnotch staff featuring Bruce Hurst, Lee Smith, Barry Larkin and Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew.
Since 2005, 93 players from 19 European and African nations have attended the Academy with impressive results. 9 Academy players have signed professional contracts with Major League clubs, 8 players are now playing university baseball in the United States and many others have gone on to play significant roles in their domestic leagues and national teams.
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