Kansas City Royals Set to Open New Baseball Academy
Opening a baseball academy is nothing new to the Kansas City Royals. They are set to open a new academy in downtown Kansas City, the ninth complex throughout the country geared towards MLB’s urban outreach program.
The Kansas City Royals know a thing or two about building a baseball academy. Back in the early days of the franchise, they built their famed Royals Baseball Academy in Florida, taking great athletes and teaching them how to play the game of baseball. Players such as Frank White, Ron Washington, U.L. Washington, and U.L. Washington’s toothpick emerged from the academy in its four years of existence before being shut down in 1974.
The academy may have closed down decades ago, but its legacy lives on. It helped serve as a model for the Latin America academies that are prevalent in the game these days. The complex is still used to this day, with the Baltimore Orioles using it for their minor league players.
Given the Royals history in regards to building a baseball compound, it should not be a surprise that they would put together an impressive complex as part of the MLB urban outreach program. They certainly have done just that, as the ninth MLB sponsored facility is set to open in full next year.
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Taking up 20 acres in downtown Kansas City in the 18th and Vine Jazz district, this academy is set to be the most ambitious yet. There are going to be four outdoor fields; two regulation sized baseball diamonds, a Little League field, and a softball field. There will also be an indoor facility that will have an indoor stadium, batting and pitching cages, and administrative offices. Classrooms in the complex will offer courses in sports writing, umpiring, groundskeeping, and more, as they also teach the children about the business side of the game. The best part of the facility is that it will be completely free to kids six to 18, as MLB looks to reach out to the youth, growing the future of the game.
This complex, and the others going up around the country, could have long term results. Not only will a new generation of children grow up with an appreciation of the game, but major league players could develop from these academies. It worked for the Royals in the early 1970s, and there is no reason why some of these kids could not do the same.
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The Kansas City Royals and MLB have built the most ambitious urban youth academy thus far, set to fully open next year. It could have quite the impact upon the game in the future.