The Colorado Rockies' Cultural Education & Development Program helps Latin American players succeed in the U.S. through a structured 20-week curriculum focused on language, cultural development, and personal growth. The program includes classes, workshops, and community outreach, emphasizing personal relationships with players.
Key points
Program helps Latin American players succeed in the U.S.
20-week curriculum includes language and cultural education.
Players graded on various performance metrics.
Workshops and community outreach enhance learning.
Offseason support includes home visits and family engagement.
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 19, 2022: Carlos Estevez #54 and Elehuris Montero #44 of the Colorado Rockies following the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on August 19, 2022 in Denver, Colorado.(Photo by Harrison Barden/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images) | Getty Images
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 19, 2022: Carlos Estevez #54 and Elehuris Montero #44 of the Colorado Rockies following the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on August 19, 2022 in Denver, Colorado.(Photo by Harrison Barden/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last week, I gave you some background on the Rockies’ Cultural Education & Development Program. This week, I’m going to follow up by providing some insight into the curriculum. Specifically, I will detail the program in the Dominican Academy and the Dominican Summer League since those are the most intensive programs.
The focus is on helping players from Latin America gain skills that will allow them to be successful in the US on and off the field.
**Basic Structure**
Classes run for 20 weeks, which is a little longer than a traditional high school or college semester (those are 15-16 weeks). It is broken down into six different units that are taught by Angel Amparo, Julio Medina, or a combination of the two:
Weeks 3 & 4: Introduction to Computers, Dawere Accelerated High School Program & Classroom Assignments
Weeks 5-9: English 101, Intermediate & Advanced ESL
Q&A
What is the structure of the Rockies' Cultural Education & Development Program?
The program runs for 20 weeks and includes six units covering topics like English, cultural development, and critical thinking, with classes held Monday through Friday.
How do the Rockies evaluate players in their education program?
Players are graded on journals, personal improvement plans, quizzes, tests, projects, homework, and attendance, with specific percentages assigned to each category.
What additional opportunities do Rockies players have in the education program?
In addition to formal classes, players participate in professional development workshops, community outreach programs, and receive personalized feedback through exit interviews.
How does the Rockies' program support players during the offseason?
During the offseason, the Rockies conduct home visits to check on players' progress and maintain personal connections with their families.
Related Articles
Sports
FREE STREAM! Carra and Brundle preview Sky Sports' Big Weekend
Jamie Carragher and Martin Brundle preview Sky Sports' Big Weekend, highlighting key events including Premier League matches, the Miami GP, Women's Super League, Madrid Open tennis, and PGA Tour golf.
Sky Sports··1 min read
Sports
Kane needs 'Ballon d'Or moment' with Bayern or England to define his legacy
Harry Kane's 33 goals this season highlight his impact at Bayern Munich.
Sky Sports··1 min read
Sports
Chris Simms out of NBC's 'SNF' NFL coverage after Mike Tomlin hire
Yahoo Sports·
Sports
Deshaun Watson Browns report is bad news for Shedeur Sanders
Yahoo Sports·
Sports
Blachowicz and Horn shutout Illinois to give Nebraska series win
Yahoo Sports·
Sports
Ha-Seong Kim set to begin rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus Clingstones
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Weeks 10-14: Cultural Development 101
Weeks 15-17: Critical Thinking 101
Weeks 18-20: Math 101 & Off-Season Planning
“We have classes Monday through Friday from 4-7,” Angel Ampardo explained. “We do smaller groups, no more than 15 players, just to have better control. And we have office hours so they can come and see us for one-on-one attention.
“(The syllabus) shows you what we’re going to do, what’s required, a brief description of what we do and the goals and just the basic English structure,” he continued. “But then here, you see things like learning leadership, planning self-discipline skills and some of the resources and websites that we use. We have a classroom and a computer lab area, too. We also grade them.”
Players are graded on the following:
Journals (10%)
Completion and Effective Demonstration of Personal Improvement Plan (45%)
Based on Rockies Evaluation Matrix
Quizzes, Tests and Projects (30%)
Homework (10%)
Punctual Attendance (5%)
In addition to formal classroom lessons, the players also participate in other educational opportunities.
“I throw in professional development workshops,” Amparo said. “(Last) week, we had a workshop about interview processes and how to handle the press. That (was) on Monday, and the following Wednesday, we have a financial planning workshop. I throw in a lot of personal workshops. I have facilitators that I’ve worked with for years that are good at what they do that I get in contact with and have them come in to do specialized workshops and trainings with the players. We also have several community outreach programs and projects that we do throughout the season.”
And at the end of the season, the Rockies conduct exit interviews with the players.
“We tell them what their offseason plan is and what we want them to work on during the offseason,” Amparo said. “We get their feedback, too. We do anonymous surveys. What did you like about this season? What classes were good? What didn’t you like? What do you want to add? Because we want this to be interactive.
“We want to add stuff that they like,” he continued, “hence why chess came into it, then a video game tournament came into it and a domino tournament. So we get their feedback, and then we review it during the offseason, and then we modify the syllabus based on what we think would benefit them.”
**No Offseason**
During the offseason, the Rockies also keep tabs on the players.
“In the offseason, players are home, so if I’m not in Arizona or Denver, we do home visits as well for the players,” Amparo said. “We visit them, we talk to their parents and loved ones, just to let them know how they’re progressing. It helps them put a face to a name to tell them what our role is and just to let parents know that there’s a more personal connection.”
Amparo stressed that this comes from the Rockies’ emphasis on getting to know the players as individuals.
“I’ll never forget what I was told by my boss during my interview. He was like, ‘Look, focus on creating genuine and authentic relationships with the players. If you put the players’ needs first, always, you’ll do a good job. I guarantee it,’” he said. “He said it’s a lot of work – ‘I’m not going to lie to you, you’ve got to dive in head first. But it’ll be the most rewarding work that you’ll do.’ And I’ve never forgotten that interview. So I like the fact that players can come to me with their personal problems or something like that. I enjoy that role, if I can provide some sort of guidance or direction.”
**A Work in Progress**
This program has been in place for 14 years, and has evolved with changing needs.
“I remember my first day of work,” Amparo said. “I went with a suit and tie with a briefcase, and I had this plan of what I wanted to do because I’ve taught before at a university level and in high schools. But when I got there on my first day, I was like ‘Oh no, this is not going to work.’
“So I did a lot of observing in that first season at all levels,” he continued. “And after all of the observing and the feedback that I received, I said ‘Okay, let’s build a syllabus, a curriculum and lessons based on these pillars here that we feel are important.’ And it’s been going like that for years.”
Every year, the Rockies modify their lessons based on feedback from players as to what was most beneficial to them as well as adjusting the projects and activities to accommodate the world landscape.
“It’s changed so much now,” Amparo said.
“I was told ‘You probably won’t see the fruits of your success for about six or seven years.’ And since I’ve been here so long, I find players who have made it – who signed with us and couldn’t speak a lick of English – who are now playing at the major-league level. But even the ones who didn’t make the majors, but had this good work ethic and are now working as international crosscheckers or hitting coordinators or scouts or pitching coordinators… Those are success stories to me because these are all the kids who came through our program here. They played baseball for a few years and didn’t make it to the majors, but they’re still involved with the sport that they love.
“And those are the ones I can use with new players,” he continued. “I can show you [Ezequiel] Tovar’s first interview with us here in the DSL and look where he is now. He’s been in the league for eight years now, and now I can show tangible proof that this works if you put in the effort. Obviously, I don’t want to discourage them and say, ‘Even if you don’t make it to the majors…’ I never say that to them, but they know if they don’t make it to the majors, they can still have a career and a life in baseball. So this is tangible proof that I can show them.”
Amparo also likes to call players back who have graduated from the program to talk to the players currently in the program. He’s brought back Tovar, Carlos Estévez, and others to be interviewed and share their stories about how they signed and their career trajectories. He likes to implement tangible interactions to motivate the students, and that’s the biggest way that things have evolved and continue to evolve.
**Coming Up Next**
Next week, I will share the stories of some players who spent time in the program in various stages. Stay tuned!
**Triple-A:** Albuquerque Isotopes 8, Sacramento River Cats 6
In a back-and-forth affair, the Isotopes ended up topping the River Cats 8-6. The Topes jumped out to an early 4-0 lead on a homer by Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP) in the second, followed by a double from Nic Kent, single from Drew Avans and sac fly from Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) in the third. However, they then gave up three runs in the third and fourth. They gave up another in the sixth on a ground-rule double to tie the game. In the ninth, though, they scored four more runs to put themselves up 8-4. They bent to give up two more runs in the bottom on a two-run shot by Bryce Eldridge, but still came out victorious. Welinton Herrera (No. 17 PuRP) ended up getting the win, as he pitched two scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
The Isotopes return home to face the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres) next.
**Double-A:** Portland Sea Dogs 3, Hartford Yard Goats 2
While the Yard Goats scored two runs, they did not record a single hit against the Red Sox Double-A team. Both runs were scored in the third inning, where Jose Torres led off with a walk. Zach Kokoska and GJ Hill popped and lined out, and then Torres stole second. Dyan Jorge walked, and Torres stole third. Then, Andy Perez reached on a fielding error to score both Torres and Jorge, but Braylen Wimmer struck out on a foul tip to end the inning. In total, the Yard Goats ended up walking five times and striking out 12.
On the pitching side, it was Cade Denton who blew the save by giving up a two-run homer to Nate Baez in the the sixth to tie the game. The third run was scored in the eighth, though, after Carlos Torres recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Max Ferguson and Nate Baez to lead the inning off. But then Brooks Bannon walked and stole second, but then Ronald Rosario singled to score Bannon before Nelly Taylor struck out looking to end the inning.
The Yard Goats return home to play the Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies) again. They went 2-4 in their last series in Reading three weeks ago.
**High-A:** Spokane Indians 7, Everett AquaSox 6
The Indians got the scoring going early and never looked back. Tevin Tucker led off the ballgame with a double and then stole third base, which allowed him to score on a wild pitch. Jocob Hinderleider struck out swinging, but then back-to-back baserunners set up Kelvin Hidalgo for a three-run homer to put the Indians up 4-0 in the first inning.
In the fourth, Roynier Hernandez hit his own solo shot to put them up 5-0. The AquaSox finally struck back in the bottom of the inning, as Luis Suisbel and Axel Sanchez led off with back-to-back hits off Yujanyer Herrera. Anthony Donofrio singled to score Suisbel and make the score 5-1. The AquaSox scored two more runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh to make it a one-run game. But the Indians gave themselves some insurance with a Robert Calaz triple to score Kelvin Hidalgo, who reahced on a fielding error right before him.
The AquaSox scored another run in the eighth and tied it in the ninth on a lead-off Brandon Eike homer, but Tommy Hopfe doubled in the tenth to snatch the victory for the Indians. In total, the Indians walked four times and struck out nine; the AquaSox walked 11 times and struck out 15.
The Indians have *two* off days, and will head to Eugene to play the Emeralds (Giants) starting on Wednesday. To fit in a full six-game series, they are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday.
**Single-A:** Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 7, Fresno Grizzlies 2 | Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6, Fresno Grizzlies 0
Like their major league brethren, the Fresno Grizzlies played a doubleheader today. Unfortunately, they were on the losing end of a sweep.
Their first game was a make-up of a suspended game from Saturday, where they ultimately lost 7-2. They got the scoring going early when Cameron Nelson led off with a solo home run. But the Quakes singled, reached on an error and walked to set up a two-RBI single by Marlon Quintero in the second. Two batters later, Hayden Alvarez singled to score two more Quakes and three batters after *that,* Lucas Ramirez singled to score two more and drive up the score 6-1. That’s when things were suspended on Saturday night. When the game resumed, it was a pretty uneventful game. In the bottom of the fourth, Derek Bernard homered to tack on another Grizzlies’ run. The final run was scored in eighth, when Anyelo Marquez hit a homer of his own.
In the second game, Rancho Cucamongs kicked things off in the first. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings, and tacked on three more in the seventh. They completely blanked the Grizzlies, who were held to just three hits — a Clayton Gray double in the first, a Luis Mendez single in the fifth, and an Ethan Holliday (No. 2 PuRP) triple in the sixth.
They will head back on the road to face the Stockton Ports (Athletics) next.
Rockies’ Mickey Moniak channels Ted Williams, thanks to his grandfather | Denver Post ($)
Patrick Saunders wrote a wonderful profile on Mickey Moniak and his grandfather, Bill, who was coached by Ted Williams during his minor league days. Mickey, Bill and Matt (dad) all share stories of how their mutual love of baseball has connected them throughout the years, and how Mickey leaned on them during his early career struggles with the Phillies before having breakout years with the Rockies.
Rockies Making Early Case For Multiple All-Star Selections | Sports Illustrated
The All-Star Game isn’t for another 2.5 months, but folks are already starting to make way-too-early cases for players. In this case, SI makes the potential cases for eight players who might be deserving after the Rockies have only had one representative in each Midsummer Classic since 2021. How many players will the Rockies send to Philadelphia this year?