The Colorado Rockies players share insights from their Cultural Education & Development Program, which aids non-English-speaking players in adapting to American culture and language. Notable alumni include Antonio Senzatela, Juan Mejia, and Ezequiel Tovar, who highlight the program's positive impact on their personal and professional growth.
Key points
The Rockies' program aids non-English-speaking players.
Antonio Senzatela, Juan Mejia, and Ezequiel Tovar are program graduates.
Players learn cultural lessons and baseball terminology.
Teaching methods include apps, quizzes, and creative projects.
Mentioned in this story
VenezuelaDominican Republic
Colorado RockiesAntonio SenzatelaJuan MejiaEzequiel Tovar
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 06: Antonio Senzatela #49 of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 6, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 06: Antonio Senzatela #49 of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 6, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
*This is the fifth installment in Purple Row’s series on the Colorado Rockies Cultural Education & Development Program. So far, I have written about* *what the program does**,* *its curriculum**, and* *its origins**. Yesterday, Renee Dechert wrote a* *profile* *on one of the English teachers, and this week we’ll continue exploring how the Rockies help non-English-speaking players develop their language skills.*
As we’ve discussed over the last few weeks, the Colorado Rockies have been at the forefront of English education around Major League Baseball. It all started because Josh Rosenthal had a vision after returning from the Peace Corps, and he and Angel Amparo have turned that vision into a reality that set the standard for all 30 clubs.
The Rockies currently have five players from Latin America on their active roster, and three of them graduated from the Cultural Education & Development Program – Antonio Senzatela, and . Here’s how they described their experiences.
Q&A
What is the Cultural Education & Development Program of the Colorado Rockies?
The Cultural Education & Development Program helps non-English-speaking players improve their language skills and adapt to American culture.
Which Colorado Rockies players graduated from the Cultural Education & Development Program?
Antonio Senzatela, Juan Mejia, and Ezequiel Tovar are notable graduates of the program.
How did the Cultural Education & Development Program impact players like Antonio Senzatela?
Senzatela credits the program for teaching him important cultural lessons and baseball terminology that have been beneficial throughout his career.
What methods are used in the Rockies' Cultural Education & Development Program to teach English?
The program employs various methods, including apps like Duolingo, quizzes, and creative projects like advertisements to enhance language learning.
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Senzatela was one of the original students in the program, having been signed out of Valencia, Venezuela, in 2011. He was assigned to the DSL Rockies the following year and came stateside in 2013. Since he was around in the early goings, he had a lot more experience with Rosenthal than Amparo.
“It was really good,” Senzatela said of his experience. “Josh was an amazing person. He’s a different personality. He liked to teach us how to be a good person and how to engage in American culture when we’re just kids. And it was really fun and really nice to have him.”
And the lessons he learned have stuck with him throughout his career.
“In our country, we don’t have a lot of things. It’s different,” he said. “Here you have to be more quiet and more careful with things you say and stuff like that. He taught us that and a couple of English words, especially more on the baseball-wise because at least we have to know baseball terms. And it’s really nice, and it was perfect for me.”
Ezequiel Tovar and Juan Mejia
Tovar and Mejia were both signed in 2017 – Tovar out of Maracay, Venezuela, and Mejia out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Both came stateside in 2019, but Tovar made his MLB debut in 2022 while Mejia made his debut in 2025.
“I think it was a big help. They taught me so much,” Mejia said of his experience. “I think through that program and through the help of Angel, I think it not only shaped myself as a whole but it also shaped my personality. It changed my personality over here, so it helped me from that first year that I got in the United States. I felt better going into it because I had so much help, and it helped me in various ways.”
Tovar explained more about how the early classes were structured.
“There’s two of them over there that head the program, and obviously they taught me a lot,” he said. “That program meant a lot for learning English. First it was through Duolingo and some of the classes over there, and they had a bunch of applications that they gave to us to help us learn English. But yeah, I started all the way over there in the Dominican my first year with all that.”
He also remembers there were a lot of “quizzes and tests” but also Amparo and Julio Medina got more creative with teaching their players how to understand and begin internalizing English.
“They’d send you movies, songs and things like that to help you remember English and kind of get used to it,” Tovar said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that I remember.”
Mejia remembered a project where the players all had to create an advertisement for a product, and while he couldn’t remember the specific product he was trying to sell, he “vividly remember(s) doing those videos.”
“I can’t specifically recall that because I was in Spokane,” he said. “I knew a little more English, so I think that was helpful, but it was still hard for me because I was a little nervous, and I kind of wanted to get it done with so I kind of rushed it a little bit. It was still hard on me, doing those videos, and I can’t recall specifically that.”
However, he didn’t think it was harder than opening or closing a baseball game – it’s just a different kind of challenge.
“I think it was that you’re focusing on talking, and obviously it makes you nervous because you’re not fully adapted to the language,” he explained. “But over here, I’m confident in my talent when I’m pitching. I think everyone can see that talent that I have, and thanks to God, so I enjoy being out there with the guys.”
Tovar offered some advice for players who are still in the program and who are still getting used to English as well as life in the United States.
“My advice for them is that I’m still learning English myself and getting used to it,” he said. “But over here, we speak English. It’s a huge part of the culture and a huge part of what you do, so you’ve got to go hard and focus on what you’re doing.
“But I think all the guys are doing it,” he continued. “Ever since you leave from the Dominican and come to Arizona, you’re still doing the programs, even if it’s on Zoom or anything like that. The program is something that obviously helps a lot of us out, and I think it’s a program that means a lot for a lot of us. It’s something that follows you, even as you keep rising in the programs.”
Closing Thoughts
Over the past few weeks, we’ve highlighted a lot of details about this program. This concludes the first part of our series, but it is not the end! We will go on a short hiatus, but we will bring this back in June with more teacher interviews as well as interviews from players currently in the program.
Stay tuned!
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