by RENALDO DORSETT
The Miami Marlins continue to dip into the Bahamian talent pool with three new additions to its farm system in the 2023 International Signing Period.
The Marlins made it official with Janero Miller, Breyias Dean and Daniel Gaitor at signing ceremonies tonight.
Dean and Gaitor are products of the Maximum Development Academy while Miller signed out of the International Elite Development Academy.
Dean, a 6’3” third baseman, said he was inspired by others on his journey to professional baseball and hopes to do the same.
“When I started playing and I saw how good some of the other guys were, it brought something out of me and made me want to strive to be better and continue to work harder,” he said, “It’s important to be an inspiration because without the older guys that came before me I wouldn’t be here right now, so I want to play that role for the younger guys coming up as well.”
Gaitor, a speedy outfielder said his maturity has progressed with his game on the field.
“Baseball comes with a lot of failure so I had to be disciplined, learned from my mistakes, keep a smile on my face and keep going,” he said, “Especially out of the pandemic, you had to take control of your career and work on your own to get better, it helped me to grow and learn so much more about the process.”
Miller, a 6’2” 170 pound switch hitting outfielder and left hand pitcher was listed as the No.16 International Prospect for the class of 2023 by MLB Pipeline.
“To my parents, to my coaches, to the Marlins, you guys made my dream a reality,” he said, but this is only the beginning for me. To my fellow iElite brothers, continue to work hard and stay focused. The results won’t be there immediately but you have to trust the process.
Adrian Lorenzo, Marlins Senior Director of International Operations said he plans to continue to explore the relatively untapped Bahamian market.
“It’s a market that I’ve been passionate about for some time just because I see it coming,” said Adrian Lorenzo, the Marlins’ senior director of international operations. “You see the waves of talent coming. It’s part of the reason baseball has grown so much in the Dominican, because it’s become a part of the economy. Now kids feel that there’s a way — not necessarily a way out, like they need to get out of where they are — but they feel like professional baseball is a viable route for them to secure futures for themselves and their families. So I think that over the last two to three years, that’s kind of grown Bahamian baseball, and then I think we’re trying to ride that wave and trying to be kind of at the forefront of it.”
Adrian Puig, Marlins International Crosschecker, said The Bahamas’ wealth of athletic talent is now starting to trend toward baseball.
“The philosophy trickles down. It’s no secret that The Bahamas is home to so many great athletes, we’re starting to see that talent head toward baseball. The athleticism with Bahamian players stands out. The more emphasis programs place on baseball the more talent your country will produce,” he said, “This is a show of force and support for Bahamian baseball. It’s the hard part that starts from here. Ironically this is the easy part. There’s a reason we keep coming back. If we didn’t believe in the Bahamian players I wouldn’t be here.”
