Rey Anglada Jr is the son of Cuban League legend Rey Vicente Anglada. He has continued the family legacy by opening a youth baseball academy in City of Hialeah, a suburb of Miami. The academy is located at 2240 W 60st in the west of a city densely populated with Cubans.
Anglada has also incorporated his father in the project to pass his wisdom on the young kids at the academy and possibly help shape the future Cuban baseball stars for upcoming generation. Teams from various age groups form traveling teams and compete in tournaments nationwide.
A project that started three years ago has gradually grown and is becoming a future staple for young baseball talent looking to be developed. With the Anglada clan at the helm of this project the future is bright for young up-and-coming talent in the City of Hialeah.
Rey, tell me about the project.
This project started on May 23rd, and it will soon be three years since the idea first came about. Originally, I was going to do it with another person, but I suffered an Achilles tendon injury that delayed things a bit. By the time I was ready to start, that person told me they had joined another project. That’s when I spoke to my father about it. He was always willing to help, and thanks to God, we’re now approaching our third year.
How important is your father to this project?
No matter how you look at it, my father is a very knowledgeable baseball person. He is well-known and respected throughout the baseball world. His knowledge helps us tremendously, and the respect people have for him opens many doors. He is my right-hand man.
Tell me about the development plan you have for the kids in the program.
What we do here is try to start working with children at a very young age, usually around four or four-and-a-half years old. Our goal is to keep them in the program for a long period of time. I have kids here who started with me when they were seven or eight years old, and now they’re approaching eleven. We’ve been working together continuously for three years, so we know each other very well. They understand what I expect from them and what I ask of them, and we’ve built a strong connection. That’s what we’re looking for. The longer we can work with them, the easier the process becomes for both the players and us as coaches.
Tell me about the accomplishments of the project, such as championships and other important achievements.
For example, we have several teams: six-year-olds, seven-year-olds, eight-year-olds, nine-year-olds, and ten-year-olds. The leagues here run from January to May and from August to December. In the most recent season, our eight-year-old team finished in second place, while our ten-year-old team won the championship, just as they did in the previous season. That group has won tournaments both at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year.
That team is currently ranked as the number one team in Florida in its division. Here, divisions are separated into A, AAA, and Majors. When we first entered them, they were in the AAA division, and now they are ranked first in the entire state of Florida within their category.
Are you affiliated with the City of Hialeah?
We operate here in the city, but we are a private organization. We are not directly affiliated with the city.
What does a player need in order to join the program?
We try to welcome the vast majority of kids who come to us, even if they’re starting from scratch. In fact, sometimes we prefer working with children who have no previous experience because that allows us to see their progress from the very beginning.
We are also launching another project in Tamiami. However, that project will not be for beginners. It is designed to raise the competitive level of players who are already developed and ready to compete. Everyone who participates in that program will already have a strong baseball foundation.
What are your future goals for the project?
Our goal is to continue growing and to make all of our teams competitive. Of course, I like winning. I always like winning. But what I constantly tell both the players and their parents is that our main objective is to teach these kids how to play baseball the right way and how to respect the game.
We want them to have a solid foundation so that when they move on to middle school, high school, or even college, they are well-prepared. No matter where they go, we want coaches and people around them to say, “These kids know how to play baseball.”
Beyond championships and wins, our greatest goal is for them to leave here with strong baseball knowledge and a solid understanding of the game that will help them succeed at every level.