Español
DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball announced on Thursday an expansion of its Spanish language assets, with all course offerings on the USA Baseball Online Education Center now available in both English and Spanish.
These additional resources were made possible via the support of the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. The Youth Development Foundation was established in 2015 to advance the development of amateur players, and their enjoyment of the sport, by focusing on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and Canada. The mission of the foundation is to enhance the quality of baseball and softball education, address overall youth participation in baseball and softball and help youth, including those from underserved communities, and strengthen connections to the game.
The USA Baseball Online Education Center currently includes - among other resources - 11 online courses for players, coaches, parents and umpires, hosted by some of baseball's most esteemed professionals, including the managers of both teams competing in the 2017 World Series. These courses are completely free of charge and aim to provide a positive baseball experience for all those involved.
The course offerings on the Online Education Center include five culture, health and safety-based courses and six shorter, skill-specific modules hosted by current and former Major League personnel. These modules provide keys for teaching players the fundamental skills of the game, including hitting, pitching, catching, base running, infield and outfield. Courses and modules of note include:

• Baserunning Fundamentals, hosted by Dave Roberts, Manager of the 2017 National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers
• Catching Stances, Receiving, and Blocking, hosted by A.J. Hinch, Manager of the 2017 American League Champion Houston Astros
• The Confident Baseball Coach, hosted by Joe Maddon, Manager of the Chicago Cubs
• The Play Ball Parent, hosted by Dayton Moore, General Manager of the Kansas City Royals
• Introduction to Pitch Smart, hosted by John Smoltz, Hall of Fame pitcher

The course offerings on the Online Education Center are now equipped with a functionality that allows the user to select their preferred language (English or Spanish) upon launching the course. When the user selects Spanish as their preferred language, the course will automatically be delivered entirely in Spanish, including videos with Spanish subtitles.
Following the launch of this new functionality, all future courses and modules on the Online Education Center will now be released in both English and Spanish from the outset. This initiative marks the latest in a series of efforts by USA Baseball to expand its Spanish language offerings, which include a Twitter account (@usabaseball_esp) and a section on the Sport Development Blog entitled "USA Baseball en Español." The all-Spanish Twitter account regularly features educational content in Spanish from the blog, which contains over 50 pieces written in Spanish for players, coaches, parents and umpires, with more posts being added regularly.
"Providing our online courses in Spanish is part of the continuation of USA Baseball's efforts to make educational resources universally available within the game," said Rick Riccobono, USA Baseball's Chief Development Officer. "We identified the gap in Spanish-ready education early on, and we are proud to add these courses to our educational offerings and expand our reach into the Spanish-speaking baseball community. We look forward to promoting these resources both domestically and abroad."
The full collection of online courses and the Sport Development Blog can be found by accessing the USA Baseball Online Education Center at USABaseball.Education.