Wednesday will be a big day for baseball in China.
Major League Baseball has announced that, in response to the sport's growth in popularity in the country, it will open a baseball development center in Wuxi that will provide professional baseball training for middle school and high school students.
The center will be located at a high school along the Yangtze River and will feature an international team of instructors. Students, in addition to receiving an academic education, will receive lessons in baseball and in English in order to prepare them for global opportunities in the sport.
"One of the chief goals of Major League Baseball in China is increasing the popularity of participation in the game of baseball among young athletes," said Bob DuPuy, the president and chief operating officer of MLB, told MLB.com. "The establishment of the MLB Development Center demonstrates Major League Baseball's commitment to expand the sport in China and to aid elite players in reaching their full competitive potential."
MLB hopes that, after students spend their formative years being trained academically and athletically at this unique institution, they will see increased career opportunities in MLB.
