Rockies' prospect Benny Montgomery's eye-opening time training in Dominican Republic

Jan. 5—The sounds of bats cracking and the pop of the glove filled the fields of the Rockies' Dominican Republic compound. Benny Montgomery, the Rockies' first round draft pick in 2021, was right in the thick of it.

Montgomery, despite his 6-foot-4 statue, was the odd one out though. He didn't speak the same language as the players around him, didn't understand their inside jokes or relate to their childhoods.

And that's exactly why the Rockies sent him 1,500 miles away from home for instruction.

The Rockies see Montgomery as the future leader of their team. And to be a valuable voice, he needs to have the respect of both his American and international teammates. But Montgomery, 20 years old, had spent most of his life in a nice, Philadelphia suburb. He had never even left the country, how could he relate to players who grew up thousands of miles away in a completely different culture?

When the Rockies approached Montgomery with a chance to train in the Dominican Republic, he jumped at the opportunity. He spent a week at their facility sleeping, eating and breathing baseball with the Rockies' developmental players.

"It was a shock at first, just seeing what I took for granted that they didn't have in the Dominican." Montgomery said. "It was definitely an eye-opener ... I have a better idea of what they go through, and just being there, knowing that I do have it very lucky."

More than a game

Nearly every player signed from South or Central America reports first to the Rockies' headquarters in the Dominican Republic. They play baseball there, of course. But they also receive education, meals and housing at the facilities, all skills that can help them when their time in the game runs out. Most spend two years there before they are sent to the United States.

The training center is located in Boca Chica, about 30 miles east of Santa Domingo, which is where Montgomery, along with Fresno teammate EJ Andrews Jr., flew in to on Oct. 31.

The first thing Montgomery noticed was how familiar it felt. There were obvious differences — it's located among miles of fields, not a Great Wolf Lodge like Salt River Fields is. There's a security presences outside of the complex, and, as Montgomery made sure to point out, no hot water in the showers.

But the heart of the facility is the same as at Salt River Fields. There are four main fields, exactly how it's set up in Arizona. There's also two main buildings, one that houses the players and another that includes offices, the clubhouse and weight room.

"Really, really nice facilities," Montgomery said. "You feel like you are in a crazy wealthy area when you are in there because there's so much money invested into it."

Sure, Montgomery was there to play baseball, and he spent all morning doing just that. But the most valuable part of his day came at night, where the players gathered in the lounges. During this week, they pounded their visitor with questions every chance they got. Most had never met an American player, and they wanted to know everything from what the United States was like to Montgomery's daily routine.

Montgomery, meanwhile, wanted to learn as much about their cultures as he could.

"It was cool to interact with them," he said. "It was definitely good for both parties involved to interact with each other and get a grip of what life was like together."

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Montgomery doesn't speak Spanish, and few there speak fluent English. Coaches translated when they could, and the players also used google translate when needed.

The beauty of baseball, though, is that it doesn't always need to be spoken.

"You can almost communicate without language," he said.

A changed perspective

Typically, players training in the Dominican Republic rarely leave the compound. The Rockies, though, made an exception for Montgomery and Andrews, wanting to make sure they got to fully experience the culture.

The pair were taken to local restaurants where they got to experience to cuisine, but the real highlight came on the last day of the trip when they traveled with pitcher Felix Ramirez to his hometown. Sabana de la Mar is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Boca Chica, a route that took them mainly through the jungle on unpaved roads.

"Driving in the Dominican is crazy," Montgomery said. "There's a double middle line in the middle but that doesn't really mean anything to anyone."

After a quick flat tire fix, the group arrived at Ramirez's house, where ten of his relatives live together. Ramirez's mother prepared them a lunch of fresh caught fish, fried plantains and salad.

"It was an awesome lunch." Montgomery said. "I never really had fresh caught fish just put on the firer in America. It was a different type of food."

After their meal, they headed down to the pier to explore a little bit before they had to head back. This area is not touristy, and people there aren't used to an outsider visiting. Montgomery noticed right away how much he stood out.

"It was weird to feel naked a little bit," he said.

That feeling, Montgomery learned, is exactly what his international teammates experience when they come over to the United States. For Montgomery, if baseball fails he'll be devastated, but he knows he can still have a great life without it.

For the players he spent a week with in the Dominican Republic, the sport is their livelihood, their chance at a better future for them and their loved ones.

"They've been playing baseball for so long as a way to feed their family," Montgomery said. "I worked hard but it was never life or death for me ... I now have a better idea of what they go through, where they live and a better idea of what their culture is like to understand them better."