MLB TO HOLD SEVEN TRYOUTS FOR EUROPEAN ACADEMY SLOTS

Major League Baseball continues its drive to make inroads in Europe this spring with a series of seven tryout camps across the continent. Players from Sweden to Italy will be auditioning for a chance to attend the 2009 MLB European Academy at the Italian Olympic Training Center in Tirrenia from August 11-29. The first tryout camp will be held April 26 in Stockholm, Sweden, followed by a one-day trial in Rouen, France on April 29 and another in Tirrenia, Italy on April 30. In May, tryout camps will take place in Barcelona, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Amsterdam, Holland; and Bad Homburg, Germany.


The various tryout camps will be run by staff members of MLB Europe as well as members of the Major League’s Central Scouting Bureau, although there will be no scouts on hand in Stockholm. In past years, the European Academy has resulted in 28 players signing contracts with MLB organizations. The tryouts will be held for players ranging in age from 15 to 18 who have been nominated by their respective national baseball federations.