DREAM Series Participants Forge Bonds Before College
- -- Monday marked the end of the DREAM Series in Arizona, although some of the teammates will see each other again very soon.
- The ninth annual baseball-growth experience, designed to help diversify the talent pool of minority players, features more than 80 predominantly African American high school pitchers and position players.
- "Its just been amazing, honestly," said Jalen Jones, a right-handed pitcher from Waldorf, Md., who has committed to Virginia State.
TEMPE, ariz. — Monday marked the end of the DREAM Series in Arizona, although some of the teammates will see each other again very soon.
The ninth annual baseball-growth experience, designed to help diversify the talent pool of minority players, features more than 80 predominantly African American high school pitchers and position players. And for many,the bonds forged this week will extend far beyond the diamond,right into their college careers.
“Its just been amazing, honestly,” said Jalen Jones, a right-handed pitcher from Waldorf, Md., who has committed to Virginia State. “Being around all these guys, knowing we’re all going through the same thing, trying to get better, trying to make it to the next level… itS just a great feeling.”
Jones is one of several DREAM Series participants who will be teammates again in college. He’ll be joined at Virginia State by fellow DREAM Series pitchers Cameron Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) and Elijah Lamb (Charlotte, N.C.).
“We already talked about it,” Jones said. “We’re going to keep pushing each other,keep working hard. We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
The DREAM Series isn’t just about baseball. It’s about creating a community, providing mentorship and preparing these young men for the challenges of college life.
“We want to make sure they’re ready for everything that comes with being a student-athlete,” said Bernard Blood,MLB’s Senior Director of Youth Programs. “We bring in speakers to talk about financial literacy, mental health, navigating campus life. We want them to be successful on and off the field.”
This year’s DREAM Series featured instruction from former Major League players like CC Sabathia, LaTroy Hawkins and Marlon Byrd, as well as current scouts and college coaches.
“It’s a great opportunity to learn from guys who have been there, done that,” said Justin Thompson, a left-handed pitcher from Chicago who has committed to Southern University. “They give you real-life advice, things you can use right away.”
Thompson said he’s already feeling more confident about his transition to college baseball.
“I feel like I’m coming in with a little bit of a head start,” he said. “I’ve already built relationships with some of the other guys who are going to be in college, and I know we can lean on each other.”
The DREAM Series is a partnership between MLB and the MLB Players Association, with support from the Jackie Robinson Foundation. It’s a testament to the commitment of both organizations to diversifying the game of baseball.
“We want to create opportunities for these young men to succeed,” Blood said. “We want to see more African american players in Major League Baseball, and the DREAM Series is one way we’re working to make that happen.”
As the DREAM Series concluded, the players exchanged contact details, promising to stay in touch. They know that the bonds they’ve forged this week will last a lifetime.
“This is something I’ll never forget,” Jones said.”It’s been a truly special experience.”
Hawkins grew up in Gary, Ind., in the ’70s and ’80s and discovered the game through his grandparents’ and his mom’s devotion to the nearby Cubs. When the young Hawkins got home from school, he would watch Cubs afternoon games on TV (“I got a chance to see big Lee Smith come in and pitch”) then catch the White Sox night game broadcasts.
“I had the best of both worlds,” he said. “That was my introduction to it.”
At the DREAM Series, Hawkins was quick to single out the contributions of MLB executives Tony Reagins (chief baseball development officer), Del Matthews (senior vice president of baseball development) and Kindu Jones (manager of baseball development) for growing the game in minority communities.
young prospects at the DREAM Series have come a long way since Hawkins was drafted by the Twins in the seventh round as an 18-year-old in 1991, he added.
“If Del and Kindu and Tony would’ve come to see me [play] at that age, they would have definitely not invited me [to the DREAM Series], that’s for sure,” Hawkins laughed.
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Table of Contents
- Athletics (Short Name: Athletics)
- pittsburgh Pirates (short Name: Pittsburgh)
- San Diego Padres (Short Name: San Diego)
- Seattle Mariners (Short Name: Seattle)
- San Francisco giants (Short Name: San Francisco)
- St. Louis Cardinals (Short Name: St. Louis)
- Tampa bay Rays (Short Name: Tampa Bay)
- Texas Rangers (Short Name: Texas)
- Toronto blue Jays (Short Name: Toronto)
- Minnesota Twins (Short Name: Minnesota)
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PHASE 1: ADVERSARIAL RESEARCH, FRESHNESS & BREAKING-NEWS CHECK
The provided text appears to be a snippet of HTML code containing data related to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams and some analytics/state variables. It includes team names, IDs, short names, and division references. It also contains timestamps and references to Adobe Analytics and Instagram.
Factual Verification & Freshness Check (as of 2026/01/20 02:33:52):
* MLB Teams: The listed teams (houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals, New York Mets) are all currently active MLB teams as of January 20, 2026. Their names and short names are accurate. (https://www.mlb.com/teams)
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* american League:
* East: Baltimore Orioles, Boston red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays
* central: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins
* West: Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers
* National League:
* East: Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals
* Central: Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals
* West: arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
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* Instagram Embed: The reference to //www.instagram.com/embed.js indicates an attempt to embed Instagram content.
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PHASE 2: ENTITY-BASED GEO (GENERATIVE ENGINE OPTIMIZATION)
- Primary Entity: Major League Baseball (MLB)
- Related Entities:
* Teams: Houston Astros, Kansas City royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals, New York Mets
* Organizations: Adobe (Adobe Analytics)
* Social Media Platform: Instagram
* Locations: Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York City (representing team locations)
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Major League Baseball (MLB)
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers
Washington Nationals
New York Mets
Adobe Analytics integration in MLB.com
Instagram Integration on MLB.com
Team Locations: Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York City
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