Ballplayer: Pelotero (2011)
"Pelotero" (original title)

Two top baseball prospects in the Dominican Republic face fierce competition and corruption as they chase their big league dreams.

Directors:

Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin,

Stars:

Jean Carlos Batista, John Leguizamo, Miguel Angel Sano

Cast

Credited cast:
Jean Carlos Batista	...	Himself
John Leguizamo	...	Narrator (voice)
Miguel Angel Sano	...	Himself

Storyline

Two top baseball prospects in the Dominican Republic face fierce competition and corruption as they chase their big league dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

dominican republic | baseball | sports agent | athlete | immigration | 

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Taglines:

The Dominican Republic's Most Valuable Export

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Dominican Republic

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

13 July 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ballplayer: Pelotero

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$20,628 (USA) (13 July 2012)

Gross:

$44,689 (USA) (7 September 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Makuhari Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Trevor Martin described Pelotero as a spiritual predecessor to Sugar as Pelotero is about how a player is recruited to Major League Baseball from the Dominican Republic and Sugar's plot relates to how a player adapts to Major League Baseball once he has arrived.

User Reviews

Super doc about the farm for 20% of MLB players.

"It's like when you go and harvest the land, you put the seed in . . . water it . . . and when it grows, you sell it." Trainer

Baseball is a simple sport when compared with the complex plays of football or the manic motion of soccer. Ballplayer: Pelotero gives an inside look at the complexity of Major League Baseball's signing 16 year-old players from the Dominican Republic from the point of view of the young players.

Jean Carlos Batista and Miguel Angel Sano are hot prospects turning 16 in time to qualify for the July 2 draft in the Dominican Republic. That they are gifted is certified by the number of teams looking carefully at the prospects.

The documentary shifts to Angel as MLB is investigating his age, suspecting he may be older that the prime of 16. Because of the poor record keeping in the republic and some notorious faking, the accurate age is the defining issue of this suspenseful doc.

While millions of dollars can be involved in the bonus for signing, to sign older than 16 means a decrease in money. Since these boys are coming from poverty, these bonuses are their hopes for elevating their families. Although both are playing pro ball now, their situation in the film as they approach July 2 concentrates on the demands of the leagues and the honesty of the boys' handlers.

Ballplayer is one of the best documentaries ever about baseball at its most basic. The filmmakers allow everyone involved to voice their opinions while much of the time they're exposing their ambition or showing their ignorance. For the young recruits, no romantic thoughts about the pursuit of excellence are present—just thoughts of money.

Fascinating stuff and the national anthem hasn't yet played!