MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Former United States professional baseball player Edwin Rose believes there is a lot of baseball talent to be unearthed here.

The United States-born Rose, who played for the Boston Red Sox and is now athletic director at the Weston Christian Academy in Florida and founder/technical director of BEST Baseball Academy, started a baseball initiative in Jamaica 22 years ago and is not giving up.

Among his recent activities was a summer baseball camp at deCarteret College in Mandeville to expose students and refine their abilities in the sport.

“The aim is to get children to enjoy the great game of baseball,” he said.

Rose said that baseball complements other sports, and all the skill-sets can be transferred.

He said he wants children to first have fun as the game is being developed here, but intends to improve it to the point that it can be done at the high school level, where they can get scholarships to play college baseball where possible.

“Some may even enter into lucrative careers from it,” said Rose adding that the hand-eye coordination of Jamaican children is “impeccable”.

He said that on an ongoing basis he seeks support and sponsorship locally and internationally to fuel the interest, not only of the students, but also coaches.

Rose said that he expects to be back in the island by November as he continues to extend his efforts towards the cause.

— Alicia Sutherland