By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Major League Baseball will hold national tryouts in Curacao next week.

The tryouts will be held as part of MLB’s Elite Program in Curacao, the first of its kind on the island.

The Elite Program is part of the MLB’s “continued commitment to the development of baseball globally,” it said in a statement.

“The program gives the opportunity to players to receive formal instruction, practices with experts and former players from MLB, in an effort to continue to grow baseball on the Island,” said Joel Araujo, MLB Senior Manager for the Development of International Talent.

The MLB, alongside the Curacao Baseball Development Foundation and the Curacao Tourist Board, are partnering on the Elite Program.

The program is for players 13 to 18 years old and will have three hours of instruction, three days a week, beginning in mid-February.

Players will receive instruction from experienced MLB coaches with both major and minor league professional experience.

Curacao has produced a number of top baseball players in recent years, led by stars like the Yankees’ Didi Gregorius and the Orioles’ Jonathan Schoop.