Miami Marlins star Jazz Chisholm just might be the most famous baseball player ever from The Bahamas.
But the reality is that Chisholm is part of a growing wave of high-level baseball talent coming from The Bahamas, a growing baseball power and a nation that is quickly falling in love with the game. (Another Bahamian talent, Lucius Fox, made his debut in 2022 as a shortstop for the Washington Nationals).
And now baseball in The Bahamas has taken a major step forward with this week’s debut of the Andre Rodgers National Baseball Stadium.
Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis threw out the first pitch at the opening ceremony in New Providence this week, officially opening the island’s state-of-the-art field.
The debut of the new stadium comes as The Bahamas hosts the Caribbean Baseball Cub, with teams from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curacao, the US Virgin Islands and The Bahamas participating.
The tournament grants two spots for the Central America and Caribbean Games in El Salvador next year.
The 5,000-seat arena is built to international (and Major League) standards.
The hope, according to Davis, is to draw college and professional teams for training or special tournaments and events.
The Bahamas has found significant success in recent years in sports tourism, from hosting LPGA events to its popular Battle for Atlantis NCAA basketball tournament and a number of College Bowl games.
Even better? Bahamian officials are hopeful that Major League teams could use the stadium for portions of Spring Training.
CJ was the first publication to report on The Bahamas’ new love affair with baseball back in 2012.