Bradenton baseball facility hits national showcase

BRADENTON — Pirate City in Bradenton, spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is one of four major league training facilities chosen to host a high school baseball showcase later this year.

Pirate City and nearby McKechnie Field underwent a $10 million renovation following the 2012 season, a project supported by funds from the team, the city of Bradenton and Manatee County. The other locations for the showcase, according to a release, are in Brooklyn, Cincinnati and Compton, Cailf. The showcase, sponsored by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, is called the Breakthrough Series and includes more than 200 high school baseball players. Major league scouts and college recruiters are expected to attend all the sessions, the release states.

The Breakthrough Series, scheduled for June 19 through July 28, was previously held in one location with about 60 to 80 players. The events are free for the players, the release states.

“Major League Baseball is proud to team with USA Baseball in extending this opportunity to even more talented young players for them to demonstrate their abilities,” MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Development Frank Robinson says in the release. “The Breakthrough Series is a great tool for making sure kids, who might have not been scouted or recruited, are exposed to decision makers at the next level. We are looking forward to giving them the chance to take this important step.”'¨