Contact: Elisa Fershtadt [email protected] Phone: 917-887-6554 Sandra Pomales Email:[email protected] Phone: 787.474.5085 Puerto Rico will host the USA Training Center Professional Showcase Puerto Rico is an ideal destination for sports tourism San Juan, PR, May 21, 2014 - For the first time USA Training Center will held in Puerto Rico its inaugural season of USA Training Center Professional Showcase, in which 360 talented baseball players can show off their skills to scouts from Major League Baseball (MLB) and independents, according to representatives from U.S. Training Center, Meet Puerto Rico and the Municipality of Guaynabo. This group was interested in Puerto Rico due to the efforts from Meet Puerto Rico to promote the destination as one ideal for groups and conventions, including sporting events. Milton Segarra, President and CEO of Meet Puerto Rico - and a former basketball player - said that events such as the Professional Showcase exemplify the level of competitiveness of Puerto Rico as a destination in the sports segment. He noted that this event also has an important contribution to the economy that translates into 2,227 nights of hotel, which has a direct spending impact of $ 1.2 million in three months. In addition, Segarra said that Puerto Rico has everything you need for groups and events related to the sport. "Puerto Rico has a proven success in organizing international events history, and our sporting tradition, renowned athletes and enthusiastic fans, are well positioned to accommodate almost any type of sporting event." The inaugural season will consist of three sessions during the months of October, November and December 2014. Each session will feature 120 players, including local players. The trainings and games will be held at the Sports Complex Moises Garcia Quintana and Guaynabo Municipal Stadium. The Professional Showcase in Puerto Rico is a forum for professional baseball players as demonstrate their skills in front of MLB scouts and independent. The program will focus on the promotion of talented baseball players from colleges, NCAA and international prospects. . Each session includes accommodation for participants at the Hampton Inn and Suites hotel in San Juan, transportation between the hotel and the training facilities and the opportunity to be assisted and guided by former MLB players, which together have nearly 300 years of experience in professional baseball and over 150 seasons in MLB. Among the coaches who will be participating in this event include Benny Ayala , Dickie Thon, Otto Velez, Juan Beníquez, Jerry Morales, Willie Montanez, Mako Oliveras, Pedro García, José Santiago, Armando Rios , Raul Casanova, Fernando González , Angel "Papo" Davila, Héctor Villanueva, Félix Millan, Ellie Rodriguez, Mario Díaz, Angel Miranda, Kiko Calero and Raúl Gonzalez. "The idea behind the Puerto Rico Professional Showcase is to provide the opportunity for these players to do display their talent in front of scouts. Moreover, they will have a unique experience of playing in Puerto Rico," said Dave Hoyt, CEO Professional Showcase Puerto Rico. He explained that these players have been overlooked - for various reasons - for MLB and through this event will have a second chance to be signed professionally. In the past three years Meet PR contributed to host 78 sporting events. This resulted in 37,821 room nights and $21.2 million that went to local economy through sports tourism. ### Editor’s Note: Meet Puerto Rico is a non-profit organization established in 1962 to drive meetings, conventions, trade shows and incentive groups to Puerto Rico. With offices in San Juan, Meet Puerto Rico strengthens Puerto Rico’s competitive position in the Americas and abroad by increasing awareness of the Island’s outstanding meeting facilities and services, and produces approximately $110 million to the local economy. Meet Puerto Rico can be reached at [email protected] or at its website www.meetpuertorico.com, and is the official marketing and sales agent for the Puerto Rico Convention Center (PRCC). For more information on the Convention Center visit www.prconvention.com. Meet Puerto Rico is accredited by the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) as an elite destination marketing organization. DMAI is the world’s largest association of CVBs, representing more than 600 destination management organizations in more than 25 countries.