The Predatory Industry Behind MLB’s Dominican Superstar Pipeline

2026-09-10 · 44 min · 8 entities

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mentioned Society & Culture concept

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Feed category: Society & Culture
mentioned Documentary concept

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Feed category: Documentary
discusses Society & Culture concept

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discusses News concept

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discusses Documentary concept

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Feed author/publisher: ProPublica

Episode description as stored

Major League Baseball has built a pipeline in the Dominican Republic to scoop up young players with the potential of superstars like Red Sox hero David “Big Papi” Ortiz. But reporter Gus Garcia-Roberts uncovered how MLB has allowed a shadow industry to flourish — one that exploits young players and their families. In this episode, Gus brings us the story of Belfi Rivera, a supernaturally talented young Dominican player who experienced firsthand how the system is broken. Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate .