LatinoBaseball.com at Yankee Stadium.

R. Paniagua Inc. and LatinoBaseball.com returned to Yankee Stadium for the annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Day at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 12th. For more then a decade, RPI has celebrated Hispanic Heritage month through the promotion of Hispanic Heritage Day at the Ballpark in Major League stadiums in key Hispanic markets across the country.
 
LatinoBaseball.com kicked off the Hispanic Heritage Day At the Ball Park tour with the Diamond Backs in Phoenix and the Florida Marlins. D-Back player Tony Pena and Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins were both honored with the “Latino Player of the Year” award for their respective teams. The tour continues in New York, Houston, Chicago Los Angeles and Dallas.

Each Major League Baseball team will interface with the both tours. The Urban Youth Baseball Initiative program is a seven-city tour dedicated to bringing mentorship, fun on the field and much needed baseball equipment to thousands of deserving inner-city youth. This Hispanic Heritage ay at the Park, in addition to this Initiative, promotes the legacy of Latino’s in baseball dating back to 1900.
 
The Yankees participated in the Youth program during the spirit of baseball’s All Star Week. Iconic Yankee recruiter César Presbott was joined Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda to distribute equipment and lend words of encouragement to young players, (ages 10-13) from across the boroughs.
 
On Friday, September 12th, LatinoBaseBall.com honored Venezuelan born player Bobby Abreu as the “Latino Player of the Year” award for the Yankees. Abreu is being recognized for his contributions to not only the sport of Baseball, but to his community. He has already garnered awards such as the “Silver Sluggger” and the “Gold Glove” for his outstanding performance as a Right Fielder.
 
For more then a decade the tradition of Hispanic Heritage Day at the Ball Park has brought together fans and prideful Latinos to stadiums throughout the country to honor their favorite players. This annual tradition attracts Legendary Hispanic ball players who host VIP suites in the stadium with community leaders.
 
Fans can expect to hear the sounds of Tropical tunes blaring from the scoreboards, which will of course include sounds from popular genres of Latin music from local and international stars. In addition, the event sponsors who include State Farm Insurance, New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Diageo will be on site to participate in the festivities.
 
The history of Major League Baseball cannot be told without mention of the influence of the Latino players. The first Latin American to play in for Major League Baseball was Luis Castro, an infielder who played with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1902. Today approximately twenty five percent of the league’s players are Latinos and it is projected that in ten years, thirty five percent of the league will be predominately Hispanic.
 
LatinoBaseBall.com continues to highlight careers of Hispanic influential players. Hispanic Heritage Day at the Ball Park commemorates those who have greatly contributed to the continued legacy of the great American sport of Baseball.