Like Castro's Cuba: The Forbidden Island and La Republica Dominicana, Nicaragua is one of the few places on earth where baseball is played almost regularly in the streets. While Nicaragua has not produced as many Major Leaguers over the years as the Dominican Republic or even Cuban defectors, that doesn't mean there isn't talent here.

 

Nicaragua has a four-team professional winter league as well as a larger summer league. Former big leaguer Jimmy Hurst believes Nicaragua deserve the right to participate in the World Baseball Classic, but sadly, for the second straight classic, Nicaragua was not invited.

 

"Let me tell you, Nicaragua's got the arms to compete in the World Baseball Classic," said Hurst, who played in the country's winter league in 2007-08. "The bats is where they're lacking, but they'll get better."

 

Even though Nicaragua was not in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, they will be part of the 2012 qualifying event which welcomes 12 new countries to vie for four spots in the 2013 event. Even better: you can learn all about Nicaragua's baseball history in World in a Ballpark: Baseball Goes Global, which is available for purchase at the Buy Joe's Guides page. Also, enjoy this small collage of Nicaraguan baseball. If you want to view a sample of the guide and see how easy the guide is to use, visit the World Baseball Classic page.