Astín Jacobo Jr., is Jean Carlos Batista's trainer and coach. The son of one of the first MLB scouts in the Dominican Republic, his family has been developing the island's baseball talent for decades. Over the past ten years his program has become a well-known breeding ground for some of the country's top prospects. After signing more than 70 young players to MLB teams, Astin prides himself on providing the clubs with quality and most importantly, scandal-free prospects. As a result, he has emerged to be one of the most influential and successful trainers in the country. A leading figure in a wave of Dominican trainers whose business savvy has contributed to the country's rising signing bonuses, Astin's solid gold reputation with MLB teams is both his greatest asset, and what he absolutely can't afford to lose.
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We are proud to announce that Pelotero will have its World Premiere at the 19th Hamptons International Film Festival.
To buy tickets to the film please click here.

BIG thanks to the many, many people who have been involved along the way!
JOHN LEGUIZAMO (Narrator) is one of the most prolific writer/performers of his generation. He has enjoyed numerous honors and accolades for his one-man shows Mambo Mouth, Spic-O-Rama, Freak, Sexaholix...a Love Story, Ghetto Klown and has appeared in countless films including Moulin Rouge, Love in the Time of Cholera, Carlito's Way and Ice Age.
GUAGUA PRODUCTIONS (Directors) was founded in 2008 by Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jon Paley. Together, along with unit director Casey Beck, they spent over a year in the Dominican Republic filming Pelotero. Currently located in New York, they also produce, direct and shoot short films, commercials, and just about anything else you can point a lens at.
MAKUHARI MEDIA (Executive Producers) was formed by Bobby Valentine and Andrew J. Muscato in 2010 following their partnership on ESPN Films' The Zen of Bobby V. Pelotero is the first in a slate of character driven sports documentaries that the company is producing.
ISAAC SOLOTAROFF (Producer) is a twice Emmy-nominated documentary director, producer and editor. He has directed four PBS documentaries since 2000 (Visioning Tibet, Los Romeros, and Belief Amended, Faith Revealed) and his most recent film Wham! Bam! Islam! will debut on Independent Lens in October, 2011.
MARY MANHARDT (Editor) is an Emmy-award winning documentary film editor and consultant in New York City. Her work has won awards in major festivals, including Sundance, Hot Docs, SXSW, SilverDocs, Tribeca and IDFA, and aired on HBO, PBS, MTV, ABC, A&E and AMC. Among the films she has edited or co-edited are: The Farm, The Execution of Wanda Jean, Girlhood, Farmingville, Street Fight, American Teen, Racing Dreams, Mystic Ball, A Son's Sacrifice, Bronx Princess, Camp Victory, Afghanistan and Monica & David.
Photo credits: Casey Beck
Photo credits: Casey Beck
Photo credits: Casey Beck
Jean Carlos Batista, 16, is a young shortstop who left home at age 13 to practice with a renowned baseball trainer Astín Jacobo in the wake of his father's death. Three years later, Astín calls Jean Carlos his adopted son, and has turned him into one of the island's elite prospects. Together, they navigate the business side of the Dominican baseball system in search of the highest signing bonus. But as offers arrive, Jean Carlos' overconfidence and the revelation of a secret kept from him by his parents may endanger his promising career, as well as jeopardize his relationship with the man he considers his father.
Miguel Angel Sanó, 15, is a young shortstop heralded by some as the future of Dominican baseball; a once-in-a-generation talent, and a shoe-in for MLB greatness. Others whisper that his outsized skills aren't credible for a player of his age; that like many other bright Dominican stars his name is not Miguel Angel, but Pedro, or Juan, or a litany of others, borrowed from his countrymen to defraud MLB out of millions of dollars. As Miguel Angel is widely expected to set a record-breaking bonus - a sum out of reach for several of the teams who most eagerly pursue him - his family optimistically ponders their good fortune before a scout's allegations of age-fraud brings down the ire of MLB's investigative unit and unforeseen consequences.


In the run-up to the most important day of their lives, two young Dominican baseball players confront competition and corruption to achieve their Big-League dreams.

For 16-year-old Dominican baseball players, the only real chance to escape crushing poverty comes every July 2nd, the day they become eligible to sign professional baseball contracts. Pelotero provides an intimate portrait of two prospects as they navigate the calculating, mercenary and often corrupt elements that surround Major League Baseball's recruitment of the island's top talent.
Vasilio "Moreno" Tejeda, is Miguel Angel Sanó's trainer and coach. After working with Miguel Angel since he was 13 years old, Moreno has virtually become a member of the young prospect's family. Responsible in part for training Robinson Cano, Moreno has been working with young Dominican talent for over a decade. However, in his eyes, no one he's ever worked with has been as gifted as Miguel Angel. Moreover, "Moreno" is on track to receive 30% of the prospect's potentially record-breaking multi-million dollar signing bonus, and his future is inextricably tied to the young shortstop's success.