Sean Rodriguez spent 13 years in Major League Baseball despite a difficult childhood. His new sports training facility in Largo will provide a refuge for local kids navigating similar circumstances.
Rodriguez, a first-generation U.S. citizen, was a Tampa Bay Ray for six years and has long called St. Petersburg home. He founded R3 Athletics, a youth baseball league, and opened The Yard in April.
The Yard is a state-of-the-art, nonprofit training facility that equally emphasizes both athletic skills and character development. Rodriguez said it is a welcoming and fun place for the community to escape the ultra-competitiveness and negativity that now permeate youth sports.
“I was less fortunate as a kid – I didn’t necessarily have a lot of opportunities unless there were families, coaches or teams that were willing to just take me on and basically do it for free,” Rodriguez told the Catalyst. “So, that is the nonprofit side of what we’re trying to do.”
Rodriquez, known for his versatility, played every position but catcher during his career. One of his most memorable moments with the Rays came in May 2014 when his three-run, walk-off homer at Tropicana Field snapped a four-game losing streak.
Baseball is in his blood. His father, who now works at The Yard, has coached baseball professionally for over 40 years.
Sean Rodriguez played for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2010 through 2014. St. Petersburg remained home, despite subsequent stops in Pittsburgh (twice), Atlanta, Philadelphia and his native Miami.
An American dream
Rodriguez’s parents had an arduous path to America. His mother was able to fly to Miami after winning Cuba’s immigration lottery. His father was a physician, and the Fidel Castro regime was reluctant to relinquish “anyone who had any kind of value.”
A guard held his grandfather and father, then about 9, at gunpoint when they attempted to flee the communist country via boat. Another guard questioned why they would “shoot one of our own” and let the two leave.
“They had a lot in Cuba; tons and tons of resources,” Rodriguez said. “They left all of that to come over here and start from scratch.”
He said his grandfather, who died in 2006, never regretted leaving everything he owned to start a new life in a “flawed” yet “amazing country.” Rodriguez was born and raised in Miami and moved to St. Petersburg in 2009 after the Anaheim Angels traded him to the Rays.
He and his wife bought a house in 2010 so his autistic son could remain closer to therapists. They decided to stay in St. Petersburg once his baseball career ended and purchased another home in 2020.
“We absolutely love it,” Rodriguez said. “It has been a blessing.”
Giving back
While his parents instilled Christian values, Rodriguez said he was “a little too self-driven” as a young adult. He then met his close friend and business partner, Ron Davis, when his son played recreational baseball in Pinellas Park.
Their relationship evolved, and Rodriguez continued meeting “great, like-minded people with the right intentions and a genuine passion to just pour into the community.”
The two launched R3, a traveling youth baseball organization that now boasts 14 area teams. They also found it challenging to share practice fields with other “very competitive” clubs.
Rodriquez said many coaches and parents “lose sight of what the purpose is behind putting these kids on a diamond.” While he was “out for blood” when he played competitively – “it was win or die” – pre-teens should be “having a blast.”
“The Yard was meant to be somewhere where anyone and everyone can go train,” Rodriguez said. “It doesn’t have to just be our R3 kids. It’s designed to be a place where we can bring people together.
“It’s just building each other up from within and trying to build better human beings.”
The Yard also offers a recovery and yoga room.
Rodriquez’s brother, who has also played and coached professionally, also works at The Yard. His wife shares administrative duties alongside the spouses of other coaches.
The facility is family-oriented with “enough professionalism and state-of-the-art equipment” to foster future champions. The Yard offers batting cages, private and group training, a recovery room with saunas, cold plunges and heat therapy, yoga, camps and strength, agility and endurance equipment.
Rodriguez said the overarching goal is to provide professional-grade services in a positive atmosphere. The facility at 11683 87th St. welcomes athletes of all ages and abilities. Aaron Sanchez, an MLB pitcher, recently trained at The Yard.
However, molding youth remains a focus, and Rodriguez plans to incorporate a “homeschool dynamic” with a classroom setting. The Yard provides scholarships for underserved kids in the community.
“My genuine hope is to find a way to make this a spot where people can come through and say, ‘Ok, if I book ahead of time, I’m good. I got a spot, and I don’t even need to pay,’” Rodriguez added. “And feel like it’s a viable product. A lot of people try to put something out, and sometimes it can feel either watered down or driven by the wrong purpose.”
