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Meet our coaches

Coach Huascar

Huascar Fuentes was born and raised in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. He grew up in a large family and works for his father’s family company starting at a very young age, while also pursuing his dream of becoming a baseball player. Most of his adolescence was spent studying, working and doing everything he could to become a better baseball player. Whether he had to hitchhike, walk for miles, or play without equipment, he always found a way to make it to the baseball field and give it his all.

In November 2013, Huascar signed with Pittsburgh Pirates. He was one of the oldest players among his peers to sign professionally, which was a dream come true after years of hard work. As one of the older players on his teams, Huascar always took the role of leader and mentor, which he continues to be even years later. In 2015 he was the top hitter in the Pirates Dominican Republic camp. After playing for 4 years for the Pirates and the Bristol Pirates and the West Virginia Black Bears, he suffered a career-ending injury tearing his thigh muscle. This was devastating for Huascar and a hard pill to swallow but he had faith that God had a plan for him.

 

He moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 2018 originally working construction jobs, trying to figure out the right path for himself. He started coaching youth baseball part time in 2019 and after the birth of his first son, Damian, he decided to not give up on his dream of baseball but use all of his experience and passion for the game to help young baseball players like he once was. So in the Fall of 2021, he started Project Baseball and quickly made a name for himself in the Arizona baseball club community. Within the first two seasons, Project Baseball was already winning championships and in the top 3 of the state for USSSA. In their 3rd season, the 13UAAA team got bumped up to Majors after having proved themselves on the field.

 

He is currently the Head Coach and President of Project Baseball AZ and also gives private hitting lessons. When he’s not coaching baseball, he’s spending time with his wife and kids, at church or watching American Idol.

Coach Manny

Manuel “Manny” Ruiz was born in the heart of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR). He grew up playing baseball in the streets with the neighborhood kids, creating their own teams and “leagues” and even putting together tournaments. At age 17, Manny had attracted the attention of several MLB scouts with his natural pitching skills and his life changed forever the day he was selected to play as a pitcher in the MLB.

 

In the 2007-2008 season, Manny had started his career, turning his dreams into reality when he was selected to play for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2009, Manny was selected to live and play in Japan for the Hiroshima Tokyo Card. In 2010, Manny came back to the United States and played again for the MLB and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for three seasons. He completed his professional baseball pitching career with the Vallejo Admirals in 2013.

 

Manny has continued pursuing his love and passion for baseball by coaching youth leagues and providing one-on-one lessons. Coach Manny, as the kids call him, loves to teach and mentor future MLB stars. Today, he is married to his wife Kelly, and they share two kids together, Jeremiah (3) and Tristen (15). Coach Manny would love to see one of his boys follow his footsteps and play baseball in the MLB someday. When Coach Manny is not coaching, you can find him with his family camping, off-roading, or finding the next adventure Arizona or the DR has to offer.

Coach Richard

Richard Martinez grew up with his parents and siblings in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He started playing baseball around 5 years old with his dad, who was a police officer, always pushing him to work hard to be his best both in school and on the field. 

 

Richard continued to work hard in school and baseball and at the age of 14 started playing under Javier Rodriguez. In 2003, he got a contract to play with the Chicago White Sox and started playing professionally in 2004. He enjoyed playing but realized he actually had a knack for coaching young players and loved coaching. He helped bring up players like Rafael Devers, Eloy Jimenez and more. He moved to San Cristobal, Dominican Republic and worked closely with well known players such as Jaime Ramos and Bigote. 

 

In 2010 he signed with the Cincinnati Reds and then played independently in Mexico. In 2012 he decided to pursue coaching full-time and has been coaching professional players in minor and major league both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic for over 10 years. 

 

Even though he lives and breathes baseball, his other passion is good food. When he has the opportunity he likes to travel, especially road trips playing loud music. His favorite place is the beach as it reminds him of home and he goes to the beach every chance he gets. 

 

Coach Richard joined Project Baseball in 2024 and has been a great addition. He brings passion, positive energy and motivation to the players every day on the field. He’s excited to share his biggest passion with the boys and to teach them everything he’s learned over the 20+ years of playing baseball.

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