The Canberra Cavalry have struck a deal with World Series hopefuls Houston Astros to tap into the Major League club's rich player base.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Astros are one win away from a return to Major League Baseball's biggest stage as they hold a 3-2 lead over the New York Yankees heading into game six of the American League Championship Series.
Now they have linked with with the Cavalry which will see emerging prospects hone their craft at Narrabundah Ballpark throughout the ABL season.
The Astros are one of three teams forging a partnership with the Cavalry alongside the Yokohama BayStars with another MLB club in the mix.
Cavalry director Dan Amodio has set his sights on a long-term deal with Houston as they prepare to send 24-year-old catcher Chuckie Robinson to the capital.
"This will be the first year of the partnership which we hope will be the first of many," Amodio said.
"They will be an official affiliate partner, which means they are going to sign some players each year to come down.
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
"They are covering the costs of both the players salary, and their flights and accommodation, which is a really great sign of their commitment to the league and to the Cavalry.
"Charles Robinson, he goes by Chuckie Robinson. He is a catcher, and a big hitter who played 103 games in their Double-A system last year, he was drafted in 2016.
"He is the only player they're sending this year, no sign of how that's going to change next year. But again, we hope they will continue to send guys here."
The move follows former Cavalry manager Michael Collins' shift to Houston as a bullpen catcher after a six-year stint at the helm of Canberra's ABL side.
Joining Collins in the Astros organisation is former Cavalry infielder and Baseball Canberra high-performance manager Jeremy Barnes.
Amodio says it is "another sign of the strength of the partnership between Canberra, Canberra Baseball and the Astros".
The Texas-born Asia Series and Claxton Shield winner linked up with the Astros two years ago as a batting coach when an opportunity "came out of the blue".
Cavalry chief executive Donn McMichael has lauded Collins' influence in building a relationship between the two clubs and hopes this season can lay the platform for a long-term arrangement.
"We're excited about potentially building an ongoing relationship with the Astros," McMichael said.
"It's great that we have had Michael Collins, 'Tubby', as our previous manager, who is now a bullpen coach for the Astros.
"He deserves a lot of credit for helping this partnership come to reality.
"The Astros have demonstrated significant confidence in the Cavalry system by sending one of their real prospects to us."