Arlington, TX ¨C Texas Rangers 2020 Roberto Clemente Award Nominee Shin-Soo Choo donated funds to help enhance the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex Presented by Toyota.

Choo¡¯s funding added exterior lighting stands to the newly named Shin-Soo Choo Batting Cages on the south side of the complex and the Prince Fielder batting cages near Oates Field. Eight 750-watt sport LED lights were added to illuminate the cages, with four allotted to the Choo cages and four to the Fielder cages.

¡°What a great honor to have my name associated with the batting cages and outdoor lights at the Academy. My intention was to help others and the Rangers¡¯ Clemente nomination was a special gift that I did not expect,¡± Choo said.

The lights provide an estimated four additional hours of use each weeknight, allowing 50 additional athletes to safely practice every night.

Click here for a video showing the impact of the new lights.

¡°Finding safe ways to practice is vital to the development of the Academy athletes. The generous donation helped provide the exterior lights for the batting cages that in return will help the athletes, regardless of the time of the day,¡± Senior Vice President of Community Impact and Director of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation Karin Morris said.

With the donation, all Academy field locations are now equipped with appropriate lighting to allow for evening programming for the Rangers Academy and Mercy Street Sports. Athletes from Pinkston High School and Thomas Jefferson High School, who practice and play their home games at the facility, also benefit from the increased time and field space for practice.

¡°The lights have allowed us to use the cages in the evening for our Fall baseball and softball programming at the Academy, allowing us to better social distance. The cages have also allowed for Mercy Street to have additional practice space for the West Dallas Little League,¡± Academy Director Juan Leonel-Garciga said.

Shin-Soo Choo, along with Nike, Mercy Street, and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, together donated the funds to add additional exterior lighting to the Academy.

This year, Choo was selected as the Texas Rangers¡¯ Roberto Clemente Nominee, an annual award given to the Major League player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

Every Club nominee receives a donation from Major League Baseball Charities to a charity of his choice. Choo selected the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation who designated the funds to name a batting cage after him.

Nike contributed additional funds to support the lighting project at the Youth Academy as part of their partnership with the Texas Rangers and Nike¡¯s commitment to supporting and growing youth baseball and softball.

ABOUT THE TEXAS RANGERS MLB YOUTH ACADEMY AT MERCY STREET SPORTS COMPLEX, PRESENTED BY TOYOTA: Available to children throughout North Texas, especially the more than 9,000 kids living within the West Dallas neighborhood, the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy at Mercy Street Sports Complex, Presented by Toyota, gives children the opportunity to make advancements on the field and in the classroom. Throughout the year, free and reduced cost baseball and softball instruction and play, plus access to tutoring programs, college prep classes, and other life skills courses are facilitated at the Academy. For additional information, visit TexasRangers.com/Academy.