One day last winter, the sun rose on another perfect day in the Bahamas. Temperatures in the capital city of Nassau were in the mid-to-low 70s, and fluffy white clouds streaked across the blue sky. Palm trees swayed in the wind, and kayakers and snorkelers floated in the waters of Montagu Bay. And, every couple of seconds, a baseball smashed into the water.



They were being launched off the bats of some of the country’s promising young players, a collection of prospects who fancy themselves the standard-bearers for their nation’s burgeoning baseball tradition. This was a home run derby, but there was no wall to clear nor field for them to depart. There was only a uniquely island setting – a platform on the beach, and baseball players rocketing baseballs past a floating boundary in the bay.



Among the field of 15 was Rays No. 9 prospect Lucius Fox, whose $6 million signing bonus in 2015 remains a record for Bahamian players. The Diamondbacks were...