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SAN ANTONIO DE GUERRA, Dominican Republic -- One dirt path now stands out from the others nearby it on the outskirts of San Antonio de Guerra, Dominican Republic. Take that driveway, and immediately, there’s a building with an orange cartoon bird plastered on the side.

The Orioles have arrived in the Dominican Republic.

Well, technically, the Orioles had already been there. They increased their international signing efforts in recent years, and they had a facility in the Caribbean country. But it was nothing like the new state-of-the-art academy unveiled by the team with an opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Baltimore’s Caribbean, Central and South American player development operations will be housed at the academy, which covers 22 1/2 acres and has a similar feel to the club’s Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., the home of Spring Training and Minor League operations. International signees should greatly benefit from the new facility.

It’s time to share some of the sights and sounds gathered from the academy on Tuesday, which was a day a little more than five years in the making for the Orioles’ organization.

The housing

When parking on the north side of the new academy, the first two buildings a person encounters are the ones featuring dormitory-style rooms, entertainment spaces, classrooms, a computer lab and a dining room. International prospects who stay there will get on-site learning via a personalized education plan.

“It’s a beautiful place. Like all the complexes, they look like resorts more than actual baseball complexes,” said Nelson Cruz, who was among the former Orioles players in attendance at Tuesday’s ceremony. “They have all they need, and hopefully, they can take advantage of it.”

The fields

In the center of the academy, there’s an observation deck that offers pristine views of all three baseball fields constructed at the facility. Each is in tremendous condition and will allow international prospects to play in game situations on the best possible surfaces.

“It’s way different than the complex that I was able to experience when I was with the Orioles,” former pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez said. “And that’s great, because they don’t have any excuse to not have great players from Latin countries. They have the facility, they have good player development, they have everything.”

The equipment areas

The fields are much like the ones in Sarasota. So are the surrounding equipment areas, which include sports turf for agility drills, batting cages and pitching tunnels. One of the mounds has been dedicated to the late Luis Andrés Ortiz Soriano, a former Orioles Minor Leaguer who died after a battle with cancer in 2023.

There’s also a weight room next to the aforementioned equipment areas.

“It’s first class, there’s no doubt. It is a top-of-the-line type of facility,” O’s manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just a really, really well-designed facility, and I’m looking forward to our young players using it.”

The presence

The Orioles’ academy will surely help in their efforts to land top international prospects, which have become a primary focus for the organization since general manager Mike Elias was hired in November 2018.

“I know for a long time when I was playing with the Orioles, I would just think about, ‘Why don’t the Orioles get a complex in Latin America?’” former Baltimore third baseman Melvin Mora said. “This is great for this country, and this is great for Latin America, and this is great for the team.”

Added former O’s outfielder and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr.: “It makes me really happy. As a Dominican, I feel really proud that the Orioles did this, and I hope other teams continue to do this in the future.”

The final thing players will see when departing via the west exit of the academy? A message reminding them of where they’ll all hope to end up one day:

The highest single-season batting average by an Orioles player over the past 20 seasons belongs to Melvin Mora. What did he hit in 2004?

A) .322
B) .336
C) .340
D) .355

The Orioles hosted a clinic for kids from throughout the Dominican Republic on Wednesday morning at the Dominican Academy, one day after the facility opened. Coaches and current/former players were on hand to teach baseball skills to the participants.

Also, the club and the Orioles Advocates provided the attendees with 150 baseball gloves, which were gathered at collections held in Baltimore throughout the 2023 season.

“Think about it -- if you’re a young kid and you get to come out and play with superstars from your country, and even from those not in the country, that has got to be one of the coolest experiences of your life,” Orioles executive vice president of public affairs Kerry Watson said.

During last month’s Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., the Orioles made their biggest move of the offseason thus far, signing Craig Kimbrel to serve as their fill-in closer for 2024. However, the transaction occurred after Hyde’s media session, so reporters didn’t get a chance to ask the skipper about his new ninth-inning arm.

On Tuesday, I asked Hyde for his thoughts on having the 35-year-old Kimbrel close games in the upcoming season.

“Craig has had an incredible career so far. I think he’s still got a lot left in the tank,” Hyde said. “We saw him last year in Philadelphia; he looked like Craig Kimbrel. ... He’s one of the elite closers of our generation, and of all time. I’m really excited to add him.”

The Orioles have released their promotional schedule for the 2024 season. Among the most noteworthy giveaway items: a City Connect Hawaiian shirt (June 29 vs. Texas), a City Connect reversible floppy hat (July 26 vs. San Diego) and bobbleheads of Brandon Hyde (April 27 vs. Oakland), Mr. Splash (May 10 vs. Arizona), Anthony Santander (June 1 vs. Tampa Bay) and Gunnar Henderson (Aug. 23 vs. Houston).

The presale for single-game tickets begins Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. ET, then tickets go on sale for the general public on Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. ET.

C) .340

Mora still resides in Fallston, Md., with his wife, Gisel, and their six kids -- five of whom are 22-year-old quintuplets.

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