BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic -- Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara wishes he could turn back time.

Though it might seem hard to believe for Miami's National League Cy Young candidate, that's exactly how Alcantara felt shortly after taking a tour of the Marlins' new state-of-the-art player development complex on Friday afternoon.

The 35-acre plot of land -- more than double the size of the old academy and adjacent to the Rangers' -- is a combination of college campus and Spring Training site, featuring baseball and residential facilities meant to help international signees holistically develop as ballplayers and people. It features three Major League-size playing fields, an agility field, four covered batting cage tunnels and a covered set of six pitching mounds, along with a two-story athletic and administration building and a separate residential complex. Remarkably, it was completed on time in 16 months and on budget with a $15 million investment.

"Seeing that kind of academy, big, so nice and beautiful, it's something that I didn't have before when I signed, but I think it's going to be good for those players to feel more comfortable and get more privacy," said Alcantara, who first signed with St. Louis in 2013. "They can talk to the guy outside on the street [and say], 'Hey, we've got the best complex in the world and in a nice area.'"

That's what the Marlins hope, as they try to build "un legado de excelencia," or "legacy of excellence." That mantra is emblazoned on a mural in the communal courtyard, a covered staircase designed to host large group meetings and ceremonies. It's the spot where Alcantara and fellow Dominican Marlins Edward Cabrera, Bryan De La Cruz, Jerar Encarnacion, and top prospect Eury Pérez marveled along with chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman, as well as chief operating officer Caroline O’Connor.

Each person had a different favorite feature. Adrian Lorenzo, the senior director of international operations, believes the weight room -- complete with an upper cardio deck, training room and hydrotherapy room -- rivals any Power 5 conference in the United States. In a nod to the excellence the organization aims to achieve, banners of the 1997 and 2003 World Series clubs hang from the ceiling.

Cabrera, whom Miami signed in July 2015, appreciated the housing the most. It could be difficult to sleep at the old academy with every international signee sharing a room lined with beds. Now, there are airy dorm rooms -- four players to each -- with enough space for the two Dominican Summer League teams and those awaiting tryouts.

Pérez enjoyed the two recreational spaces for players to relax, socialize and entertain. While Sherman and Cabrera battled it out in ping pong, he tried out the foosball table. He didn't have that luxury a couple years ago, when the only option was to chat outside the room, wait for dinner and then head back afterward. Still, Pérez credits the experience for helping him develop into one of the top prospects in baseball.

"It did help me a lot just being in that type of academy, to be honest," Pérez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. "I was always working hard and focused on trying to get out of it. That was the main thought. I had a lot of help from some of the veteran players in there, too, who had more time than me. But I was continuously working hard to just jump and go to the United States."

The kitchen/cafeteria area will serve each player's nutritional needs for peak athletic performance, including maintaining sufficient calorie intake, adequate hydration and the proper timing of meals. The educational center has four classrooms and the computer learning center has nearly 50 computers/workstations.

Sherman, whose mother and wife were schoolteachers, gravitated to those areas. The key to building a world-class organization and sustainable franchise, in his opinion, is a "full-blown" commitment on the international scene. He nodded his head in the direction of Cabrera and Pérez when saying so.

"I'm extraordinarily excited about the academy," Sherman said. "This place is just incredible. The facilities for baseball are one thing, but more importantly, facilities for these young athletes to go for their dream. The medical facilities, the training facilities and food facilities, the housing facilities and most importantly, the classroom facilities, because not everybody can make it. Everybody wants to make it, but giving people an education, it's just incredible."

Despite it being a quick sojourn to the homeland, Alcantara made sure to spend some of his time at the academy by imparting wisdom to the future generation of ballplayers, leaving personalized notes at the lockers of prospects scheduled to begin a strength camp on Sunday. During Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, Alcantara spoke directly to local youth from Liga Ozoria wearing arm sleeves that read "lifetime Marlin" and Alcantara T-shirts.

"Just be disciplined and have some respect," Alcantara said. "Follow the rules, listen to your parents, very important, and just work hard. Just leave everything in God's hands. Got to keep working hard. Don't be fooling around. Just got to make sure you keep working hard and make things happen."

Time will tell whether they heed that advice. Or if the complex moves the needle in recruiting. Lorenzo is certain that at the very least, the new facility has raised the floor and the ceiling, so to speak.

"I know I'm a little biased, but I think we have the best academy in Latin America, period," Lorenzo said. "I'm sure some of the teams will push back on that, and they should, and I like that competitive component. But at the end of the day, I think we just took massive leaps forward in terms of the Marlins' presence in Latin America, and also the quality of the development that our players will receive."