SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- Almost all of the 50 teenagers who traveled from their homes in the Dominican Republic to the Chicago suburb for this week’s Dominican Prospect League’s Elite Underclass Series had never been on an airplane.

Only a few had seen a park as modern as Boomers Stadium, home of the local Independent team and the location of the event. But once the boys stepped on the field -- with scouts from every Major League team watching from the stands -- they immediately felt at home. This is exactly where they wanted and needed to be.

Baseball is baseball, and it doesn’t matter where the game is being played.

This week’s DPL event, which features prospects from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 classes, began Monday with hitting, fielding and running drills. The prospects, who were divided into four teams, will play two games from Tuesday through Thursday.

More than 3,000 players have participated in the DPL and approximately 700 have signed since the league began 10 years ago. More than two dozen DPL alumni have played in the Majors -- a list that includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Franmil Reyes, Ronald Guzmán, Juan Soto, Miguel Andújar and Willy Adames. Indians star José Ramírez also played in the DPL as a teen.

The list of DPL alumni to play in the Schaumburg event in the past includes Giants shortstop prospect Marco Luciano, the club’s No. 3 ranked prospect and Bayron Lora, who is ranked No. 3 on the 2019 Top 30 International Prospects list. The list of possible future stars on this year’s travel team includes outfielder Yasser Mercedes (2021), outfielder Randy DeJesus (2021), shortstop Miguel Tamares (2021) and outfielder Fidel Montero (2020).

This week’s DPL showcase is part of a busy stretch on the international front. Close to 600 prospects have already signed with Major League clubs since the international signing period began on July 2. That total should double by the time the period ends on June 15, 2020.

Major League Baseball’s Trainer Partnership program also has a showcase for prospects from Venezuela scheduled for next month, and there are a number of other programs in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela that have international prospect showcases in the works. The Trainer Partnership Program also has an event for prospects from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic scheduled for November during the General Managers meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In all, there are more that 1,280 players, 27 trainers from Venezuela and 42 trainers from the Dominican Republic participating in the Training Partnership Program. Among its many initiatives, the partnership includes a focus on prospect education regarding health and the safe development of players, including the avoidance of PED use.

Last week, league officials met with club officials, primarily international directors, to discuss the state of international scouting and the possibility of an international draft.

“Generally, the international directors are for an international draft, but I’m sure some don’t want to,” an NL international director said. “But there seems to be momentum. In some ways, a draft would make it less challenging because we would be able to focus on one class and track players in one class instead of several different years and classes at once.”

One American League international director said he is approaching this week’s showcase in Schaumburg as a pre-draft combine.

“I’m for whatever rules they put in. We can do a draft,” another NL Scout said. “We already have a draft board with guys if it ever happens. We will be ready for whatever rules they put in place, but right now I’m watching these guys do their thing and focusing on the now.”