MANILA, Philippines — NATIONAL junior team standout and Ateneo Junior High School baseball phenom Aiden Lazaro has reached another milestone after embarking on a long-term elite baseball development pathway with the renowned IMG Academy.
Based in Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy is one of the world's leading sports training institutions, known for developing young athletes into elite competitors in their respective sports.
Major League Baseball (MLB) standouts James Wood and Chris Perez and this year's sixth overall pick Zion Rose as well as tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams, Andre Agassi, and Maria Sharapova are among IMG's notable alumni.
Interestingly, IMG Academy's sister brand, IMG Tennis Management, represents Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala whose sporting journey mirrors that of Lazaro.
Both athletes began playing their respective sports at a young age before committing to elite international training at 13—Eala at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, and Lazaro at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Recruiting Lazaro to its vaunted sports program reflects IMG Academy’s confidence in his long-term potential, built on years of consistency and steady development in the local and regional circuit.
Together with his hands-on and devoted mom Shelly, Aiden recently spent considerable time at IMG’s 600-acre campus and sports facilities, where he undertook the first phase of his long-term holistic athletic development plans under former Major League and other professional league baseball coaches, players, and scouts.
The 13-year-old Aiden is also granted access to IMG's Performance & Sports Science Center which oversees his strength and conditioning, speed and agility, mobility, injury prevention, recovery, sports science, as well as nutrition and mental performance.
“I'm excited to immerse myself in a new training environment and learn from everyone at IMG Academy who helped develop some of the top athletes and professional players. I look forward to bringing home everything I gain from this so I could contribute more to my teams in the Philippines," said Lazaro.
"I'm very thankful to IMG Academy for welcoming me into its baseball and holistic athletic training program and for working closely with my mom over the past few months to help create exciting opportunities for my future. I'm humbled by this privilege and I'm ready to work hard to make the most of it."
Lazaro is the first-ever homegrown Filipino baseball talent to become part of the IMG Academy, marking a historic breakthrough not only in his own journey but also for Philippine baseball.
Promising prospect
A member of the Ateneo de Manila baseball varsity since kindergarten at the age of five, Lazaro has served as team captain multiple times across different age divisions. Last school year, he earned a place on Ateneo’s UAAP Juniors roster, becoming the only Grade 7 student and the youngest student ever to play in the UAAP. Lazaro is also a gold medalist in primary baseball with the National Capital Region at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa.
As a member of the Philippine U12 National Team in 2024, he captured the coveted Most RBI (runs batted in) Award at the Asian Baseball Championship in Japan.
Aiden and his mother have just returned to the Philippines in time for the opening of the new academic year. He is now a Grade 8 student in Ateneo and serves as team captain of its Baseball Pony Division.
Aiden will continue to wear the Blue Eagle colors and proudly represent his school and country in local and international competitions, while pursuing a hybrid approach to further develop his baseball skills and work toward his dream of playing in the MLB one day.
Aiden and his mom will shuttle between Manila and Florida for the succeeding phases of his long-term development program with IMG Academy.
Throughout the year, his IMG coaches will closely monitor his progress through online coaching while he’s in Manila, and in-person training during semestral breaks and school holidays, ensuring that all activities complement, rather than interfere with his academic studies and baseball commitments at Ateneo de Manila University. TMT