Ateneo High School baseball standout 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 premier sports training institutions, known for developing young athletes into elite competitors across various sports.
Among its notable alumni are Major League Baseball standouts James Wood and Chris Perez, 2026 sixth overall MLB Draft pick Zion Rose, and tennis legends Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Andre Agassi, and Maria Sharapova.
Interestingly, IMG Academy’s sister brand, IMG Tennis Management, represents Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala, whose sporting journey shares similarities with Lazaro’s.
Both athletes began playing their respective sports at a young age before committing to elite international training at 13 years old—Eala at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, and Lazaro at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
IMG Academy’s decision to recruit Lazaro into its prestigious baseball program reflects its confidence in his long-term potential, built on years of consistent development and strong performances in the local and regional baseball scene.
Together with his hands-on and supportive mother, Shelly, Aiden recently spent considerable time at IMG’s 600-acre campus, where he completed the first phase of his long-term holistic athletic development program under the guidance of former Major League Baseball coaches, professional league coaches, players, and scouts.
The 13-year-old also has access to IMG’s Performance & Sports Science Center, which oversees his strength and conditioning, speed and agility, mobility, injury prevention, recovery, nutrition, sports science, and mental performance.
(C) IMG Academy
“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 can 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 homegrown Filipino baseball player to become part of IMG Academy, marking a historic milestone not only in his own career but also for Philippine baseball.
A member of the Ateneo Blue Eagles program since kindergarten at the age of five, Lazaro has served as team captain across multiple age divisions. Last school year, he earned a spot on Ateneo’s high school roster, becoming the only Grade 7 student and the youngest player ever to compete in the UAAP baseball tournament. He is also a gold medalist in primary baseball, having represented the National Capital Region at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa.
As a member of the Philippine Under-12 National Team in 2024, Lazaro won the Most RBIs Award at the Asian Baseball Championship in Japan.
Aiden and his mother recently returned to the Philippines in time for the opening of the new academic year. Now a Grade 8 student at Ateneo, he serves as team captain of the school’s Pony Division baseball team.
Lazaro will continue to wear the Blue Eagle colors while proudly representing both his school and the Philippines in local and international competitions, pursuing a hybrid development program as he works toward his dream of one day playing in Major League Baseball.
As part of the long-term program, Aiden and his mother will regularly travel between Manila and Florida for the succeeding phases of his training at IMG Academy.
Throughout the year, IMG’s coaching staff will closely monitor his progress through online coaching while he is in Manila and conduct in-person training during semestral breaks and school holidays. This setup ensures that his athletic development complements, rather than disrupts, his academic studies and baseball commitments at Ateneo de Manila.
