A Baseball Passion Fulfills Kids and Janitronics Warehouse Manager’s Heart

BOSTON — Janitronics Building Services’ Warehouse Manager, Rafael Moscat, grew up in the town of Bani, in the Dominican Republic, playing baseball daily as a child. His passion and commitment to the game brought him to the professional level, playing for a few years on the Caribbean Island.

Twenty years ago, Moscat and a friend wanted to give back to their Roslindale, MA community by starting a non-profit baseball league for the local kids. “I never thought I would be able to coach or get involved with baseball here, with working so much and having a busy family life, but it is something that I wanted to do.”

Moscat’s tireless commitment and thousands of hours over two decades have seen his Boston Stars League max out yearly, with 160 kids ranging from Tee Ball to 18U - beginning the season in April and ending in September. “From the beginning, we wanted to give the kids a ‘next-level’ baseball experience by offering them longer practices and skills.” Its mission is to teach discipline, responsibility, and sportsmanship.

Today, the league has 22 volunteers running 12 teams while continuing to grow the program in the inner city of Boston impressively. “It’s not me, it’s the big team of volunteers,” Moscat humbly injects.

It was in 2017 when the Warehouse Manager decided to bring some of the older kids to his childhood community, where he was taught and excelled on the field, in his native Dominican town of Bani. Most players have family and friends in the country, some of whom they had never seen. “It was a great experience, but It was not an easy time, everyone had to pay for themselves, and after that first trip we knew it was too much money to work.”

Thereafter, Moscat created a raffle ticket system to help finance a portion of the trip. Then, six years ago, when Janitronics’ President, COO David Connolly overheard details of the DR trip, he and Senior Management offered to get the company involved in support of the cause. “Janitronics is amazing, they told me they would help the kids and make the trip possible, and an even better once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Moscat said Janitronics makes it possible for the players to stay in a safe, clean village with ample food very close to the park where they play against some of the best players in the Dominican. “I’m truly thankful for the company - we are lucky.”

Moscat and the Boston Stars recently returned from their February 2025 tournament. The latest trip was an extra special one as the team brought 3 bags of baseball supplies to the town of Bani. “They don’t have a lot of money … the equipment idea came from one of my players, Kiki Peguero, who started collecting new and used baseball supplies last year. It is something we are very proud of.”

Smiling, Moscat was eager to report that the team had won 4 out of 6 games in seven days, and he says he owes his good fortune to so many, including his wife, for allowing him to fulfill his passion. ”It fills my heart. It’s something that money cannot buy … when you see all the progress of the players, you feel like you’re still playing. I want to do it forever.”

Boston Stars Players at Puerto Bani Stadium

Boston Stars hand out Baseball Equipment to Local kids in Bani