There has been a lot of discussion about the state of the Cuban players the Dodgers signed in 2015. It has been nearly two years since the Dodgers embarked on a $43,874,000 spending spree on 11 international players, but only three are Cuban. There were also five from the Dominican Republic, one from Venezuela, and one from Nicaragua. Eight of the players are still remain in the organization with 7 being in the MLB Pipeline Organization’s top 24 prospects, and all 7 are between the ages of 18 and 21.
| Home | Signing | Dodger | ||
| Player | Country | Bonus | Prospect | Age |
| Yadier Alveraz | Cuba | $16.0M | #2 | 21 |
| Yusniel Diaz | Cuba | $15.5M | #6 | 20 |
| Omar Estevez | Cuba | $ 6.0M | #11 | 19 |
| Ronnie Brito | DR | $ 2.0M | #20 | 18 |
| Starling Heredia | DR | $ 2.6M | #12 | 18 |
| Oneil Cruz | DR | $950K | #21 | 18 |
| Carlos Rincon | DR | $350K | #24 | 19 |
| Damaso Marte | DR | $300K | Released | |
| Luis Rodriguez | Venezuela | $62.5K | Released | |
| Ramon Rosso | DR | $62K | Released | |
| Aldo Espinoza | Nicaragua | $50K | 18 |
Yadier Alveraz
Alvarez has so much arm speed and athleticism that he delivers overpowering fastballs with ease, sitting at 94-97 mph for innings at a time and touching three digits with little effort. He utilizes three secondary pitches, all of which show potential of becoming plus offerings. His mid-80s slider can be a wipeout pitch at times, he has begun working on a low-80s curveball and his changeup can throw hitters off balance when at its best.
Alvarez’s limited track record included 35 walks in 31 innings in Cuba’s 18-and-under circuit in 2014, but he issued just 11 free passes in 39 1/3 frames in low Class A last year. He still needs to learn to repeat his delivery more consistently, but he might be a frontline starter with just average command. There’s still a lot of projection remaining in his lanky 6-foot-3 frame, so his stuff could get even better. Alveraz reportedly came to camp overweight and out of shape, so he started the year in Extended Spring Training. On April 17, Alveraz was assigned to Rancho Cucumonga Quakes in the California League. On May 29, Alveraz was placed on the temporary inactive list. For 2017, Alveraz has compiled the following in the Cal League.
| W | L | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | ERA | BAA | WHIP | GO/AO |
| 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 30.2 | 34 | 20 | 20 | 2 | 16 | 32 | 5.87 | 0.219 | 1.63 | 1.59 |
Yusniel Diaz
Challenged with an assignment to high Class A in the California League in his pro debut, he acquitted himself well but missed six weeks with recurring issues with his throwing shoulder.
With his quick right-handed stroke and good hand-eye coordination, Diaz barrels balls easily. He focuses on hitting line drives and using the entire field. He shows good discipline at the plate. Diaz does not project to be a big power hitter and figures to max out at 12-15 homers per year.
However, Diaz doesn’t need to be a slugger because the rest of his tools all grade as solid or better. He’s a plus runner who is still figuring out how to use his speed on the basepaths. He has the range and arm strength to man all three outfield spots and he’s capable of playing regularly in center field. For 2017, Diaz returned to the Cal League and his offensive numbers are:
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 46 | 182 | 18 | 44 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 21 | 51 | 0.242 | 0.317 | 0.335 | 0.652 |
Omar Estevez
Estevez has one of the best right-handed swings among Dodgers farmhands and precocious feel for the barrel. He scuffled with pitch recognition at times and got a little aggressive and pull-happy in the initial stages of his debut, then made adjustments and was able to take off. He has some raw power and the ability to translate it into production, which eventually could mean 12-15 homers per season.
An offensive second baseman in the mold of Howie Kendrick, Estevez has fringy speed and arm strength. He has a good internal clock on the field and has shown the Dodgers a little more defensive ability than they expected. He has seen action at shortstop and third base, but he’s not suited for the left side of the infield and doesn’t fit a utility profile.
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 43 | 163 | 22 | 37 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 37 | 0.227 | 0.278 | 0.301 | 0.579 |
Oneil Cruz
Cruz hit well in his introduction to pro ball, batting .294/.367/.444 with 11 steals in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. With his whippy left-handed swing and the leverage provided by his frame, he has considerable power potential that he’ll begin to realize as he gets stronger. His quick hands help him make surprisingly good contact at his young age with such a naturally long stroke.
Cruz has exceptional body control for someone his size and can play a decent shortstop. His size makes him destined to be a third baseman, and he has the agility and arm strength to be a solid defender there. He has been playing more 3B and getting more comfortable at third this year. A long strider who has above-average speed underway, he’ll probably lose a step once he fills out.
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 50 | 195 | 32 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 13 | 62 | 0.231 | 0.274 | 0.313 | 0.586 |
Carlos Rincon
His power potential quickly became evident when he homered 13 times in 52 games while batting .328/.383/.661 between two Rookie leagues in his 2016 pro debut. He made his U.S. debut ahead of schedule in late July and went deep twice in the second game after his arrival.
Already 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds when he turned pro, Rincon has impressive strength and loft in his right-handed swing. The Dodgers have faith in his ability to hit for average as well as for power, However to reach his potential, he is going to have to tone down his extremely aggressive approach and make consistent contact against better pitching.
Rincon moves well for his size, though he may lose some of his presently average speed as he matures physically. He’s raw defensively but could become an average right fielder with more experience. He has the solid arm strength desired at his position. Carlos’ started his 2017 in the Midwest League at Great Lakes, full season A League. His numbers are as follows:
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 38 | 151 | 20 | 39 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 31 | 13 | 63 | 0.258 | 0.321 | 0.503 | 0.825 |
Starling Heredia
Already physically imposing at age 18, Heredia carries more than the listed 200 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame. He combines bat speed, strength and leverage from the right side of the plate and can drive the ball great distances. There are no red flags with his swing or approach, though he’ll have to make the necessary adjustments as he faces better quality pitching.
Though Heredia spent most of his debut in left field and Los Angeles plans to give him more time in center in 2017, he projects more as a right fielder. He has the strong arm for the position and figures to lose some speed as he continues to mature physically. If he hones his instincts and stays on top of his conditioning, he can become an average defender in right.
Ronnie Brito
He made his pro debut last summer in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, batting .228/.352/.345 but establishing his credentials as the best middle-infield defender in the system.
Though he’s years away from the big leagues at this point, it’s not difficult to project Brito as a possible Gold Glover. With his quick first step, smooth actions and advanced instincts, he covers plenty of ground at shortstop. Soft hands and a strong arm round out a complete defensive package.
Once Brito gets stronger, he could provide some offense as well. A switch-hitter, he has a patient approach and solid speed that will help him hit for average. He also has the bat speed to perhaps provide double-digit home run power as well.
At first glance, the above numbers do not appear to be very impressive or worthy of the cost allocated to these international players. However, when you factor in their age and where they have come from, you might look at their accomplishments in a different light. Each player is at least 2.0 years younger than the average age of their respective leagues. Cruz and Diaz are starting to heat up a little more. Rincon is in the top three in HRs in the Midwest League and top 10 in RBIs. I would expect to see both Brito and Heredia in the US with the AZL Dodgers this summer.
MINOR LEAGUE REPORT (06-04-17)
OKC Dodgers lost to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) 3-1 this afternoon. Justin Masterson went 6.1 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts and took the loss. Justin threw 98 pitches. In his first rehab assignment, Luis Avilan pitched 1 inning and allowed 2 runs on 1 hits, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Joe Broussard and Layne Somsen continued their excellent relief work with no runs allowed in their 1.2 innings. Taylor Jungmann was the winning pitcher for the Sky Sox. Some of you may remember Taylor as a very capable rookie starting pitcher for the Brewers in 2015. However he followed that season up with a not very good 2016 campaign.
As I responded to Mark in the last thread, Julio Urias has been held back just in case they need him to go Tuesday instead of McCarthy.
Tulsa Drillers won for the third time in 4 games in walk-off fashion. Going into the bottom of the 9th trailing 9-7, Edwin Rios clubbed his 11th HR with a runner on to tie the game. After Jacob Scavuzzo struck out, Matt Beatty hit the walk off solo HR with 2 outs in the 9th for a 10-9 victory. The Tulsa starter was Isaac Anderson and he went 4 innings, allowing 7 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, strikeouts, and 3 HR. I am usually very up-beat when writing about minor leaguers, but it sure appears that Isaac is overmatched in AA this year. I cannot remember him having a good game. Shea Spitzbarth came on in the 6th in relief and went 2.1 innings. He put two runners on base in the 8th and was then relieved by Karch Kowalczyk. Karch promptly allowed a base hit to score one of the runners and send one to third. That runner then scored on a WP by Karch, making both runners Shea’s earned runs.
Besides the 9th inning heroics, the Drillers had 12 hits in total. Matt Beatty led the team with 3 hits including his 4th HR. Tim Locastro with a double (14) and HR (2) had two hits, as did Edwin Rios and Erick Mejia. Today, 28 year old FA OF Quincy Lattimore was signed to a minor league contract and started in LF. Quincy had 2 hits including his first double for the Drillers. Welcome to Tulsa and the Dodger organization, Quincy.
The Great Lakes Loons smashed 15 hits on their way to a 11-0 win over the Bowling Green Hot Reds (Rays). The pitching star was Dustin May who went 7 strong shutout innings (83 pitches) allowing 5 hits and no walks while striking out 7 for his 3rd win of the year. Sven Schuller pitched the final two shutout innings. Errol Robinson and Oneil Cruz had 4 hits each today. Robinson was one HR shy of hitting for the cycle. Cody Thomas had three hits including hi 7th double and 10th HR. Cody is now 3rd in the league with his 10 HRs.
RC Quakes lost to the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 6-4. Adam Bray was not very effective in his start today. Adam allowed 6 runs on 7 hits in his 3.1 innings pitched. His big undoing was that of the 7 hits, 3 were HRs. Daniel Corcino, Tony Gonsolin, and Andrew Istler combined for 5.2 shutout innings on 1 hit in relief. The Quakes outhit the Nuts 9 to 8, but the game is decided on runs. Leading the offense was Yusniel Diaz who along with the Loons Oneil Cruz is really starting to heat up. Diaz had three hits including his 4th HR and second in back to back games. Omar Estevez hit his 2nd HR. Will Smith had a 2 RBI double to account for the final two runs.
The Quakes welcomed back Joey Curletta who spent most of last year in RC. Joey was included in the AJ Ellis and Carlos Ruiz trade last year. Joey was later traded to Seattle earlier this year.
Discussion (57)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I hate these spell checkers who change your words. It should be strike zone and not strategy zone.
I agree with the umps. It needs to change. I watched the game on ESPN and they had the strategy zone up all night. A lot of missed calls. Seattle also has the strike zone up. The Dodgers do not show the strike zone very often.
Morrow is starting to look like a keeper. FAZ, you have three players on the team who are not helping. It is time to get rid of them. Colorado and Arizona are not going away.
Quas, you’re so right about the umps… I was always sort of a purist keeping umps/human element in the game, but the guy who started my change of heart was Joe West… A bona fide bung hole… Now arrogance seems to be the attitude and when in the hell did following after players become chic… Emmit Ashford be rolling over in his grave…
Brandon Morrow just looked good going 1-2-3 vs their murderer’s row (granted Zimmerman hit a hard ground ball to short). This definitely gets him into higher leverage situations now.
Dodgers bats stalled again. Why is Eibner on the team?
Ryu, Maeda , Hill don’t give the team a chance to compete – too many 4 and 5 inning starts, fall behind early too often
Somehow we’ve got to make enough noise to take the opportunities away from umpires making bad calls on pitches. There’s just way too many game changing bad calls to keep putting up with it. If they were accurate through baseball history the record book would surely look different. The tech has been around and it’s nothing short of fact that umpires can’t get it right. I don’t think any umpire has ever gotten any game completely right. And then they top their inaccuracies with unwarranted arrogance. Baseball’s history books shouldn’t be written by umps.
I read that article from Cole and I liked his words, and video on Joe Ferguson.
1. He was scheduled to start Saturday but had the flu.
2. I believe they botched his innings on purpose two years ago and now this year. They are trying to limit his innings.
3. I think the gloves are off now. They want those innings to come in the playoffs. They were saving him for that.
4. I believe that in the playoffs Julio Urias will be the Dodgers #3 at worst, #2 at best!
5. Howard Cole is a journalist who writes what people like to hear. He’s very good.
Here’s Howard Cole’s take on how the Dodgers are messing Julio Urias up:
“Urias has pitched on four days rest once in his last seven minor and major league starts and is scheduled to start tonight on eight days rest. How he’s expected to get into a rhythm with that kind of treatment, I have no idea…
–
They’re jerking the young man around and it has to stop. If they’re not careful Urias won’t pitch the 150-170 innings he’s projected to this season, and they’ll have to limit him yet again in 2018.”
Kike at 1st base tonight as the Dodgers figure out how they can field 9 Second Baseman at the same time. They must have forgot to pencil in Utley and put Taylor at Short. On a serious note, I’m not sure why the guy who has experience at 1st, Forsythe, wouldn’t play there while Kike plays 3rd, but I guess they value Forsythe’s excellent D at 3rd.
Before Mark took the year off I brought up at LADodgertalk that I was having very strong feelings that some form of massive doom soon ahead and asked if anybody else had feeling of the like. Badger asked if I was referring to ‘nibiru’ and I had to say”I don’t know” as that was the first time I heard of nibiru or anything relating to such. Those strong feelings left me after asking if someone might also feel disaster coming soon. I’m having those feelings again but not from me. The revisiting feelings of doom are a substantiation through youtube on the endless content about ‘nibiru’ all saying it’s arrived they all say there’s only moments left. At the great risk of appearing like a complete rube to my friends here that the first feelings of this started inside of my gut. If I’m any sort of a prophet I’m not a very good one. But sadly other things in the past came true that I had expressed feelings of. I wish I paid more attention and believed my gut even though my gut is more often wrong than right many fold. But with all the substantiation I just want to say I hope all is well and that you all fair well if trouble is ahead. I hope I’m just a silly fool and soon embarrassed from this comment. Peace friends!
The Dodgers spent big because it was one of the last opportunities to do so before new international spending limits kicked in. Even the lower spending Padres did the same thing the following year. If a team was ever going to go in big for an international player it would be for this guy, the Japanese Babe Ruth who can hit and pitch, Shohei Ohtani:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2695575-shohei-ohtani-the-best-baseball-player-in-the-world-isnt-in-mlbyet
http://www.truebluela.com/2016/12/3/13829292/dodgers-international-restrictions-mlb-cba-shohei-otani
Great post AC. Very helpful summary! Your insight on the Dodger minor league players has been very enjoyable to follow.
I view the Dodger prospects much like I do my grand kids. I know other people have cute grand kids, however, they’re just not as cute and special as mine. Same with the prospects, other teams have them too, but ours are ours and, therefore, much more special.
I sincerely appreciate your perspective and articles. I don’t post often, but I do read the posts every day.
Meanwhile the Dodgers return home to host the Nats, Ryu against Gio Gonzales and need to shake everything off and win tonight as they face Sherzer tomorrow against McCarthy or possibly Urias. The Rockies host the Indians and the Snakes host the Pads.
–
The MLB Draft is around the corner and it is obvious they need some 3B prospects and natural CF’s. A RH 1B with power might be nice too. Hoping they spend the top few picks in those areas. They have addressed SS and C already and surely will draft some pitchers. I predict mostly college players ready to produce sooner rather than later.
The summary doesn’t include all of the Cubans signed by the Braintrust. Unmentioned are:
1 – Pablo Fernandez, singed to an $8MM bonus on 5/19/15
2 – Hector Olivera singed to a $62.5 MM contract on 5/19/15
3 – Yasiel Sierra signed to a $30 MM contract on 2/21/16.
That’s $100 MM to guys who never played a major league inning before their signing and who may never play another one.
Great summary AC on the status of international signings. McCourt set the Dodgers back by his decisions to buy houses instead of investing in international signings.
.
On May 29, Alveraz was placed on the temporary inactive list. Do you know what that is all about?
Excellent post AC. Your insight is invaluable.
Always, this is a response to your comment on the last thread.
.
You asked where would Taylor play if not CF. The Dodgers do not have an answer for second base for the next 5 years unless Taylor or Lux plays there. Lux is a question mark and Taylor is an exclamation mark. Forsythe will be gone at the end of the year unless the Dodgers pick up the 2018 option option year and why would they do that when they have a better player for second in Taylor.
.
CF is a key defensive position and should have a very good defensive player there. Joc is a very good defensive CFer. A slow start to this year is no indication of him all of a sudden losing it offensively. He clearly is working with Ward and he has hit the ball harder on average than any other player on the team even with his slow start.
.
Bellinger has become an all or nothing hitter over the last 30 games and his average over that time is .219 and has struck out 42% of his ABs during that time. That is Joc like after Joc’s hot start in 2015. Forsythe has 4 hits in his last 35 at bats.
.
I agree with everybody that Taylor should stay in the lineup but at second base and not CF. Bellinger is trending toward a visit to Oklahoma more than he is trending to ROY. So, before we give up on Joc and disrespect the loyalty to a guy that sacrifices his body in an all-out effort on defense by not giving him his job back when he returns from that injury, lets put the future second baseman at second base now.
.
The bench should be Hernandez, Forsythe, Utley, Barnes. That is a strong and versatile bench.
.
2B Taylor
SS Seager
3B Turner
C Grandal (hit him cleanup to humor Grandal lovers)
1B Gonzales
CF Pederson
LF Bellinger
RF Puig
Great post AC, as usual. There is a lot of talent among those players who are very young. We should know more in two years…