Monday, January 18, 2010

Dominican Winter League Breakdown

The DWL is currently in its final series, so I will keep an eye on it and see if any new players crop up that I want to watch (unlikely), and if there are, they will be included in the minors June wrap up.

The DWL is an offensive league and an older league, so there wasn't a ton to look at, but here is what I saw:

Hitters
Constanza, Jose: Age 26, Cleveland Indians Organization
The OF put up solid numbers, though he only played at AA at the age of 25. Solid hitter, but was a hitter that I got a feel that he was up there trying to force a walk rather then trying to get a hit. This is a guy that will never hit for much power at all, but is a plus runner. He profiles as a 4th OF who is limited to LF or CF due to a below average arm and he won't offer much with the bat. Not much of an upside to him, but he will likely get a few major league at bats at some point.
Francisco, Juan: Age 22, Cincinnati Reds Organization
Francisco can mash. He can also get into slumps. Another guy who swings at whatever is there, he reminds me of Pablo Sandoval, though he is just a left handed stick. They are built very similarly, profile similarly offensively and have/had defensive question marks in regards to 3B. As it relates to Francisco, he is a pull heavy hitter who is beginning to have the shift put on for him (or are at least heavily shading that way). He is a big swinger who takes the swing hard in case you hit it approach and has the strikeout number to prove it. He can jam himself at times also. He will hit for power and I think he will hit for a solid enough average. Defensively, I think he can stay at the hot corner, but has the arm (plus) to try the OF and see if that fits (since 1B is not an option with Votto coming up and Alonso behind him)
Lake, Junior: Age 19, Chicago Cubs Organization
Hi, I ooze tools. He is everything you look for in a prospect. He has all 5 tools, though they are still extremely raw. Offensively, he has a pull heavy approach and the pitch recognition of a 19 year old. If I was a hitting coach, I would love to have him and be able to refine what he does (though not as much as a prospect that is a little lower on this list). Has some things within his swing that he needs to refine (such as a longer trigger that creates a hitch, shortening his swing, etc.) but the raw tools are there for success. Defensively, he plays an above average shortstop with a good first steop on balls to his right and an above average arm with good footwork turning the double play. Needs to not stab at the ball with the backhand and just receive it, but he profiles very well as an All-Star shortstop (granted, is at least 3 years away) and a good defensive one. If Starlin Castro forces him off short, he should have more then enough bat to handle 2B and enough to handle 3B.
Peguero, Francisco: Age 21, San Francisco Giants Organization
If you thought Lake was raw, Peguero is even rawer. He has more tools then an Acme Toolbox, but is still learning to translate them. He has one of the worst stances and swings I have seen and he will need a lot of work to refine them. He is a pull heavy hitter who triggers too early and struggles to recognize off-speed stuff. He pounds the ball in the ground, which doesn't allow his average power to play, but does allow his plus speed (3.80, 4.01 to 1st... as a righty) to play. Defensively, hear he has an above average arm, but does put his plus speed to use with solid routes and a good 1st step. Still has a ton of questions to answer, but this is a guy to watch and he could be a future Vladimir Guerrero if absolutely everything falls right. I am not that optimistic.
Pitchers
Del Rosario, Enerio: Age 25, Cincinnati Reds Organization
Del Rosario was a recent addition to the Reds 40 man roster so they wouldn't lose him in the Rule V draft and that was a good decision. Saw him 3 separate times and he operates with a fastball at 86-88 and a slider at 80-82. He comes from a 3/4 arm angle and his fastball has good run in on righties and good sink that is very difficult for hitters to elevate, making him an ideal candidate to be a situational reliever. His slider is serviceable enough, but isn't an out pitch and he won't put up big strikeout numbers. A mini version of Darren O'Day, he should be a solid reliever for the Reds and wouldn't be surprised if he broke camp with the team in April.
Pena, Tony: Age 28, San Francisco Giants Organization
After playing SS failed due to his inability to hit, he was converted to pitching by the Royals and posted some intriguing numbers. He signed as a minor league free agent with the Giants for this upcoming season. He was a guy I was excited to see, but he didn't pitch like your typical convert. He doesn't feature a big fastball, instead sitting at 87-89 with a sinker that can elicit groundballs and he threw a raw change at 79. His mechanics (even working only from the stretch) still need a lot of work and he is a lot of arm in his delivery. You hope he may add velocity focusing on pitching everyday, but he profiles as no better then a solid middle reliever, and one that will require more work then a normal pitcher.
Oneli Perez: Age 26, St. Louis Cardinals Organization
Perez intrigued me by putting up some pretty solid numbers for AAA Memphis this year, but he is what he is. He is not an overwhelming pitcher and is a guy who should be able to get AAA hitters out fairly consistently, but just lacks the stuff to do it in the majors. He was 89-91 with his fastball, a sinker variety and was 77-80 with his slider, which is average but can't be an out pitch. You will see him in the major leagues a couple more times.
Juan Perez: Age 31, Los Angeles Dodgers Organization (LHP)
The oldest guy I looked at, he put up some nice strikeout numbers at AAA Gwinnett and signed as a minor league free agent with the Dodgers. I only saw him once (and he only threw 1 fastball at 86), but he looks like he is just AAA depth. He also threw a curve at 75-77 that was a sweeping pitch with above average tilt and was a true swing and miss offering, but he doesn't have the FB velocity to not have major league hitters sit on it.
Rosa, Carlos: Age 24, Kansas City Royals Organization
Rosa is a guy I have always liked and wanted to see how he looked as a starter. I am still holding out hope, but his start I watched wasn't good (only lasted 2 innings) and struggled to throw strikes with his fastball out of the windup. For the outing, he showed a fastball at 90-94 with good movement and inconsistent command, a slider at 86-88 that was tight but didn't have great movement, a below average curve at 78 and a change at 84-86 that was usable. Is a major league arm, but he probably does profile better as a reliever, though if I am KC I make him prove it by starting him a few times this coming season.
Severino, Atahualpa: Age 25, Washington Nationals Organization (LHP)
His first name is quite the treat. Anyways, Severino is a 5-9, 170 pound lefty reliever who doesn't have much growth left. The first 2 games I saw, he was 88-90 with his fastball and 77-80 with his slider. His last outing I saw, he sat at 90-92 (had read reports he touched 94) and showed a slider at 79. His slider is more of a slurve, but it should be enough to get out lefties and righties if his velocity stays at 90-92. Solid reliever prospect who probably profiles as a 2nd lefty in a pen and one better suited to face lefties (in the DWL, he was used as a LOOGY, facing only the occasional right handed bat)
Valdez, Jose: Age 26, Houston Astros Organization
Valdez signed as a minor league free agent after coming out of the Yankees organization (and putting up some solid strikeout numbers). The 6-4 Valdez needs to be locked in a weight room for a while, as he is just 185 pounds and is built like a stringbean. However, the one thing that is known about him is he has a big arm, sitting at 93-94 with his fastball and touching 95 and showing a slurve that I classified as a curveball at 79-83. His fastball is major league ready and is a worthwhile risk by the Astros to see if they can tighten his off-speed pitch into something major league ready.