[情報] Top Dominican Prospects in the NL
The National League seems to have the better prospects from the Dominican
Republic at this time, but with all prospects it can be a crap shoot.
Character and determination have as much of an impact on their capabilty to
make the major leagues as do their physical tools. Below is a list of
myworld's top ten prospects from the Dominican Republic.
1. Pedro Alvarez 3B (Pirates) - Pedro was born in the Dominican Republic, and
like Manny Ramirez moved to the New York area to play high school ball,
specifically the Washington Heights neigborhood, a borough of Manhatten. He
looked overmatched in the at bat I saw from him during spring training, but
he's getting some good at bats that I'm not seeing. It won't take him long
to fit into the Pirates starting lineup. Some question his work ethic as he
reported to camp a bit overweight. Many question his defense at third base.
Being a big man (6′2〃, 225) he may lose the flexibility to play the
position, but he has a strong arm and quick hands so the Pirates will work
him there and allow him to fail before moving him. There is always first
base or the outfield. He, Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata should be the
face of the Pirates franchise for many years to come. If you watched the
Pirates trot out some of their minor leaguers, you had to be impressed what
they were doing down there.
2. Fernando Martinez OF (Mets) - No one questions Fernando's bat. It is his
ability to stay healthy that is the big impediment for him to have success in
the major leagues. He's had three seasons in the minor leagues and he has
yet to play over 90 games. This winter he was having a lot of success, but
he had to put an end to it because of a strained right elbow. This limited
him to DH duties this spring and did not give him an opportunity to compete
for the left field job. His other injuries included a bone bruise to his
hand and a knee sprain in 2006; a broken hammate bone to his hand in 2007;
and problems with his hamstring in 2008. He is still only 20 years old so
playing in AA or AAA is not an insult. The Mets have him playing
centerfield, but he is better suited for left field. He doesn't have nearly
enough range to match Carlos Beltran and when playing winter ball there are
always better outfielders than him that forces him to play left field. He
just doesn't have the speed to cover the ground necessary for centerfield,
but his bat should allow him to survive the corners.
3. Angel Villalona 1B (Giants) - Angel was originally signed as a third
baseman, but like Miguel Cabrera and Jim Thome he just got too big to play
the position. He signed for $2.1 million in 2007 and in 2008 banged 17
homeruns. Not bad for a 17 year old in low A. He has tremendous power but
like all young players must develop a better patience at the plate. He
walked 18 times and struck out 118 times in 2008. As he advances up the
minor league stream better pitchers will be able to exploit that impatience.
He lost 40 pounds and dropped to 230, but he must stay vigilant in his
conditioning if he wants to make an impact. He's a border line base clog on
the bases now, capable of only going station to station.
4. Wilin Rosario C (Rockies) - He moves well behind the plate and tossed out
46 percent of the runners who attempted to steal against him. The physical
tools are there for him to catch. What he has to improve on now is working
with a pitching staff and calling a game. He repeated the Pioneer League
going from a .209 average in 2007 to a .316 in 2008 and was voted the top
prospect in the league. He's got the bat speed and promise to be an
offensive player that can provide good defense at catcher. He will probably
move up to the California League where he will still be one of the younger
players in the league, demanding enough when you are playing a position other
than catcher. The Rockies can show a lot of patience with him having a young
Chris Iannetta already at the position.
5. Welington Castillo C (Cubs) - The Cubs already have Geovany Soto to man
the backstop. Welington will be playing AAA next year so he is ready to play
in the major leagues as well, but it may have to be with another team. He
has a rocket for an arm, with a 36 percent success rate in throwing out
runners and he handles the bat well enough that he'll hit for some pop. He
has trouble handling breaking pitches, especially those thrown by right
handed pitchers and he is station to station on the bases. If he doesn't
improve his production against righthanded pitching he may offer a good
platoon option against a lefthanded starter.
6. Hector Gomez SS (Rockies) - Hector has the same problem as Welington with
Troy Tulowitski manning shortstop for the Rockies. After missing all but
three at bats from last season, Hector is still a long way from the major
leagues and will probably repeat high A. His stick is not nearly the caliber
of Troy's but he can play an excellent defense, showing a tremendous arm to
go along with fantastic range. He did have Tommy John surgery on his elbow
after injuring it during rehab in 2008, so it will be interesting to see how
the elbow responds during the season. The Rockies will show a lot of
patience with him as he rehabilitates from his two injuries (stress fracture
of shin and elbow). They can always use him or Troy as trade bait for a good
arm if Hector shows himself ready for the major leagues.
7. Juan Francisco 3B (Reds) - Juan Francisco has awesome power. He's hit 48
homeruns the last two years and bombed five homeruns for the Gigantes in the
Dominican League playoffs. Like Pedro Alvarez, he is a big man who may
eventually outgrow third base, losing the flexiblity to play the position.
But his light tower power will make the transition to first base easy. He
improved a bit on his plate discipline, but it is still poor as his 23/161
and 19/123 walk to K ratio will attest, so he may never hit for a high
average. He's got the arm to play right field, but not the speed to cover
the ground necessary to play the position well. He must also watch his
conditioning if he doesn't want to become another doughy has been that could
have been a major leaguer if he had kept himself in shape.
8. Jefry Marte 3B (Mets) - While Wilmer Flores may not be able to stay at
short for the Mets, Jefry has the tools for third base. If Wilmer moves to
third Jefry has the speed that he can play the outfield, though he may not
develop the power to fit at a corner position and his speed is not adequate
to cover center. His .325 average his indicative of what he should do, hit
for high average with enough power to be a run producer at third base. What
he has to be careful of is that he uses the whole field and doesn't try to
force power by pulling the ball, sacrificing his average but not hitting for
enough power to make the balance worthwhile. Next year should be his first
year in a full season league.
9. Felipe Paulino RHP (Astros) - He was competing for the fifth starter spot
for the Astros and if you like 100 mile per hour fastballs then he's your
man. Spring training wasn't good for him as he gave up seven runs in his
five innings of work and the Astros optioned him to AAA Round Rock. It's
probably the best for him since he missed all of last season (except for one
appearance) because of bursitis in the shoulder. His curveball is also a
plus pitch, but he needs to improve his consistency with it. At the moment,
Felipe doesn't really have a third pitch to survive in the rotation, though
he continues to work on a changeup. Without that third pitch he may be
restricted to the pen, but he has two solid pitches that would allow him to
succeed as a closer.
10. Rafael Rodriguez OF (Giants) - He hasn't played a game yet in the minor
leagues, but the Giants saw enough in him that they signed him for $2.55
million, a franchise record for them. Scouts say he is a five tool player
that reminds them a lot of Vladimir Guerrero. He will be a right fielder
with bashing power that has a rocket for an arm. At 6′5〃 he has to get
used to defending a huge strike zone so how he protects the plate will define
how quickly he rises through the system. He will probably play his first
season in the Dominican League and if he does well there may make a brief
appearance in the rookie league. You probably won't hear of him until 2011,
but don't be surprised when he makes his United States debut.
http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?p=1128
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