With the Dominican League regular season slated to end in 15 days ( August 23rd ) I thought I’d take a look at the two Phillies squads and highlight some of the players. Both teams are doing quite well - Phillies Red is 29-17 and tied for first place in the San Pedro division with Tex Blue ( one of two Rangers teams ) while Phillies White is 28-18 and trailing the two division leaders by just one game.
Phillies White :
Pitchers :
RH Maxwel Hernandez ( 19 years old ) leads the entire league in ERA for those that qualify ( must have 0.8 IP per team game ) with a miniscule 0.44 mark in 9 starts ( 40 2/3 IP ). He’s also second in the league in WHIP at 0.76. He’s from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and was signed on October 21, 2021. This is his first professional season. Maxwel features a fastball in the 90 to 92 mph range and an assortment of secondary pitches with a lot of movement. He has an outstanding changeup.
Nineteen year old teammate RH Danyony Pulido from Caracas, Venezuela is 8th in league ERA at 1.99 in 10 starts ( 45 1/3 IP ). He was signed on February 2nd, 2021 and pitched in 14 games in the DSL during the 2021 season as a reliever accumulating 28 1/3 IP. He features a FB sitting in the 91 to 93 mph range and has shown flashes that go higher along with a slider and curve - Pulido is third in the league this season in innings pitched.
RH Ezequiel Ventura has posted a 2.25 ERA in 36 IP this season with 27 K’s and 10 BB. The 20 year old from Maracaibo, Venezuela is in his third DSL season however first as a full time starter. He generally sits in the low nineties range with his fastball and features a curve as his secondary.
RH Wilmer Blanco ( 18 yrs old ) and RH Saul Teran ( 20 yrs old ) are two pitchers on the staff that have displayed mid nineties fastballs in their arsenal.
Position Players :
OF Raylin Heredia is amongst league leaders in both doubles ( 14 ) and triples ( 5 ) - the 18 year old from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic has 29 RBIs for the season which leads the team. He was signed on February 2nd of 2021 and this is his first full season of action in the DSL - he played in two games in 2021.
C/IF Leanardo Rondon ( 18 yrs old ) has had an outstanding season posting a .387 batting average and .478 OBP in 93 plate appearances - signed on 2/2/21 from Caracas, VZ the young man has a build similar to the Astros Jose Altuve and a quick bat.
Was recently converted to the catcher position.
IF William Bergolla - 17 year old from Valencia, Venezuela has been highly touted - spent the early part of the season working thru some nagging injuries - since becoming activated on the roster he’s went 13 for 35 ( .371 ) with a .421 OBP.
OF Jorge Garcia ( 18 yrs old ) was selected to play in the league All-Star game. He’s from Penonome, Panama and was signed 2/2/21. In 145 plate appearances he’s got a .400 OBP and a .312 batting average with 9 doubles, a home run and 23 RBIs.
OF Darium Gutierrez ( 20 yrs old ) hails from La Habana, Cuba - he’s shown the ability to drive the baseball and has 6 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs with 23 RBIs in 118 PA’s with a .390 OBP.
OF Manolfi Jimenez ( 17 yrs old ) , IF Nolan Beltran ( 17 yrs old ), IF Juan Villavicencio ( 17 yrs old ) and IF Leny Carela ( 17 yrs old ) are three first year players who’ve shown instances of what they might become - it’s what player development is all about - helping young players unleash their talents consistently as their bodies and minds grow in strength and stature.
Phillies Red :
Pitchers :
RH Jesus Querales ( 19 years old ) was selected to play in the All-Star game. He’s the team’s closer and has posted a 2.40 ERA in 12 games ( 15 IP ) with 18 K’s - his arsenal features a fastball that can run into the mid nineties - a power arm.
RH Enrique Segura ( 17 years old ) is long and lanky and has been consistently in the 92 to 95 mph range with the heater - also has a curve and change up in the arsenal. He pitches with a lot of energy and looks like he has fun playing the game as well - to me that’s important. Maybe will see him stateside for Fall Instructs.
A couple of 17 year olds - RH Luis Gonzalez ( 42 IP ) & RH Jeffrey German ( 35 2/3 IP ) have each held down starter’s slots in their first year of professional play - they generally sit low nineties at present with the fastball with upside potential in velo as they grow into their bodies. German has shown a big breaking hook as well.
RH Jonh Henriquez ( 22 yrs old ) was recently signed ( June 7th ) and while he’s a bit older he’s shown exciting big arm stuff ( 94-97 MPH consistently ). He’s working on developing a secondary pitch but the fastball already plays out of the bullpen- might be someone we see move quickly ala Ramon Rosso of years past.
LH Edward Chirinos ( 17 yrs old ) - 2.82 ERA in 22 1/3 IP and RH Fernando Ortega ( 20 yrs old ) have shown pitch mixes that are intriguing to watch develop.
RH Adilson Peralta ( 19 yrs old ) and RH Pedro Reyes ( 19 yrs old ) are a couple hurlers that have displayed big arm capabilities of mid nineties heat.
Position Players :
Catcher Jorge Mendez ( 19 yrs old ) has had limited plate appearances but has posted big numbers in his 79 PA’s - he’s hitting a lofty .424 with a .506 OBP. The Maracay, Venezuela native is in his second DSL season of play.
IF Marco Soto ( 18 yrs old ) carries a .377 OBP in 152 PA’s and a .300 batting average in his second year of DSL play. The second baseman from Maturin, Venezuela has been a steady presence in this year’s lineup.
OF Jerffson Pena ( 18 yrs old ) has shown outstanding athleticism playing primarily center field - he’s posted a .376 OBP in 149 PA’s and has swiped 18 bases in 24 attempts. A left handed hitter who throws right handed he’s got an all around tool set that should bode well for his advancement.
IF Aroon Escobar ( 17 yrs old ) has big power capabilities and has 3 doubles, a triple and 3 home runs in 151 PA’s - the ball comes off his bat with high velocity - when he barrels it up the baseball goes quite far.
IF Yemil Rosario ( 18 yrs old ), OF Neify Rosario ( 17 yrs old ) and OF Santiago Torres ( 19 yrs old ) have all shown glimpses of their potential.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
Enrique Segura
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