Sunday, March 7, 2010

Giants Top 50 Prospects: Dominican Dandies

I leave a separate category for Giants prospects from the Dominican Summer League. We know a lot more about these players than we used to with boxscores in real time and complete stat lines, but it can still be a challenge to decipher who is a real prospect and who is roster filler down there. Here's a rundown of some players who caught my eye last year, in no particular order:

Carlos Willoughby 2B. B-S, T-R. BD: 11-12-1988. 5'10", 170 lbs. 2009 Stats: .327/.466/.438, 46 SB, 12 CS. Was a bit old for the DSL at age 20, but gotta love the combo of BA, OBP and SB's from a middle IF. It's a bit curious why the Giants didn't bring him to Arizona after his 2008 season in which he went .284/.414/.345, 33 SB's. Bring him to the States and let's see what he can do!

Jose De La Cruz OF. B-R, T-R. BD: 04-28-1991. 6'3", 190 lbs. 2009 Stats: .301/.353/.404. I like his age and size, although ideally you like your DSL prospects to be under age 18. Given the wealth of talent in the Giants system, he might repeat DSL this year.

Jesus Galindo OF. B-S, T- R. BD: 08-23-1990. 5'11", 175 lbs. 2009 Stats: .244/.404/.298, 22 SB, 4 CS. Again, a bit on the old side here, but love the combination of OBP and speed.

Kendry Flores RHP. BD: 11-24-1991. 6'2", 175 lbs. 2009 Stats: 7-2, 2.18, 66 IP, 24 BB, 57 K's, GO/AO= 1.85. Nice line for a 17 yo. I would expect to see him in Arizona this season.

Ariel Hernandez RHP. BD: 03-02- 1992. 6'3", 180 lbs. 2009 Stats: 6-1, 3.64, 54.1 IP, 18 BB, 47 K's. Another 17 yo. I understand he signed for a high 6 figure bonus, so that tells you something right there. Nice size to boot. Decent line for his age. Again, I would expect to see him in Arizona this year.

There are two more recent international signings who have yet to play in any pro leagues: Leonardo Fuentes and Marvin Barrios of Colombia and Panama respectively. Fuentes signed for a reported $280 K bonus. I'm guessing we'll see their names in the DSL this summer as 17 year olds.

Baggs has said that the Giants may still sign Duanel Jones after his contract was voided for testing positive for a banned substance. No recent word on Wagner Mateo, who the Giants have been involved with. The last I heard they were still trying to sort out his eye problems after the Cards voided his $3.1 M contract. Mateo is certainly an awesome looking player on video. Seems like he could convert to pitcher if his eye problems aren't correctable. He reportedly generates 97 MPH out of his hand on throws from the OF.

I'm encouraged that the Giants are still active in the international market.

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