Dominican Winter Baseball League teams play to win

One thing that the Dominican Baseball Guy came to realize during the game last night is that the teams in the Dominican Winter Baseball League play to win...period. Even though it features mainly players trying to make their way to the big leagues, there is no thought given to "developing" players. The players that give the teams the best chance to win play on any given night.

So, the Gigantes (and other teams) play guys that are at the end of their careers just as often as they play younger players. That is why we see Jacob Cruz (37 years old) starting and Dario Veras (37 years old) closing games.

After watching lots of minor league games, this is refreshing to see. When games (at any level) are played just to win it makes the action much more enjoyable. No thoughts are given to what this guy will do in 3 years, we need to sit this guy so this other guy can play, etc. I also think this is a better atmosphere for players to get experience, if they can get on the field. And it is surely a better situation for managers to gain experience.