Mets rookie Valdespin first career hit is a walk-off

Just last Saturday, the Dominican Baseball Guy blogged about Mets Dominican prospect Jordany Valdespin making his debut in the big leagues. He went 0-6 in his first stint with the big league club, and was sent back down to the minors...for a day. On Monday he was back with the Mets, and his first hit was a big one. Valdespin hit a walk-off homer into the right field stands to get the win for the Mets.

While the Mets brass have lots of confidence in Valdespin, he may not be in the lineup long. He was mainly called up due to an injury to Ruben Tejada.

In any case, Valdespin was pretty happy after the game. Apparently he promised his mother he would get a hit, and could not wait to call her. Even Dominican big leaguers love their mothers.

Jordany is from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

Dominican baseball player Jordany Valdespin in the minor leagues in 2011, photo by Paul Hadsall on Flickr

Dominican baseball player Jordany Valdespin makes debut for Mets

Ranked as the number six prospect in the Mets system at the start of the year, Dominican baseball player Jordany Valdespin made his debut with the big league club this week.  He is a career infielder, but the Mets brought him up to play some outfield and serve as an all-around utility player, a la Martin Prado in Atlanta or Emilio Bonifacio in Miami.

The Dominican baseball player Valdespin made his first appearance on Monday and also played on Thursday for the Mets.  He is yet to get on base in four at bats in those two games.  But people around the Mets organization have no doubts about his potential as a big league starter:

• “From a physical ability standpoint, he’s the closest thing to Jose Reyes,” said ex-Mets general manager Omar Minaya.
• “His skills? Off the charts,” said Mets manager Terry Collins. 

Valdespin is from San Pedro de Macoris, Republica Dominicana.  His Dominican background led him to befriend fellow Dominican baseball player Jose Reyes.  The two met when Valdespin came to Mets spring training in 2010.  Reyes has counseled Valdespin about on-field issues, but also encouraged him to grow and mature off the field.

In this mentor role, Jose Reyes is continuing a tradition of established Dominican baseball players counseling young and up and coming Dominican players.  David Ortiz has been known as a mentor for young Dominicans for many years, and others have done the same.  It is a major transition for Dominican baseball players new to the big league game, and the country more generally.

Dominican baseball players like Jose Reyes and David Ortiz are doing a great service for their countrymen by helping to ease the transition for young players such as Jordany Valdespin.

Dominican baseball player Jordany Valdespin in the minor leagues in 2011, photo by Paul Hadsall on Flickr

Mets Dominican prospect Familia loves bachata, Dominicano Jeurys Familia le gusta bachata

Dominican prospect Jeurys Familia is moving up the Mets ranks nicely.  Last year he had a 3.96 ERA in 87 innings and struck out more than one batter per inning at AA Binghamton.  He is one of a trio of Mets starters that are close to the majors, though he may be the third man in line.  Manager Terry Collins said he could just pitch his way on to the team the way he is playing in spring training.  This from a great article from Mike Kerwick at the Times Herald Record.

Yea, yea, yea, another young Dominican prospect pitcher.  The real story here is that Jeurys Familia LOVES BACHATA.   According to Kerwick, Familia loves Latin music, especially bachata, which translates as "raucous party."

So, this proves that he is Dominican.  The Dominican Baseball Guy does not know much about Familia, but I know that if he loves bachata he must be from the Repulica Dominicana.  Bachata is produced almost exclusively by Dominican artists and for Dominican listeners.  Both bachata (and merengue) run deep in the Dominican Republic musical tradition.  

As I write this post, there are Dominicans dancing and listening to bachata all over the country right now, in front of colmados or in front of their homes or maybe outside their cars with the music turned up all the way right next to their neighbors.  Anyone that has lived in the Dominican Republic knows that noise ordinances do not exist.  The bachata and merengue plays all day and night almost continuously at the highest volume possible.

Shout out to Elvis Martinez and Frank Reyes, two of the most badass bacheteros out there.  Elvis is from San Francisco de Macoris, a city that the Dominican Baseball Guy knows well.  They love Elvis in San Francisco de Macoris.  Frank Reyes is from Boba Arriba, RD.

O yea, Dominican baseball right.  Familia and other Dominican baseball players surely miss that constant hum of merengue and bachata so prevalent in their home country.  Mets Dominican prospect Jeurys Familia es de Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

Dominican prospect Jeurys Familia piching for the Mets AA team in 2009, by  paul.hadsall on Flickr

MLB team to sign Dominican baseball player Manny Ramirez? Pelotero Dominicano va a jugar en MLB este año?

So, I am the Dominican Baseball Guy (DBG), not the "Manny Ramirez Guy," even though we have seen tons of Manny Ramirez posts recently.  With that said, any news on Manny Ramirez is news to the Dominican Baseball Guy.  Manny is, after all, one of the most beloved Dominican Baseball players of all-time.

ESPN first reported and the Big Lague Stew blogged that Manny Ramirez wants to return to MLB this year.  Well bloggers are coming out of the woodworks saying they want him on their team.  One article makes a convincing case that there is no downside to signing Manny Ramirez.  Basically he will have to serve a 50 game suspension in the minor leagues, so any team that signs him can send him to the minors and if he does not perform well in triple A then he will not get the call up to the big league squad.  And in the case that he stays in the minors, he will also earn a minor league salary.  So, the article seems to be right on point, not much risk for a big league club in signing him.

Indians bloggers are calling for Manny to return to the Indians.  Mets bloggers want him for their team.   And how about Manny Ramirez with the Yankees?  The Pinstripe Alley bloggers say bring Manny Ramirez to the Yankees.

As the Mets blogger says in a final point, "If nothing else, Manny will provide daily news."  Not exactly an argument a GM wants to hear.  But for a blogger such as the Dominican Baseball Guy, that is a great reason to have him on your team!

Manny Ramirez es de Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana.  Here's hoping he lands somewhere for the upcoming season.

Manny Ramirez rounding the bases with the Red Sox, by Keith Allison  on Flickr

Astros claim Dominican baseball player Fernando Martinez off waivers, Astros firma pelotero Dominicano Fernando Martinez

The Astros were horrible last year.  They are the Dominican Baseball Guy's hometown team, and the Dominican Baseball Guy was forced to see the brutally bad team up close all last year.  But silver lining right?

So, the worst record in MLB landed the Astros first on the off-season waiver wire and allowed them to claim highly heralded Fernando Martinez off the waiver wire.

Fernando Martinez was a top-5 prospect in the Mets system from 2006-2010.  Most Mets fans saw him as a cornerstone outfield player, and left-handed bat to boot.  Some Mets bloggers think he still could be that cornerstone left-handed hitter the Mets have sorely needed in recent years.  But there are only a certain number of spots available at Spring Training, and the Mets chose to finally let him go.

He will be competing for an outfield spot with the Astros, and it will be a highly competitive competition to make the Astros opening day roster as an outfielder.  Martinez has played in 82 big league games with the Mets, but never lived up to the potential.  This has been at least partially due to injuries.  He should get the chance to at least test that potential with the Astros, though he does have a minor league option remaining, so the club could send him to the minors to start the season.

In any case, this is at least some hope for an Astros team looking to rebuild.  He adds to the plethora of young talent in on the Astros big league club.

Fernando Martinez is from Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic.

Fernando Martinez with the Mets in  2009, by Keith Allison on Flickr

Brewers re-sign Dominican baseball player Carlos Gomez, Dominicano firma con Brewers

The Brewers re-signed Carlos Gomez, and in so doing they avoided arbitration with the player, who will be in his sixth big league season this year, all with the Brewers.  The Brew Crew has six other arbitration eligible players yet to resign.

Gomez has been a successful major leaguer over five seasons.  He was the youngest player in the NL when he made his debut with the Mets in 2007.  He was traded to the Twins in the Johan Santana deal and was the Twins everyday center fielder for two seasons.  For the last two years he has been a utility outfielder and pinch hitter for the Brewers.  He was an important part of their playoff run last year, even as a bench player.

He should fight for an everyday outfield spot this year, and should see the 90-plus games he saw the last two years.  Gomez is from Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Carlos Gomez with the Brewers, photo by Steve Paluch on Flickr

Dominicano Jose Reyes could be a Marlin, Dominicano Jose Reyes va a Marlins de Florida?

Jose Reyes had a resurgence the last two years, after some down years.  So, that is how the New York media portrayed it.  In the eyes of the Dominican Baseball Guy it looks like he only had one off year, an injury-riddled campaign in which he only played 36 games in 2009.

Other than that he has been one of the most exciting players in the game.  Reyes has made four all-star teams, led the NL in stolen bases and triples three times each, and won a batting title last year.  All while playing a well above average shortstop.  His all-time WAR is pretty good too.  Right with guys like Hanley Ramirez and Torii Hunter.

AND he is a free agent this off season.  Apparently he is one of the top free agents on the market this off season, and the Marlins are interested in his services.  The Dominican Baseball Guy can hardly contain himself with this possibility.  Signing Reyes would probably push Hanley Ramirez to third base, and create one of the best all-Dominican half infield of all-time.  And they would have crazy old Ozzie Guillen on the bench.

Reyes is also one of the most renowned baseball playing reggaeton artists in the world!  He is from Villa Gonzalez, Republica Dominicana.

Dominican baseball player Jose Reyes with the Mets, by Mr. Littlehand on Flickr

Whose your daddy? Pedro Martinez named 2nd best all-time Latin pitcher, Pedro Martinez el segundo lanzador Latino de todo tiempo

So, apparently this is Hispanic Heritage Month.  And in a salute to this, MLB.com conducted a poll of the greatest Latino pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball.  Only retired pitchers were considered.  They have been announcing one of the top five each day.

Thus far, they have announced Fernando Valenzuela (Mexico), Dennis Martinez (Nicaragua), and Luis Tiant (Cuba).  And then today they released the number two greatest Latin pitcher of all-time, and the honoree is Pedro Martinez.

It is no secret, Pedro is one of the reasons that the Dominican Baseball Guy came into being.  The Dominican Baseball Guy saw him perform in his prime.  He is probably the best combination of performance and entertainment that the Dominican Baseball Guy has seen in any ball player.  No need to dicuss stats with Pedro, but he led his league in Ks three times, ERA five times, and wins once.

Peter Gammons says:

"He was the most dominating pitcher of all time in a span of seven years and the most exciting player I have ever seen." 

And the Dominican Baseball Guy heard Dan Patrick saying today on his radio show today that Pedro's 1999 season could be put up with the bext seasons of any pitcher of all-time, and that Pedro should have won the MVP along with the Cy Young that year.

Pedro is so revered among baseball fans that his picture was put on permanent display in the Smithsonian National Picture Gallery.  In the experience of the Dominican Baseball Guy, Pedro is probably the most popular Dominican player in his home country (current or retired) at the moment.  And that is saying a lot.

So, it is a well deserved honor that he was named the second greatest Latin MLB pitcher of all-time.  The Dominican Baseball Guy has a pretty good idea as to who the number one all-time Latin pitcher will be.  Think San Francisco Giants and Dominican.

Pedro is from Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic.

Pedro Martinez having fun with the Mets, by UCInternational

Happy Birthday former Ranger-Met-Brave-Escogido player Julio Franco, feliz cumpleaños Dominicano Julio Franco

The Big League Stew rightfully gave big ups to one of the Dominican Baseball Guy's favorite players of all time this week, as Julio Franco turned 53 years old today.  The Dominican Baseball Guy first became a fan of Julio Franco during his early years with the Texas Rangers.  He pushed .400 one year, and was considered one of the top five players in the game during these years from 1989-1991.

He had 2,586 career hits in MLB, but had over 4,000 in his career while playing in several leagues.  He obviously spent some time in the minors as everyone does, but also played in Japan, Mexico, and in the best winter league around-the Dominican League of Winter Baseball (LIDOM) for Escogido.

Franco may be best know for his crazy over the head batting stance.  Kindred spirit of The Dominican Baseball Guy, The Batting Stance Guy, does perhaps one of his best impressions of Franco here.

After 2500 MLB games and God knows how many total games, Julio still has the hunger to be involved in the game.  Since his retirement in 2008, he has managed in the Mets minor league system as well as managing in the Venezuelan winter league.  He hopes to eventually get a big league gig as a manager for an MLB team.

Franco is from San Pedro de Macoris, the cradle of shortstops.  The Dominican Baseball Guy comments on San Pedro seemingly weekly, because the talent never stops flowing out of this baseball capital in the Dominican Republic.  See the tag for more on San Pedro de Macoris, the hometown of Alfredo Griffin, Robinson Cano, and Franco, among many more.

Happy Birthday Julio!

Julio Franco with the Atlanta Braves in 2006

Dominican baseball player Jose Reyes proves once again...Dominicanos love Reggaeton

Jose Reyes is on a tear this year for the New York Mets, after a few down seasons (He was rumored to be on the way out of New York after this year).  However, he turned it around and is leading the NL in batting average, hits, runs, and triples, and his glove has of course always been a strong part of his game.  Here he is in 2009:

Jose Reyes with the New York Mets in 2009

Well, he is having such a good year, he decided to put out his own reggaeton record that was released in July.  It is called "No hay amigo" or "There is no friend."  The song is not bad, if you like Dominican reggaeton, and features a Ferrari and lots of bling on Reyes's wrists!  But Reyes at least has his head in the right place:

“The song is a message for the children that when I was younger I didn’t have anything, but I kept working, and now I have what I have,” said Reyes, who was born and raised in the Dominican Republic.

Really!?  The Dominican Baseball Guy speaks pretty good Spanish and all he got out of this song was "never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut!"  But the Dominican Baseball Guy is not all knowing and it obviously has a deeper meaning according to Reyes.

All sarcasm aside these Dominican players are not exaggerating about the poverty they grow up in.  It is real, no running water or electricity or trash service, poverty down there in much of the country.  Reyes is a success in a country of young boys hoping to make it out of that poverty and make the big leagues.

Jose is from Villa Gonzalez, DR.  Here is the video:

Jose Reyes-David Wright partnership could end after this year

Jose Reyes was signed by the Mets in 1999 as an international free agent at the age of 16.  Two years later he was sent to the Mets instructional camp in Florida and met David Wright.  The two became quick friends and have traveled through the Mets organization together.

Reyes made the big league club in 2003 and Wright followed him one year later.  The two made their first all-star team together in 2006, and also made the playoffs for the first time with the Mets that year.  The two seem to be opposites: one a speedy, dread locked Dominican, and the other a power hitting, clean cut American.

But the common path they have taken and the fact that they have shared one half of the infield for close to ten years has made them great friends.  The contract of Reyes could end this years if the Mets decide not to pick up an option, so the two could have just one more year together.  They hope to make the most of what could be their final year together with the Mets.

Jose is from Villa Gonzalez, DR.

UPDATE: Jose Reyes has played his last game as a Met: Pelotero Dominicano Jose Reyes firma con Miami Marlins, Dominican baseball player Jose Reyes signs with Marlins

Jose Reyes, by Wknight94

Dominican Winter Baseball: Gigantes game canceled due to strike, Ecogido has Venezuelan Cheerleaders!

10/19/09 Games-
The Gigantes have an off night tonight, and their game tomorrow has been canceled due to protests in San Fransisco de Macoris over public transportation and electricity services.

The Dominican Baseball Guy does not blame the strikers, the electricity is really sporadic at best in my apartment. Most of the businesses are closed today and people have set up road blocks to stall public transportation. There have been ongoing clashes with police in some parts of the city. The Gigantes will play in the capital tomorrow though, and this game has been rescheduled for Thursday. Unfortunately, this is not all that uncommon in the Dominican Republic.

In other games tonight Yasser Gomez had a double, single, and three runs. He is from Cuba, and as far as I can tell this is his first experience outside Cuba. He could be a player to watch going forward. Also, Robinson Diaz had three sinlges and a run for the Estrellas Orientales from San Pedro de Macoris. Diaz played in 41 games with the Pirates last year and posted a respectable .279 average in 129 at bats as a catcher. Francisco Rosario pitched four shutout innings, but Roberto Giron got the win pitching scoreless innings in the 5th and 6th.

Astros farmhand Jose Capellan got the loss for the Bulls from La Romana.

The other game had Licey vs. Escogido, the two teams in Santo Dominigo. Aparently, the Listin Diario web site thought it was more important to publish an article about the Escogido cheerleaders being from Venezuela (not Dominicans as is the norm), than to publish the results of the game. Anyway, imported player Tobi Stoner took the win for Escogido. He was in the Mets organization last year, and allowed 1 run in 5 innings last night. Another American, Michael McKenry had a two RBI double for Escogido. He was an everyday player last year with Tulsa of the Texas League, an affiliate of the Rockies.

American player Michael McKenry had two RBI for Escogido Monday,
photo by Keith Allison on Flickr