Dominican player of the week: Alfonso Soriano

Dominican player and Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano has been named the Dominican player of the week here at the Dominican Baseball Guy blog. Soriano is no stranger to awards. Since he first appeared on the MLB scene back in 2000 with the Yankees he has made seven All-Star games. He has won the player of the week in his league six times, and the player of the month three times. And he has four Silver Slugger awards.

Last week was a short week due to the All-Star break, but in just three games Soriano had two doubles, two home runs, and five RBI, while hitting .545. He actually did most of the damage in just one game, with both doubles and both home runs, and the five RBI all coming one game.

His average has declined in recent years, but he was never a high average hitter. But he is still on pace for around 30 home runs and 90 RBI, right around his career average. Pretty good numbers for a 36 year old player in his 14th MLB season.

He had two World Series titles with the great Yankees championship teams and made the playoffs with the Cubs in 2007 and 2008. Other than that, he can be said to be a player that has had all these great numbers on bad teams. He put up great numbers on some really bad Rangers teams, and perhaps his best year came with a horrible Nationals team in 2006.

Soriano is one of the few Dominican players to be signed as a free agent into the Japanese Professional Baseball League (NIPON) where he played for three seasons before being picked up by the Yankees. He is from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

Dominican player of the week Alfonso Soriano, photo by EmmyMik on Flickr

Nationals Dominican prospect dies in Dominican Republic, Pelotero Dominicano de los Nationals muerte

Washington Nationals Dominican prospect Yewri Guillen died April 14th.  He was living and practicing at the Nationals Dominican academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic. It was originally thought that he died of a bacterial meningitis infection, but it has since been shown that the cause of death was a brain infection.

Meningitis can be a major problem for people living in close quarters, such as at a Dominican baseball academy where players and staff live in a dorm type setting.  The Dominican Baseball Guy recalls when he entered college and had to get the meningitis vaccine.

Major League Baseball has determined that the Nationals medical staff took all the necessary steps to prevent the spread of meningitis, even though it turns out that was not the cause.  Always sad to lose such a young man.   Guillen was scheduled to be placed in one of the Nationals minor league teams this summer.

But hopefully something good comes of his death.  The Major League Baseball medical advisory committee recommended that all Dominican Republic academy staff and players receive a meningitis vaccine, a step that frankly should have been taken much sooner.

RIP Yewri Guillen.  The photo really brings home what a sad story this is: a very young man so full of hope.  He was from Nigua, Republica Dominicana.

Nationals shoring up Dominican operations

The Washington Nationals are finally recovering from an incident in which they paid a Dominican prospect a $1.4 million signing bonus in 2006.  Esmailyn González told the team he was 13 when he signed, though he was actually 17.  He also gave a fake name.


The fallout from the fiasco cost general manager Jim Bowden, top Latin american advisor and former player Jose Rijo, and nearly the entire baseball operations staff their jobs.  The Nationals have since moved their Dominican operations, and seem to be on a better track.


The Washington Post put out a series of great articles on this story in addition to the one above.  They each have wonderful photos from the Dominican Republic and really tap into the poverty and extreme conditions that these prospects face:

• The Nationals in the Dominican Republic: One Last Word
• Two years later, Washington Nationals moving past Esmailyn 'Smiley' Gonzalez scandal in Dominican Republic
• Washington Nationals haven't completely gotten 'Smiley' out of their system