NL Wildcard Game Features Two Dominican Pitchers

The last week of the regular season got the Dominican Baseball Guy excited for baseball again. As, a Rangers fan we have had some tough years in the playoffs, and this year was no different. After making it to a wildcard play-in game they lost to the Devil Rays. I am not a fan of one wildcard team, so I think two is rather ridiculous.

Play 162 games to let a wildcard team sneak in and get hot, beat a team like the Mariners in their record wins year of 2001 have to play a wildcard team? But as a fan of a team that just sneaked into the wildcard play-in game, I must say I loved it. It was an exciting week no whether your team was playing or not.

And then as a fan of Dominican baseball I get this treat last night. Two Dominican starting pitches: Francisco Liriano versus Johnny Cueto. Johnny Cueto told MLB.com what the game means to him and his country:

I want to tell my people in the Dominican Republic to follow this game. "There are two Dominicans on the mound. I want to give advice to all the youth in the Dominican that you have to work hard and to continue working hard to do things like this.

Francisco Lirano dominated, and the Pirates won easily. His up and down play has been well followed here at the Dominican Baseball Guy. A true natural in my opionion. A near Cy Young and Rookie of the Year sweep in 2006 before getting hurt in August. He never really recovered from Tommy John surgery...until 2010 really. An entire missed season (2007) and two bad years.

Then in 2010 he returned to the Dominican Republic to play Winter Ball. He had an insane winter season, leading Escogido to the championship and then pitched well in the Caribbean World Series. It was cool having a guy of his magnitude playing daily in the Dominican Winter League that year. But he was still erratic.

After another Cy Young-worthy year in 2010 he had a down year in 2011 and 2012, and then signed with Pittsburgh for this year. And everything seemed to click -16-8 and a 3.02 ERA. And last night in the NL Wildcard game was one of the good nights. His slider was as good as it has ever been, with Reds batters swinging at it in the grass two feet from home. Vintage Liriano, allowing one run in seven innings.

The Reds scored another run in the 8th, but they were never really in it. Andrew McCutchon was doing his thing running all over the bases. He had two hits and two walks. It seemed like he was on the bases all night. Marlon Byrd had two RBI and Russel Martin had two homers. The game was over by the 4th inning the way Liriano was pitching.

The other Dominican pitcher did not fair too well. Johnny Cueto was said to have been rattled by the raucous Pittsburgh crowd. To which manager Dusty Baker said at the post-game presser: "he did not get rattled he just couldn't hit his pitches. He played in the Dominican Winter League and all that, and if you have been down there you know how intense those games are."

Interesting side note. I love that quote. Baker insulting the reporter by implying that he has never been to a Dominican Winter League game at the same time as brushing off his questions as ridiculous.

In the end it was all Liriano. "We had the expectancy to win," Andrew McCutchen said to the AP. "When he showed up with his suit on, that got me hyped up."

Dominican pitcher Francisco Liriano with Twins, photo by Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar on Flickr

Dominican baseball card #27: Alexi Casilla

It has been a while since the Dominican Baseball Guy has had a Dominican baseball cards update. I had to stock up on some more cards, and got some good ones. So, for the latest Dominican baseball card, I have an Alexi Casilla 2011 Topps card (#339). It is a pretty standard card, no crazy graphics or anything. Topps has always had pretty boring cards.

Dominican player Alexi Casilla has had a solid MLB career since he first appeared in a game with the Twins back in 2006. He has never quite made it to 'everyday player' status, but has appeared in 69 games or more in five of his six full big league seasons. A well above average defender, he is a tick below average as a hitter, so he has been unable to hold on to a full time major league gig.

With that said, he has had some big clutch hits and been a part of some post-season success for the Twins. In 2009, during the 2009 AL Central tie-breaker game against the Tigers, Casilla hit a game-winning walk-off single to send the Twins to the playoffs. Just last week, he scored two runs and drove in four in a Twins win, so he has had some big games. The problem is he has not been able to do it consistently at the plate.

The Dominican Baseball Guy first noticed Casilla during the 2009 Dominican Winter Baseball League season. I saw him play live 15-20 times that year. He was the starting second baseman for the Gigantes for most of the year, and he really showed his class that year with a good showing at the plate and tons of good plays in the field. Even a marginal MLB player like Casilla can be a star in the winter leagues.

He is still making a major contribution for the Twins this year, though they are not in the playoff hunt. Dominican baseball player Casilla is from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Dominican baseball documentary "Pelotero" screened recently

"Pelotero" the movie played at the Port Jefferson Documentary Series on Monday.

Bobby Valentine's company produced the movie and it was directed and shot by Guagua Productions.  The film is making the rounds at some film festivals and special screenings.  It will see limited release this Summer.

The Dominican baseball documentary follows Twins uber-prospect Miguel Sano and another prospect on their way to signing a contract with an MLB team.

Visit Pelotero the movie for clips from the movie and more, or find it on Facebook.

Photo courtesy of Pelotero the movie on Facebook

Twins struggle with what to do with Dominican pitcher Liriano

Dominican pitcher Francisco Liriano has shown extended flashes of brilliance in his six plus years in the majors with the Twins.  Rookie of the Year, out a year with Tommy John Surgery, then some down years, and then Comeback Player of the Year.  He has shown top of the rotation stuff, but has been inconsistent at best.

The Twins are frustrated with the Dominican pitcher and do not know what to do with him.  They feel they have tried almost everything.  The latest ploy: letting him sit out a start after a bad first four games.  Twins GM Terry Ryan says his stuff is fine, his health is fine, his location is what is missing.  Twins staff also says that Liriano often overcompensates for problems in his mechanics.  Translation: the mental part of his game has never been up to elite level.

Liriano can be a dominating pitcher when he puts it all together.  He pitched at elite level in the Dominican Winter League the last two years.  He needs to bring the same intensity and mental toughness he has shown in stretches to his game everyday.  That would make him the elite pitcher that he is capable of being.

Dominican pitcher Francisco Liriano is from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Dominican pitcher Francisco Liriano with the Twins, photo by Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar on Flickr

Twins' Dominican players news: Miguel Sano ready for first full season, Liriano inconsistent in Spring Training, two Dominican Summer League prospects get 50 game suspensions

Apparently yesterday was lets talk about the Minnesota Twins and all their Dominican baseball players.  First, the news broke that two Twins minor leaguers were suspended for use of performance enhancing drugs, both are young Dominican prospects.  Yeison Florentino and Ezequiel Zarzuela have both performed well with the Twins Dominican Summer League team, but have yet to make the trip to the states.  However, they are still subject to MLB drug testing as players in the Dominican Summer League.

Over the counter and illegal supplements are common in the Dominican Republic.  For years, trainers, also known as buscones, gave their players supplements and the players rarely followed up on what they were putting in their bodies.  Busones have admitted to giving their players animal steroids and other over the counter supplements that were not intended to be used for healthy humans.  Further, Many Dominican baseball players have tested positive for various drugs since the MLB drug testing program got under way, and that is only the ones that have gotten caught in recent years.

These practices have been slowing down in recent years, as buscones and Dominican players have become more educated as to the dangers of PEDs.  So, hopefully these two players realize their mistake and are able to share their experience with other Dominican prospects.

Second, it was reported that Francisco Liriano has been inconsistent in Spring Training.  Make that for his whole career.  Francisco Liriano was the AL Roookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2006.  He then missed all of 2007 with Tommy John surgery.  He had below average years after coming back in 2008 and 2009.  Rhen he got the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2010, after dominating in the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) that off-season.  And then he had a sub-par year last season.  So, his inconsistency in Spring Training is not surprising.  He is a serviceable end of the rotation starter, even when he plays bad, so he will get his chances this year.  Liriano is from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Lastly, it was reported that Dominican prospect Miguel Sano will be playing his first full year with the Twins organization.  There was much hoopla surrounding the signing of Miguel Sano, and he was even featured in the Dominican baseball documentary Pelotero.  Miguel started in the Twins Dominican baseball academy and played in the Dominican Summer League.  He spent last year in short season Rookie and A ball, but will see a full season of A ball this year, and could easily move up the minor league ranks.  Sano talks about adjusting to a change of position (short stop to probably third), adjusting to the long season, and learning a new language.  The Dominican Baseball Guy agrees with most and sees Sano as a can't miss Dominican prospect, so we should see him in the majors soon.  Miguel Sano is from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

Dominican baseball player Alexi Casilla and Twins agree to deal, Alexi Casilla frima con Twins por un ano

The Dominican Baseball Guy has been following Alexi Casilla since he first cracked the big leagues.  Casilla was playing for the Gigantes del Cibao on the Dominican Baseball Guy's first trip to the Dominican Republic to see the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) in 2009.  The Dominican Baseball Guy got some video of him during a delay at one of the Gigantes home games in San Francisco de Macoris:


He has played with the Gigantes in the LIDOM every year since.  This year he hit .336 for the Gigantes in 31 games, and .396 in 17 playoff games.

Casilla has been a solid contributor for the Twins, since breaking into the big league club in 2006.  He has averaged around .250 and 90 games over the last five years, filling in at short stop or second based, or DHing some.

His value is as a fielder.  One of the best the Dominican Baseball Guy has ever seen live.  Super soft hands, decent arm, fast.  It really shows how good a player is when you see him playing with or against guys that are not as talented, which sometimes happens in the LIDOM.

The Twins avoided arbitration and signed Alexi Casilla to a one year deal.  Alexi Casilla is from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

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

Dominican Winter Baseball League: Gigantes get first win, David Herndon gets win, Mark Hamilton and Erick Almonte Homer

10/18/09 Game-

The Gigantes got their first win in their first home game to the delight of the home crowd. There was lots of offense from both sides.

One of the Gigantes imported players, Angels prospect David Herndon, got the win. He pitched one inning, gave up 3 earned runs, and got the win. Once again proving that wins are an interesting statistic. Mark Hamilton, another import, had a home run and a single. He had really good numbers splitting time between AA and AAA in the Cardinals organization last year. One problem for him, the Cardinals have another pretty good player at first base, Dominican baseball player Albert Pujols. 

Dominican Erick Almonte showed that he can once again be a leading hitter for the Gigantes, with a home run. Estarlin De Los Santos, another Dominican baseball player, has a hit in all three games this season. He is just an exciting player at shortstop and playing well. So now the Twins have him in the minors, Alexi Casilla and Carlos Gomez on the big league club, and they just signed uber-prospect Miguel Angel Sano. Seems the Twins, like a lot of other teams, are finding really good Dominican players.

This season in the Dominican Winter Baseball League is officially dedicated to the Alou brothers (Felipe, Matty, and Jesus) all of whom had successful careers in MLB and played many years in the Dominican Winter Baseball League. Felipe's son, ex-big leaguer Moises Alou is actually the GM for the Leones de Escogido from Santo Domingo.

Moises Alou with the Giants in 2005,
by sgmom56 on Flickr

Dominican Winter Baseball League: Gigantes lose, Fernando Abad and Victor Mercedes shine for Toros

10/17/09 Game-
The Gigantes lost their second in a row to start the season tonight. They were never in this contest and looked sloppy throughout, going down by a score of 8-0. The Toros even had an inside the park home run in the eighth inning, after an error (and lack of effort in my opinion or at least ignorance of the situation by pitcher Rhiner Cruz).

There was not much good to say about the Gigantes performance in this game. Estarlin de los Santos had another good game. It is somewhat strange to see a player with only high-A experience be entrenched as a starter at short stop. However, he has played well and went 1-3 last night, and also hit a hard liner right at the center fielder. He made some good plays in the field again too.

Luis Taveras, the brother of Willy Taveras, saw action as a pinch hitter and got a hit. Erick Almonte, a leading hitter for los Gigantes last year, got on track a little going 1-2, with a walk. He was with the Brewers in AAA last year and had a good year (.291, 2HR, 31RBI) in 105 games. He is big, at 6'2" and 180 pounds, with long ball potential.

Astros minor leaguer Fernando Abad pitched 4 innings of no-hit ball for the Toros. Victor Mercedes went 3-3 and had the inside the park home run.

The Gigantes head back home for their home opener tonight against the Aguilas.

Erick Almonte warming up for Gigantes, by Dominican Baseball Guy

Dominican Winter Baseball: Aguilas beat Gigantes, Erick Abreu and Ben Jukich pitch well

10/16/09-
The Aguilas scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat los Gigantes 5-3. The Aguilas took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the 7th. The Gigantes were held to just four hits. The Aguilas took the lead 3-0 in the bottom of the 4th. However, Estarlin de los Santos hit a single that drove in two runs and another run scored in the top of the 5th to tie the game.

Estarlin de los Santos had a good game for the Gigantes. He had the base hit that drove in two runs, and made several good plays at short stop. He showed off a very strong arm on one play and turned a couple double plays. He is in the Twins organization and had a pretty good year last year (.290, 1Hr, 23 RBI), mainly with the high-A Fort Myers Miracle. However, his value is clearly as a defensive player as he hit last in the lineup last night. He is from San Pedro de Macoris on the soutern coast, which is known as "The Cradle of Shortstops," producing Rafael Belliard and a number of other short stops.

Erick Abreu had a good game. He spent most of last year with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks. He had a very good year as a mid-game/set up reliever posting a 2.06 ERA in 27 games and 47 innings. I am from Corpus Christi and got to see him play a few times this summer. Last night he pitched 3 innings of shutout baseball in relief of starter Fabio Castro, a Blue Jays farmhand.

With the Aguilas, Ben Jukich pitched four innings of 2 hit, no run ball, and then was inexplicably taken out between the 4th and 5th ininnings. At first I thought it was a double switch or something, but there was no reason that I could see. He must have been on a pitch count or something.

Ben Jukich in 2006, photo by Joel Dinda on Flickr