Dominican Republic baseball player of the week: Oscar Taveras

Normally the Dominican Baseball Guy goes with a big league Dominican baseball player for his Dominican Player of the Week pick. In fact, the Dominican Baseball Player of the Week has never gone to a minor league player. 

That all changes this week, as Oscar Taveras gets the Dominican Baseball Player of the Week award based on his performance in the 2012 MLB Futures Game. Taveras went 1-3 from the plate in the Futures game, as the World team was thumped by the American squad by a score of 17-5. The Dominican Republic baseball player Taveras had a few bad throws in the field to go along with his one hit.

So, that does not sound like a performance worthy of the Dominican Baseball Player of the Week huh? Well the fact is that the Futures minor league All-Star game featured 8 Dominican players and Taveras performed the best out of those eight players.

Taveras is ranked as the number 74 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, and he has been an all-star at every minor league stop he has made. He hit .386 last year in single-A and is hitting above .300 again this year in double-A. The Cardinals see him as an every day outfielder in the next two years.

He is from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, an awesome Dominican beach town on the north coast of the country.

Best things about Dominican culture, Dominican baseball player Nelson Cruz shares his top 5, Las mejores cosas de la cultura Dominicana

A recent Rangers update from T.R. Sullivan spotlighted Nelson Cruz and his favorite things about Dominican culture.  Since the Dominican Baseball Guy is a cultural anthropologist this was a huge story for everyone at the Dominican Baseball Guy world headquarters.  Cultural studies, Dominican baseball, and Nelson Cruz are three of the Dominican Baseball Guy's favorite things in the world.

So here is Nelson Cruz's favorite things about Dominican culture:

1. Carnaval
2. Winter Ball
3. Beaches 
4. People 
5. Food

So, Carnaval is big in lots of Latin American and Catholic countries, and Cruz says they party every Sunday in January.  Everyone that follows the Dominican Baseball Guy knows that winter baseball is big down there.  Most people know the beaches, and Cruz says they are nice in the north and the south.  The people, Cruz says, are friendly.  The food, Cruz says eat rice and beans, chicken and pork, plaintains and soup, and fruits like mango.

And, the Dominican Baseball Guy has never been to any of the Carnaval parties in the Dominican Republic.  Everyone that follows the Dominican Baseball Guy knows that winter baseball is big down there.  The Dominican Baseball Guy has never been to a Dominican beach, but hears they are nice in the north and the south.  The people, the Dominican Baseball Guy says be careful because there can be some swindlers down there.  And the food, the Dominican Baseball Guy concurs with Nelson Cruz, eat chicken, arroz, y habichuelas, throw in some mangu and mofongo, and the soncocho soup is awesome stuff.

Dominican baseball player Nelson Cruz is from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic.

What are your favorite things about Dominican culture? Favorite beaches? Favorite foods?

Dominican baseball player Nelson Cruz plays with the Rangers,
by Keith Allison on Flickr