5 Dominicans to play in Korea Baseball Organization in 2011

The eight teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) have signed 16 foreign players for the upcoming 2011 season, and 5 of the imported players are Dominican.  Like many lower tier sports leagues throughout the world, the KBO has a limit of 2 foreign players per team.  The Dominican Winter Baseball League limits it's teams to 5 foreign players at one time, and other sports leagues such as Major League Soccer also have limits on foreign born players, so this is a common practice designed to ensure that local teams have a majority of local players.

Thanks to True Stories of Korean Baseball for the list of foreign players.  Here are the Dominican players scheduled to appear in Korea this season:

Radhames Liz, P El Seybo, Dominican Republic

Ramon Ramirez, P Puerto Plata

Aquilino Lopez, P Villa Altagracia

Julio DePaula, P Santo Domingo

Oneli Perez, P Bonao

Radhames Liz and Ramon Ramirez both have big league experience.  And The Dominican Baseball Guy has seen several of these players show up in the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM).  They all have some experience in the LIDOM and Ben Jukich, another player on the list, also spent the whole 2009 year in the LIDOM with Aguilas.

Interesting that they are almost all pitchers.  A lack of quality arm strength in domestic players leads the teams of the KBO to import pitchers with 90 mph stuff.

Radhames Liz in 2010 spring training with the Padres, by SD Dirk on Flickr

Radhames Liz, Matt McBride, and Juan Francisco Players of Week

The Dominican Winter Baseball League is in full swing, 20 games into the 50 game regular season.  The Dominican Baseball Guy always updates the players of the week, so this is the first edition of the Dominican Winter Baseball League Player of the Week.

Radhames Liz won the first player of the week award, and Matt McBride won the player of the week award for the week of November 2-7.  Here is the press release.  Liz has spent parts of three MLB seasons with the Orioles, mostly as a starter.  He was claimed off waivers by the Padres and spent last season with Portland in the Pacific Coast League.  Liz is playing for the Estrellas and from El Seybo, DR.

Matt McBride is in the Cleveland Indians organization and played 31 games with their AAA team last year, which is the highest level he has attained.  McBride carried a hot streak in his brief stink in the International League into the Winter League season.  He is absolutely killing the ball in the Dominican Winter League, with 7 HR and 19 RBI in 21 games.  He is leading the league in HR and RBI.

Juan Francisco won the third player of the week award.  He spent most of last season in the AAA International League, but did spend some time with the Reds.  He just missed their playoff roster.  The Dominican Baseball Guy has said it before, Francisco is a can't miss prospect and is going to have a long MLB career.  He won the Dominican Winter League MVP last year, along with several player of the week awards.  He has more power than anyone the Dominican Baseball Guy saw in the Dominican Winter League last season.  He is having another huge year and the Dominican Baseball Guy predicts he will win the MVP again.  Right now he is 1st in hits, 2nd in doubles, 2nd in HR, 1st in runs, 2nd in RBI.  I will be sure and refer to this post in two months when my prediction comes true.  Juan is from Bonao, DR.