Dominican prospect Angel Villalona plays first game in three years

It has been a long road for Dominican prospect Angel Villalona. Once one of the top five prospects in the Giants system, he was arrested and charged with murder in the Dominican Republic in 2009. He faced civil and criminal prosecution. The civil case was dropped after he made a payment to the family, and the criminal case eventually fell apart due to lack of evidence.

This is such a sad case. I predicted back in 2009 that the Villalona would eventually be cleared. I think Villalona or someone in his group may have committed the crime, but the whole situation seemed like a bar fight gone wrong. And I suggested the victim's family may have been trying to extort money.

We will never know what happened in that bar in La Romana, the hometown of Villalona. The prosecuting branch of Dominican law enforcement does not have the same resources at its disposal as their American counter parts, and that is the main reason I thought this case may get dropped. It seemed like a 'he said, he said' case to begin with, and without substantial resources it was a hard case to prove.

As for the victim and the civil case, the family of the victim probably got what they deserved even if it was an accident or a bar fight gone too far. Villalona gave them a payment of $139,000.

So, Villalona lost three years of his life and baseball career. Much worse can be said for the victim's family.  But he is only 21 and has finally been cleared to join the Giants system again. He started out with a game in the Dominican Summer League Thursday and went 1-4.

He is still going to have to jump through some hoops just to get a visa to play in the US again, so expect him to play in the DSL the rest of the season. And at 21, he could still turn into that power hitting first baseman that everyone predicted him to be back three years ago as an 18 year old prospect. It will be a long road though, as he is starting from square one in the lowest division of professional baseball in all of the minor league system.

Dominican pitcher weighs 334 pounds

Minor league pitcher Jose Diaz could be a lineman in the National Football League. That is if he had grown up in the United States. But as is the case, Diaz is a native of the Dominican Republic, so he was naturally led to baseball.

Diaz is listed at 6'4'' and 300 pounds. But Diaz admitted to the Indianapolis Star that he actually weighs 334 pounds. He throws in the high 90s and says that his size is an advantage as a power pitcher.

"I weigh 334 pounds," Diaz told the Star. "When I went from Double-A to Triple-A, they told me to lose 25-30 pounds, and my fastball went from 98 mph to 93 mph. So I said, 'It's time to put the weight back on."

The Dominican pitcher Diaz has been up and down over six years in the minors, possibly due to the weight loss. Now that he has his weight where he wants it to be, he looks like he could push for some big league time with the Indians. 

He should start the year with the Indians AAA affiliate in Indianapolis. Diaz is from La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Dominican pitcher Jose Diaz

Dodgers Tommy Lasorda gets a statue at the Latin Baseball Hall of Fame, Tommy Lasorda tiene estatua in Salon de Fama de Beisbol Latino

Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda recently got a statue at the Latin Baseball Hall of Fame in La Romana, Dominican Republic.  See the Latin Baseball Hall of Fame website here: http://www.salondelafamadelbeisbollatino.com/.

Lasorda is well known in baseball circles as being friendly to Latin players and a huge fan of Latin baseball.  He was a founding member of the Latin Baseball Hall of Fame, so it is natural that they gave him a statue.  Lasorda's  most significant contribution to Latin baseball is probably the 1973 Caribbean Series, in which he led Tigres del Licey to the title.  The team set a mark for the best record ever in the series at 5-1.

He now serves as the Latino Hall of Fame's Goodwill Abasodor and is a Special Advisor to the Chairman of the Dodgers.  He has been with the Dodgers for six decades.

Tommy Lasorda in 2010 Spring Training appearance with the Dodgers, by SD Dirk on Flickr

Houston Astros sign several Dominican players, add to Dominicans on roster

The Houston Astros have added some key arms to their roster this offseason.  First, they resigned Wandy Rodriguez (see the AP article).  The Dominican Baseball Guy thinks Wandy is an ace or at least a number two starter.  He won the Dominican Baseball Guy player of the month for August 2010.  Wandy is from Santiago, DR.

Next, they signed Enerio del Rosario.  He debuted for the Reds last year and should see time in the Astros bullpen this season, after he had a strong winter season in the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM).  They also resigned Jimmy Paredes, who is on the 40 man roster, but will most likely start next year in the minors.  Parades came to the Astros in the Lance Berkman deal.  Enerio is from Santa Lucia, DR and Paredes is from Haina, DR.  Brian Mctaggart reported these deals here.

Most recently the Astros resigned Alberto Arias (see the details from Sports Blog Nation Houston).  Arias missed all of 2010 with an injury, but should see time in the Astros bullpen if he continues to recover from the rotator cuff injury.  Alberto is from the capital of the DR, Santo Domingo.

These signings are in addition the following Dominican players on the Astros 40 man roster: Fernando Abad (La Romana, DR), Henry Villar (Bonao), Jorge DeLeon (La Cega Azua), and Aneury Rodriguez (Higuey).  There are also several non-roster Dominican invitees to spring training.

2011 Caribbean Series Results and All-Stars

The Caribbean Series finished Monday and the team representing Mexico won the championship for 2011.  The Yaquis de Ciudad Obregon finished the series 4-2 to win their first title and the first title for Mexico since 2005.

The Dominican team was unable to repeat their performance from one year ago in which LIDOM champion Escogido won the Caribbean Series title.  The Toros de la Romana represented the Dominican league this year, and though they did not win, they had a good showing and finished in a tie for second. 

There were also three Dominican players and one Cuban player representing the Toros on the Caribbean Series all-star team.  Third baseman Danny Richar, left fielder Ruddy Yan, and center fielder Jose Constanza were the Dominican players to make the all-star team for the Toros.  They were joined by Cuban teammate Raul Valdes.  The Dominican team was only outdone in all-star selections by the Mexican side, which had five selections including MVP Jorge Vazquez.

All four participating countries host the series on a rotating basis.  Next year the tournament will be in the Dominican Republic, and La Romana is hoping to host the event for the first time, though Santo Domingo is always in the running to host.

Caribbean Series 2011 All-Star Team:

Iker Franco, C, Mexico

Jorge Vazquez, 1B, Mexico

Alex Cora, 2B, Puerto Rico

Danny Richar, 3B, Dominican Republic

Henry Rodriguez, SS, Venezuela

Ruddy Yan, LF, Dominican Republic

Jose Constanza, CF, Dominican Republic

Karim Garcia, RF, Mexico

Barbaro Canizares, DH, Mexico

Raul Valdez, LHP, Dominican Republic

Juan Padilla, RHP, Puerto Rico

Jorge Vazquez, MVP, Mexico

Eddie Diaz, Manager, Mexico

This is a partial article.  See the full article at the Dominican Baseball Examiner

Dominican Team Loses on Final Day of Caribbean Series, Mexico Takes Title

Cuban Raul Valdes pitched 7.2 innings of scoreless ball and the Toros de la Romana defeated the Puerto Rican host team Criollos de Caguas in the final game of the 2011 Caribbean Series.  Julio Manon earned his third save of the tournament in finishing out the shutout for the Dominican team.

Alejandro de Aza (White Sox) had a two RBI triple to open the scoring for the Toros in the 4th inning.  De Aza later scored an insurance run off an Esteban German (Rangers) infield single to finish off the scoring.

Puerto Rico had a chance to tie Mexico for the series lead and force a one game playoff, but they ended up in a tie for second with the Dominican Republic.  Both teams had a 3-3 record.

Mexico won their earlier game over Venezuela to finish the tournament 4-2 and take the title. This is the sixth time a Mexican team has won the title and first since 2005 when the Venados de Mazatlan took the title.  It is also the first Caribbean Series title for the Yaquis de Obregon.

Mexico Celebrates the 2011 Caribbean Series Title

Next year's tournament will be in the Dominican Republic with La Romana and Santo Domingo both vying to host the event.

Caribbean Series Final Standings:

Mexico: 4-2

Puerto Rico: 3-3

Dominican Republic: 3-3

Venezuela: 3-3

Dominican Republic wins 4-3 on third day of Caribbean Series

The Dominican team came back with two outs in the ninth inning and down 3-1 to defeat the Puerto Rican squad in day three of the Caribbean Series.  Esteban German scored the game winning run after knocking in two runs on a triple to tie the game in the ninth.  German is a non-roster invitee to Rangers spring training camp in a few weeks.

Fernando Abad pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 1 run for the Dominican team represented by the Toros de la Romana.  Abad is a roster invitee to the Astros camp.  Julio Manon got his second save of the tourney.

Major League veteran Alex Cora had a strong game for the host Puerto Ricans, going 3-3 with two walks.

Alex Cora, By Keith Allison on Flickr 

Mexico beat Venezuela 7-3 in the other game on the day.

Caribbean Series standings:
Dominican Republic: 2-1
Mexico: 2-1
Venezuela: 1-2
Puerto Rico: 1-2

Dominican Republic Beats Venezuela 6-5 in Day Two of Caribbean Series

Kevin Barker hit a home run and had three RBI in leading the Toros de la Romana to a victory on day two of the Caribbean Series.  Venezuelan first basemen Luis Jimenez hit two homers in a losing effort.  Venezuela is represented by the Caribes de Anzoategui.

Kevin Barker continues solid play in winter league action

The starters from both teams had sub-par outings.  Venezuelan starter Amaury Sanit gave up three runs on three innings and Dominican starter Aneury Rodriguez allowed 3 runs in 4.1 innings.  Julio Manon got the save after blowing a save in the first game.

Jackson Melian had a two run homer in the ninth to bring Venezuela within one run, before Manon closed the game.  Wellington Castillo, Jose Constanza, and Michael Martinez each had one RBI for the Dominicans.

Puerto Rico beat Mexico 7-3 in the second game on the day.

Caribbean Series Standings:
Mexico: 1-1
Venezuela: 1-1
Dominican Republic: 1-1
Puerto Rico: 1-1

Dominican Team Loses First Game of Caribbean Series in 15 Inning Affair

The Yaquis de Ciudad Obregon (Mexico) defeated the Toros de la Romana (Dominican Republic) in a 15 inning contest in game one of the Caribbean Series.  Iker Franco drove in the winning run for the Mexican side with two outs and two on in the 15th inning.

The Mexican team tied the game in the bottom of the ninth off  a Barbaro Canizares RBI with two outs off releiver Julio Manon.  The Yaquis had the opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the ninth, but Ricardo Nanita made a sensational catch at the wall to send the contest into extra innings.

Jose Contanza scored the opening run off Mexican pitcher Alberto Castillo in the third inning after he singled to open the inning.  Brock Peterson reached on an error in the sixth inning and was driven in by Rudy Yan.  Alberto Rosario then batted in Rudy Yan and that would be the last runs the Dominican team would score.

Raul Valdes allowed two runs and three hits in six plus innings starting for the Toros.  The Mexican squad scored  two runs in the seventh off sloppy play from the Dominican defense, and that led to Valdes being yanked.  See the box score here.

Both teams see action tomorrow in the double round robin format.  The 2011 version of the Caribbean Series is dedicated to Roberto Alomar, who was recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Roberto was also inducted into the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame this year and threw out the first pitch in Puerto Rico's opening game (see story here).

Alomar throws out the first pitch in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Venezuela beat Puerto Rico 5-3 in the other game on day one of the series.

Caribbean Series Standings:

Mexico: 1-0

Venezuela: 1-0

Puerto Rico: 0-1

Dominican Republic: 0-1

Caribbean Series Preview

The Caribbean Series starts tomorrow in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic is represented by the LIDOM champions, the Toros de la Romana.  The Toros and their reinforcements will be facing the winners of the winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.

The Dominican Republic is the defending champion, as Escogido won the series last year.  The Dominican Republic has also won the event 18 times in the 52 years it has been played, which is the most of any country.

MLB.com has a nice preview that you can see here.  Also, Bruce Baskin did a nice job of scouting reports at his Baseball Mexico website and you can see those scouting reports here.

The series is a double round robin event, so each team plays each other two times, and the team with the best record is declared the winner.  The opening game is tomorrow at 3pm EST and features the Dominican team versus Mexico.

The Caribbean Series 2011 Schedule (all times EST)

Caribbean Series Uniforms for Toros de la Romana Presented

Orange Dominicana (a major cell phone and communications company in the Dominican Republic), along with representatives of Comercializadora Deportiva Dominicana (a sporting goods company) and officials from the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM), presented the official uniforms of the Toros de la Romana for the Caribbean Series.

The uniforms incorporate the colors of the Dominican Republic, along with a Toros hat and the Toros main sponsor (Orange Dominicana) displayed prominently.  The Caribbean Series starts Wednesday, February 2.

The Toros Jerseys for the Caribbean Series 2011

LIDOM Champion Toros de la Romana Have Victory Parade

The Toros de la Romana and their fans continues to celebrate their Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) championship on Wednesday with a parade through the city of La Romana.  The parade was in celebration of the championship that the Toros won last week.

The parade ended in the Francisco Micheli Stadium, where the Toros completed their sweep of the Estrellas on Sunday.  The stadium scene featured thanks from the team, as well as music and other entertainment.  Along with the team and team president Frank Micheli, the local provincial governor and the national senator for the region also attended the parade.  This is in addition to thousands of loyal Toros fans.

Fans and supporters joined the parade and followed the team to the stadium.  The Toros are awaiting the start of the Caribbean Series on February 2.  Here are some pictures of the event from various sources:

Toros Visit President Leonel Fernandez

As is tradition in the United States, the President of the Dominican Republic usually hosts the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) champion.  This was the case this year, as President Leonel Fernandez hosted the Toros de la Romana on Tuesday.

First, President Fernandez congratulated the Toros through the media on Monday.  Then, on Tuesday he welcomed the Toros the Hall of Ambassadors at the Dominican capital in Santo Domingo.  Fernandez was joined by Sports Minister Felipe Payano and MLB Executive in the Dominican Republic Leonardo Matos Berrido.

President Fernandez receives the jersey of the Toros de la Romana

President Fernandez congratulated the Toros and wished them luck in the Caribbean Series.  He received the jersey of the Toros, and also made sure to tell them that the hopes of all Dominicans are on their shoulders and he expects them to win the Caribbean Series.

La Romana Celebrates LIDOM Championship

The Toros de la Romana won their first domestic crown since 1994-95.  There were some big celebrations the night of the game, as the Toros won in their home stadium.

The city of la Romana has been celebrating for two days (see article).  The party will continue as there is a victory parade scheduled for Wednesday the 26th.  The Toros will begin practice later this week, in preparation for the Caribbean Series on February 2nd.

Toros fans Celebrate

Toros de la Romana Win 11-2 Over Estrellas, Take 4-0 Lead in LIDOM Finals

Marlins prospect Adalberto Mendez pitched 5.2 innings, allowing one run, and the Toros de la Romana had 14 hits in scoring 11 runs.  The Toros scored three runs in the first and never trailed.  Eduardo Nunez (Yankees) had a double and three RBI and Jose Constanza (Braves) had three hits for the Toros.  American Brock Peterson (Twins) also had a three run homer for the Toros.

Adalberto Mendez pitches for the Marlins

Former big leaguer Dan Reichert had an ineffective outing for the Estrellas of San Pedro de Macoris, getting pulled in the first inning after giving up three runs.  The lone highlight for the Estrellas came on Buck Coat's solo homerun in the 6th inning.

The Toros lead the series 4-0 and are one game away from a sweep of the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) final series.  They have not won the domestic crown since 1994-95 when they were led by Art Howe.

Toros de La Romana win 2-1, Gain 3-0 Lead in LIDOM Final Series

Fernando Abad (Astros) pitched 6 innings of no-hit ball and the Toros pitched a combined 1 hitter to take a three games to none lead over the Estrellas in the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) finals.  The Toros won 2-1.

Fernando Abad pitches for the Toros

Julio Manon got the save, although he did give up one hit and one run in the ninth, after the Toros shutout the Estrellas through 8 innings.  The Toros first run came on a Ricardo Nanita single in the 3rd inning and American journeyman Kevin Barker added the second run on an RBI single in the 7th.

For the Estrellas, Cuban Alberto Castillo pitched 6 innings and allowed only one run, but that got him the loss.  Michael Martinez (Nationals) had the lone RBI for the Estrellas, when he doubled off Manon in the 9th inning.

Game 4 is Saturday at the Tetelo Vargas Stadium in San Pedro de Macoris.

Toros de La Romana Win Game 2 Over Estrellas, Lead Final Series 2-0

The Toros beat the Estrellas at the Estrellas' home Tetelo Vargas stadium in San Pedro de Macoris.  The final score was Toros 3 and Estrellas 1.  Ricardo Nanita had a 2 RBI single in the 8th inning to put the Toros up for good.  Carlos Perez got the win in relief and Julio Manon took the save for the Toros.

Ricardo Nanita had a 30 game hit streak in the Pioneer Rookie League, he is from Santo Domingo

The Toros scored the first run in the second inning on a Danny Richar sacrifice fly.  The Estrellas then equalized in the seventh on an Edwin Bellorin RBI.  The Estrellas had other chances in the fifth and seventh innings that were squandered by base running blunders.

Game three is Friday in La Romana.  The Toros are threatening to run away with the 9 game series, and a victory would be there first Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) championship since 1996.  The Estrellas have not won the domestic crown since 1968.

Toros de La Romana Take Lead in Sugar Series, Lead LIDOM Finals 1-0

Toros de La Romana took a 1-0 lead  in the first game of the 9 game final series, beating over the Estrellas de San Pedro de Macoris 5-3.  The Dominican press is calling this year's finals the Sugar Series (see the Dominican Baseball Guy's last post).  The game took place in la Romana at the Stadium Francisco Micheli.

Raul Valdes (Cardinals) continued a strong winter campaign and pitched a complete game for the Toros.  See an article about Valdes and his future with the Cardinals here.  Puerto Rican Martin Maldonado had a good game behind the plate catching for Valdes and also had an RBI at the plate.  Jose Constanza (Braves) also had two RBI for the Toros and Danny Richar (Marlins) was 3-4 with two runs.  Constanza hit .319 with the Braves AAA team and made the International League All-Star team, and Richar has been very successful with the Marlins AAA team, so the Dominican Baseball Guy expects to see both in the big leagues soon.

Valdes pitches a complete game

For the Estrellas, former big leaguer and minor league veteran Buck Coats scored a run on an Edward Rogers single, and Edwin Bellorin had two RBI.  Coats was later ejected in the third inning, in an interesting scene that saw Coats (a ten year veteran of the minor leagues) arguing with a fellow American umpire in a Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) playoff game.  LIDOM has both American and Dominican umpires work most games, because it is thought the American umpires do not have ulterior motives in regards to favoring certain teams.

Coats exits as his manager continues the argument with the home plate umpire

The incident goes to show that these games are very important for everyone involved.  For many of these players these are the biggest games and the most intense atmosphere they have had the chance to play in, and this is true for veteran Americans like Coats and Kevin Barker of the Toros.

Game two is tomorrow night in San Pedro de Macoris.

Dominican Winter Baseball League Final Series Preview 2011

The Estrellas beat the Gigantes last night in the one game playoff to determine second place in the 18 game round robin playoff in the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM).  The final score was 3-0 and the game was never really close.  The Estrellas pitching dominated and Eulogio de la Cruz (former major leaguer who just signed with the Brewers) got the win.  Eugenio Velez (Dodgers) and  Argenis Reyes (Indians) led the offensive charge for the Estrellas.  See the game recap and some cool photos here.  There was a great atmosphere, with most of the crowd on their feet the whole game.

Estrellas and Fans Celebrate

The Estrellas go on to face the Toros in a 9 game final series.  The Toros had already advanced to the finals after dominating the round robin in finishing 1st.  This sets up what the Dominican press is calling a "Sugar Series."  See the preview from the only English daily in the country, Dominican Today.  Both clubs hail from the southeast coast of the country, the region that is the center of sugarcane production.

Sugarcane has long been the agricultural base of the country, and it is said that the sugarcane plantations are where baseball first became popular on the island.  Workers on the plantations supposedly played baseball after working the fields, and the game then diffused to the rest of the population.

So, this series has special significance for Dominican fans, particularly for those from San Pedro de Macoris and La Romana, the home of the Estrellas and Toros respectively.  Not to mention the town with the most baseball talent in the world (San Pedro de Macoris) is hosting a finals series.  The first game is tomorrow, Wednesday the 19th.

Dominican Pitcher Alfredo Simon Suspect in Shooting Death

The recent news that Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon is the main suspect in the shooting death of a man in his native Dominican Republic hearkens to the situation of Angel Villalona a year ago.  While both were involved in a shooting death, on further inspection the situations are quite different.

Villalona is accused of shooting a man in a night club after a disagreement.  The Dominican Baseball Guy added a couple updates on the Villalona situation which you can see here.  There are plenty of links to all the relevant stories from a year ago within these two blog posts.  Villalona is still awaiting trial, but according to this article, he is back playing baseball again, so may be able to make it back to the states some day.  Villalona is from La Romana, DR.

The case of Simon seems to be different.  While Villalona was a minor league player yet to reach the big leagues, Simon debuted 3 years ago for the Orioles and played in 49 games last year.  The other difference is that the shooting Simon was involved in seems to be accidental.  According to the latest AP story, Simon is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, as he either fired a gun in the air to celebrate New Year's Eve or had a gun go off accidentally while breaking up a fight between two women.  Simon's lawyer is saying he merely shot his gun in the air to celebrate the new year.  The saddest part is that the dead man was his cousin.  Alfredo is from Santiago, DR.

This brings up the inevitable "why is a multi-million dollar athlete carrying a pistol?"  Well in the states the Dominican Baseball Guy agrees, but the fact is the Dominican Republic is a very rough place and lots of people carry weapons.  Security in the country is sparse, especially in smaller cities, and Dominicans grow up in an atmosphere where fighting and weapons are widespread.  So, it is hard for professional baseball players to forget their upbringing in that environment.

The Dominican Baseball Guy thinks the best thing for these guys is to just stay away from the country, if they feel they will be tempted to visit their old stomping grounds.  But that would mean never seeing their family and friends again in many cases.  So, as you can see it is a vicious cycle.  Simon is just 29 and has a promising career ahead of him, so if it was an accident, hopefully he can make an arrangement with the family and  get back to the big leagues at some point.