Erik Gonzalez and Jorge Polanco are two of the key players
in which the Leones have pinned their hopes of qualifying.
DEBUTED TOGETHER IN 2013 AND HAVE BEEN VITAL TO THE FRANCHISE
Santo Domingo
They met four years ago in the Class A Media with one goal in mind - to play in the major leagues. Their common nationality brought them together with a greeting and a handshake.
A distance of almost 400 kilometers separates their birth plaes. While one trains in Fort Myers, home of the Twins of Minnesota, the other one does it in GoodYear, home of the Indians of Cleveland, among the cacti of Arizona.
Their beginnings and development in baseball also have very different histories. On the one hand, Erik González has always followed in the footsteps of his father, Ramon, who raised him from a very young age and was one of more than 20 players who have signed for professional contracts from the village of Mamey, Puerto Plata. He even went so far as to be on the national team.
On the other hand, Jorge Polanco observed his first light of day in the Restoration neighborhoods, just behind the gates of the Tetelo Vargas Stadium and affirms that in several occasions he was caught by the police when he tried to climb the walls of the facility with the purpose of going to train in the park and try to follow in the footsteps of other baseball infielders like Tony Fernandez and Manny Alexander.
However, brilliant seasons in the Minors in 2013, unintentionally placed them in the same direction when their statistics were well analyzed and weighed upon by the operations team of the Leones del Escogido, a franchise that made them their first two picks In the Dominican League Draft of Rookies in that year.
1-2 in draft 2013
Polanco immediately opened the eyes of manager Moisés Alou, who without much analysis, made Pollanco the first choice of Leones in the draft and the third pick overall behind the Licey Tigers pick of (Adalberto Mondesí) and Gigantes choice of (Rossell Herrera).
In Erik's case, he came off of a .254 campaign with 32 doubles, a dozen triples and nine homers. Ramon Peña, who started as an Indian executive at the Latin American level was questioned by the Leones drafting team on the defensive game of the Rookie and the report far exceeded expectations. Gonzalez made it as the second Leones selection.
Solid performances by Gonzalez and Polanco, wrapped in a Leones jersey, made the Lions team the most electrifying combination of newcomers in the league since Erick Aybar and Anderson Hernandez made it to Licey in 2004- 05.
Since then, both players have maintained a close friendship and magnificent productions for the Lions. In their first campaign with the team, they were architects for this club's run to the final league championship series game , which they lost 5-3 to Licey. Gonzalez and Polanco were so meritorious that their performances enabled them to finish 1-2 in the race for the League's Rookie of the Year award . During the last campaign, Gonzalez and Polanco were instrumental when the Scarlet team took revenge on Licey by winning the crown. The championship was the fourth in last seven years for Escogido.
Code: Select all
2009-10 Leones del Escogido Ken Oberkfell Gigantes del Cibao
2010-11 Toros del Este Dean Treanor Estrellas Orientales
2011-12 Leones del Escogido Ken Oberkfell Águilas Cibaeñas
2012-13 Leones del Escogido Audo Vicente Águilas Cibaeñas
2013-14 Tigres del Licey Jose Offerman Leones del Escogido
2014-15 Gigantes del Cibao Audo Vicente Estrellas Orientales
2015-16 Leones del Escogido Luis Rojas Tigres del Licey
In a League where "Thanksgiving" brings them ever closer to playoff qualification time, Erik and Polanco, in spite of their youth, are already consecrated as the two stalwarts for the Lions.
Joining the team for the second half run is a difficult task when the teams are battling "tooth and nail" in search of qualification.
"I'm here just for that purpose, helping the club as much as I can and I hope to do it big," said Erik, who this year, broke out by batting .296 (429-127) with 31 doubles, 11 home runs and 59 RBIs. Eric took his cup of coffee this campaign with the Indians.
With 25 years and very productive days in the Minors, Gonzalez, a tall player of 6'3" tall is entrusted with playing shortstop and second base, facts that will increase his chances of staying with the Cleveland Indians Which have one of the most talented double-play combinations in the game (Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor) and also received the good support from another Dominican, José Ramírez, who carried out a high-carat campaign. So far, Erik has the authorization from the Indians to go the whole distance with the Reds.
Polanco is two years younger, was signed in 2009, one year after his partner, but unlike Erik does not have retaining walls to break through to the big tent. In his case, Polanco recorded his third season with the Twins and ended up being the starting shorstop. He also played second base, third base, and DH.
