Puerto Rico’s 2017-2018 Winter Baseball League

Update Nov. 30th, 2017- Post Maria-

They will be having a short “season”-

Starting Jan. 6th, 2018. Only 21 games, with 4 teams, in 2 stadiums.

Games Will Be Free! - Games will be played Thursday- Sundays.

The 2017-2018 baseball season starts on January 6th, 2018.
This season, there will be 4 teams from around the island playing in the league.
The teams in the league this year are:

Los Criollos de Caguas (on Twitter @CriollosCaguas, on Facebook)
Los Gigantes de Carolina (on Twitter @GigantesPRBL, on Facebook)
Cangrejeros de Santurce (on Twitter @CangrejerosPR, on Facebook)
Indios de Mayaguez, (on Twitter @MayaguezIndios, on Facebook)
This year, the Tiburones de Aguadilla have a few players that merged with the Mayaguez Indios.

Hiram Bithorn Stadium: (18.416925, -66.073120)
Isidoro 'El Cholo' Garcia Baseball Stadium: (18.193182, -67.155067)
Luis A. Canena Marquez Stadium: (18.437211, -67.147171)
Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium: (18.376356, -65.949295)
Yldelfonso Sola Morales Stadium: (18.225876, -66.034142)

There will be 21 games played throughout the month.
The last games should be 30 or 31 of January.
Then the winning team will go on to Serie del Caribe (Caribbean Series).
Their first game on Feb. 2nd, 2018.
Games will be played on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and two games on Sundays.

This year, due to hurricane damage,
they will only be using stadiums that are repaired.

Estadio Yldelfonso Solá Morales in Caguas
Estadio Isidoro "El Cholo" García in Mayaguez
Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan

The game start times:

Games start at 1:30 pm during the weekday.
Saturdays and Sundays- 1:00pm for 1st game.
The second games starts 20 mins after the first one ends.
(assume 3 hrs per game), but check schedule to make sure.

Tickets are FREE this season!
Food and drinks are available for purchase at each stadium.

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The Roberto Clemente Walker Stadium
(will not be used this season due to Hurricane damage)

he stadium is big, beautiful and well-maintained. It has the typical big-screen scoreboard, so you could see the score and who was pitching and batting.

The snack bar had reasonably priced food and beverages, with some typical Puerto Rican food (like plantain chips and pinchos), some regular ballpark fare (like popcorn, hamburgers and hot dogs). The local Medalla beer was $2/glass, and the beer guy came around every 15 minutes or so. There was even a bar for mixed drinks, with a waitress to bring them to you if you didn’t want to get up and risk missing the action. The bathrooms were plentiful and clean (well last time I went they were “sort-of” clean!).

There were security guards around, but there were no issues that needed them.

There was plenty of parking (and close to the stadium entrance since there were so few spectators).

Yadier Molina organizes sporting event to raise Puerto Rico

Several members of #TeamRubio will participate

such as Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez.

Several members of the #TeamRubio, nickname of the team of Puerto Rico in the past World Baseball Classic, will participate tomorrow, Saturday, in the "Yadier Molina Home Run Derby & Celebrity Softball Game", organized by said player, for the benefit of the victims of hurricane Maria.

"Continuing to raise funds for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico is one of my highest priorities, which is why my wife Wanda and this server created the Fundación 4 to help our people in times of great need," Molina said in a statement. of the press.

"I am very grateful for the gesture and support of all my friends, to whom I extended the invitation and decided to donate their time, make arrangements in their calendars and space within their family commitments to participate in this event," said the stellar receiver. of the Cardinals of San Luis.

The members of the #TeamRubio -submissors of the World Baseball Classic- who will participate in the event will be Carlos Beltrán, Francisco Lindor, Javier Báez, Eddie Rosario, Kennys Vargas, Joe Jiménez, José De León, José Orlando Berríos, Edwin Díaz, Alex Claudio and Roberto "Bebo" Pérez.

The event, which will take place at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan and start at 1:00 in the afternoon, will include a home run competition and the softball game.

In the home run competition, divided into the Team JetBlue and Team Rums of Puerto Rico teams, there will be ten players: Molina, Lindor, Beltrán, Eddie Rosario, Báez, Perez, Vargas and the Dominican, and expellers Carlos Baerga and Joel Piñero.

Fundación 4 is a non-profit organization founded by Yadier Molina and his wife in 2010 to help organizations that support causes related to children in Puerto Rico.

MEXICO
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Team Rubio Event fills Hiram Bithorn stadium

The Yadier Molina Home Run Derby attracted a large crowd

Molina, along with the sponsors continue to raise funds for the hurricane victims

Their was great support for Yadier Molina and Team Rubio. Yesterday, Molina invited the fans to a colorful charity event in the stadium of the capital.

Led by Molina, members of the Team Rubio such as Francisco Lindor, Javier Báez, Alex Cora, Edwin Díaz, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Baerga, José de León, Kennys Vargas and Roberto 'Bebo' Pérez, among others, brought back memories of Team Rubio's victories last March with their historic performance in the World Baseball Classic.

From Carolina to the Bithorn stadium, Reynaldo Rivera arrived with his three children and his wife to the event as a moment to remember.

"With that Blond Team we will continue to survive. Thanks to Yadier Molina we are very happy. We have had a great time here, we have met a lot of people. Let Team Rubio repeat itself! "Said Rivera.

The event was free. There were two home run derbys, one by celebrities and the other by members of Team Rubio.

The event concluded with a softball game. Team Rubio was divided into two teams, each comprised of celebrities, artists, presenters and journalists.

Thousands of fans filled the bithorn bleachers from early in the afternoon and many stayed until the end of the event, which ended with an impromptu autograph signing on the Bithorn field.

José De Jesús saw the activity from the heights of bithorn stadium bleachers and remembered above all a special play by second baseman Javier Báez in the Classic: when, in the game against Holland, when the third base was called out because he used his body as a target. The play was reversed thanks to a video review.

"That Javier Báez did it from the heart. This reminds us of all those joys that brought us here and that will motivate us to move forward. We'll remember being here, "said De Jesus.

The Classic had good plays one after the another, from the assist of Eddie Rosario from right field, to the clever plays of Molina, to the relief of Diaz, to the huge homer of Lindor. Maritza Brito had her eyes specifically on Francisco Lindor. Lindor, on the pitch, showed no sympathy.

"Lindor, to me, has great charisma; he is extremely friendly; he carries himself well and I predict a great future, "said Brito.

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After the home run competition between Team Rubio, in which Eddie Rosario stood out with a great first round, Javier Báez with 30 home runs to go to the final and Molina with the championship, entered the field for the celebrity softball game. The first pitch was presented by the mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who was accompanied gently by the hand to the hill by Molina after a reception between applause and boos to the official.

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Jay Fonseca and Yadier Molina won respective home run competitions before a packed Hiram Bithorn stadium.

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Team Rubio comprised of artists, presenters and journalists for the softball game drew laughter and applause from those present .

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A donation of $ 20,000 was made by the recently retired player Carlos Beltrán, who sent a message that was broadcast on the giant screen at the stadium. "I am very grateful for the support of the people and very grateful to the guys (Team Rubio, artists, presenters and journalists) who took their time to be here with us for this event," said Molina.

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All this happened in the late afternoon at Hiram Bithorn Stadium where there Puerto Rican ball will commence this January and where the Cleveland Indians and Francisco Lindor, and the Minnesota Twins of Eddie Rosario will play a major league series of two. matches on April 17 and 18.

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Nothing over the weekend from our winter league performers. Very poor participation. The players in the leagues can't compete with their counterparts. Perform or go home.

OF INTEREST

Estrellas: outfielder Michael Martinez (.317-0-4), who has not played since Nov. 12, when he injured his right ankle, could return to play in a week.

The Puerto Rican shortstop longs for what has eluded him in the last two seasons.

Francisco Lindor: "I want to be a champion"

By Fernando Ribas Reyes
10/12/2017 | 11: 45 pm

The disillusions of the last two seasons have not clouded the goals of the Puerto Rican star Francisco Lindor.

In 2018, the shortstop of the Cleveland Indians will again go in search of the championship that he has been so close to, but that has evaded him twice.

"Win. I want to win. I want to be a champion. We can. You have to move on, "Lindor said Saturday during the fundraising activity of Foundation 4 of Puerto Rican catcher Yadier Molina at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium.

A championship is what the Indians lack, the team that was also close to winning twice in the 1990s with Puerto Ricans like Carlos Baerga and Santos Alomar, Jr.

Cleveland will add 70 years without winning the World Series when they go out to play in the 2018 season.

Individually, the championship is what is missing in the shortstop who has won a Silver Bat and a Gold Glove, and was in second place for the Rookie of the Year 2015, and this year was fifth in the voting for the MVP and at his young age is a star in the Major Leagues.

Collectively, Lindor and the Indians have not been able to achieve the desired title because they have been unable to close out the series in two consecutive postseasons.

They had the Cubs against the wall in the 2016 World Series but could not get over the top. They also had the death penalty against the New York Yankees in the Divisional Series this year and again fell short.

Both times they fell short in local and decisive matches, but Lindor would not comment Saturday on whether or not the team has the killer instinct.

"Actually I'm not worried. You can not be aware of what is said. It's all about winning. It is always important to finish better than the other teams, "he said.

Precisely, Cleveland finished better than all the teams in the regular season of 2017. They had the best record in the American League thanks to a long winning streak that they wove near the end of the regular season.

But that was not enough.

For 2018, there should be no doubt about the projection of the team. In 2017 the staff had the best ERA in the Major Leagues, both by their starters and of by their bullpen. In fact, the catcher for most of those pitchers was the mayagüezano receiver Roberto 'Bebo' Pérez.

There is no doubt about the team that will return with the MVP candidate in 2017, José Ramírez, with Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Edwin Encarnación, Brantley and with the hopes to sign again the home run hitters Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce.

Cleveland has a team, in short, to be a candidate again for the coveted title.

Lindor said that what they will only need is to continue trusting their abilities.

"We have to keep trusting our hands," said Lindor, who will play alongside his Indian team mates against the Minnesota Twins of Jose Orlando Berrios and Eddie Rosario in a two-game series on April 17 and 18, 2018 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.

Eddie Rosario, in the foreground, and Francisco Lindor, wearing green sneakers, dance during an instance of the Yadier Molina Home Run Derby last Saturday. ( andre.kang@gfrmedia.com )

'Ours' from Minnesota and Cleveland

The Puerto Rican players of the Indians and Twins can hardly wait to play with their teams on the Island in April 2018.

If what happened on Saturday at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium is an omen, the Puerto Ricans on the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins are going to have their chest swollen by the time they play here in April.

On Saturday, the Bithorn was filled with enthusiasm on its main stage to witness the free activity organized by Puerto Rican catcher Yadier Molina along with his Rubio teammates to celebrate his great achievement of the year in the World Series and raise funds for the damage done by the passage of Hurricane Maria.

Five players from Team Rubio were on stage Saturday at Bithorn and aim to be on April 17 and 18, 2018 when the facility serves as the venue for two major league games between the Indians and the Twins.

The receiver of the Indians, Roberto 'Bebo' Pérez, observed on Saturday the bithorn bleachers and began to dream about how things will be in April.

"This is the beginning of the new era. We expect support as it was today, not only for us, but for Puerto Rico. I'm fine pompea'o. It's going to be a very special game for me, "said Perez.

It will be the first major league series to be played here since 2010, when the New York Mets and the Florida Marlins fought for three games.

Another who also valued Saturday's total sellout was Minnesota starter Jose Orlando Berrios.

"You realize what we represent to them," said Berríos.

Another of the players is the Minnesota Twins first baseman, Kennys Vargas, who in addition to results, hopes to make a social profit for the series.

"We are looking to unite a town. Through our talent and baseball, we want to unite the people.

And the star shortstop of Cleveland, Francisco Lindor, already wants them to sing playball.

"I'm very excited about the game. What is going to happen in Bithorn, is going to be special, "said Lindor.

Other Puerto Ricans who would see action in the game would be Minnesota outfielder Eddie Rosario, and possibly the Twins free agent and pitcher, Hector Santiago.

AFTER A WEEK OF INACTIVITY, SOME INDIAN SIGHTINGS

Dominican League: (LIDOM)

Erik Gonzalez (SS, Leones del Escogido) 0-5, 2 SO. Gonzalez has now gone hitless in his last nine at-bats, and has just two hits in his last 17 trips to the plate. This sudden cold stretch is a surprise considering he just had a nine game hit streak come to an end. His average has fallen from .254 to .237 with this ugly performance.

Carlos Frias (RP, Gigantes del Cibao) 0.2 IP, H, 0 ER. Frias continues to pitch well out of the 'pen and lowered his ERA to 0.73 in 15 games. He has allowed just one earned run over 12.1 innings of work.

Rob Refsnyder (LF, Gigantes del Cibao) 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SO. Refsnyder belted his third double in as many games, and drove in his first runs of winter ball. He has wasted no time getting into the swing of things as he is now hitting .417 (5-for-12) and is slugging an impressive .667. The Indians claimed Refsnyder off waivers from Toronto on November 20th.

Ronny Rodriguez (2B, Aguilas Cibaenas) 0-2, RBI. Rodriguez recorded his 19th RBI via a sacrifice fly Tuesday night. The infielder has struggled to string anything together lately as he is now batting a miserable .128 in his last ten games. Overall, however, he is still maintaining a solid .270 average.

Venezuelan League: (LVBP)

Jorma Rodriguez (3B, Tiburones de La Guaira) 0-1, SO. Rodriguez struck out during his lone at-bat when he entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. He is now batting .276 with a .323 OBP in just 29 at-bats. Jorma spent 88 of his 99 games last season with Lake County and registered a .201 average with the Captains.

Jonrón 61 by Juan Francisco

Juan Francisco is the most authentic slugger in the group of the most prolific producers of home runs in the history of the Dominican League, beating Mendy Lopez, Ricardo Carty and Felix José.

Francisco last night tied Lopez at the top of the list of all time home run hitters with 61 in the 10-2 victory of the Tigres del Licey over the Estrellas Orientales.

It was his 31st homer in regular series wearing the Tiger uniform after having connected the first 30 with the Gigantes del Cibao.

Lopez, who played throughout his career with the Cibaeñas Eagles, had a homer every 22.73 at bats aver all 1,387 total at bats.

Carty dispatched 59 in 1,868 official at bats for an average of 31.66. His 35 home runs were with Estrellas, 10 with the Eagles, 8 with Licey and 6 with Leones.

Jose, who finished with 60 homers (12 with Licey and 48 with Estrellas) consumed 2,051 at bats for an average of one every 34.18 at bats.

Francisco's home run, his fifth of the season, was one of his typical hits to center field at Quisqueya-Juan Marichal Stadium, near the 411-foot wall that he has broken a record four times during his career.

"I feel very grateful to God and my teammates who have been very supportive giving me support and encouragement all the time," said Francisco after his shot that crowned a 6 run eighth inning. "I'm also very happy for the support of the fans who were looking forward to this home run."

Francisco, a 30-year-old native of Bonao, has made the most out of his home runs this season as he has 20 RBIs with only 20 hits, of which half are extra-base hits (five doubles and five home runs). ).

A .281 lifetime batter in Dominican baseball, the 6-2-tall, 260-pound hitter batting is averaging .198 (101-20).

In his Major League baseball career, the powerful southpaw played for 6 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays. In total he hit 48 homers in 996 innings for a frequency of 20.75 in each at bat.

OF INTEREST

Several players of Estrellas display average above the .300 mark Frank Schwindel .355; Gustavo Núñez, .333; Michael Martínez, .317; Jordany Valdespín, .311; Junior Lake, .302; Socrates Brito and Gabriel Guerrero,. 301 each.

In the case of Martinez and Valdespín are nominatedÖ Guerrero continue to be injured
Indians claimed INF/OF Rob Refsnyder off waivers from the Blue Jays. It's his third team since the midseason trade deadline, as the Blue Jays acquired him via trade from the Yankees in July. Refsnyder has hit only .233/.306/.311 during his chances in the majors, but he's hit well in the minors and is versatile.

OF INTEREST

Indians Claim Rob Refsnyder, Designate Kyle Crockett & Dylan Baker
By Steve Adams | November 20, 2017 at 4:06pm CDT

The Indians announced today that they’ve claimed infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder off waivers from the Blue Jays and designated left-hander Kyle Crockett and Dylan Baker for assignment. Cleveland has also selected the contracts of right-hander Julian Merryweather and infielders Willi Castro, Yu Chang and Eric Stamets. That series of moves fills the Indians’ 40-man roster and leaves the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster at a total of 33 players.

The 26-year-old Refsnyder split the 2017 season between the Yankees (who originally drafted him in 2012) and the Blue Jays but struggled to a composite .170/.247/.216 slash line. While Refsnyder has long turned in intriguing offensive stats in the minors, he’s batted just .233/.306/.311 in 320 big league plate appearances. At one point, Yankees fans hoped that Refsnyder could hold down the team’s second base job in the Majors, but he’s now split his time fairly equally between second, first base and left field in the Majors.

Chang (No. 4), Castro (No. 9) and Merryweather (No. 12) each ranked within the Indians’ top 30 prospects, according to Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.

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Pleskoff Scouting Report | Rob Refsnyder

TEAM: New York Yankees
AGE: 24
POSITION: 2B, 1B, OF
BATS: Right
THROWS: Right
HEIGHT: 6-foot
WEIGHT: 200 pounds
ACQUIRED: The New York Yankees selected Refsnyder in the fifth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz.

STRENGTHS
First and foremost, Refsnyder is known as a good hitter capable of providing a solid batting average. He has spent parts of six seasons in the Yankees minor league system, compiling a fine .291 batting average.

Refsnyder’s best and most productive season at the plate was probably in 2014. In that season, he played for Double-A Trenton in the Eastern League and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the International League. He had 38 doubles, six triples and 14 home runs on his way to a .318-combined batting average. He drove in 63 runs that season.

Refsnyder also drew 55 walks while striking out a career-high 105 times in 577 plate appearances.

It isn’t unreasonable to state that his 2014 season gave his career a huge boost and provided speculation among some that Refsnyder was to become the permanent second baseman for the Yankees.

However, Refsnyder’s development wasn’t quite complete. But in 2016 he was given a promotion to the parent Yankees in July and he played in 16 games, 15 of them on defense. He made 46 plate appearances and hit .302. Defensively, he made only one error in 52 chances.

With a history of not hitting many home runs or stealing many bases in his first five seasons, the Yankees made a move to shore up their long-term plan at second base. In December 2015, the club decided to send Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan (a player that was named after the initial trade was announced) to the Chicago Cubs for second baseman Starlin Castro. Castro has assumed the second base role since, gently leaving Refsnyder behind.

While he isn’t a speedster, Refsnyder has sufficient speed to increase his stolen base total if given the opportunity. His speed might clearly a valuable tool, but he hasn’t taken many chances to steal bases.

Refsnyder’s contact rate increased the last two seasons, leaving his 2014 strikeout total behind. He puts the bat on the ball and can use the entire field with his measured swing. He clearly knows his limitations and doesn’t swing for the fences. His value comes in getting on base with a single a double or a walk, moving along on the bases and scoring runs.

Refsnyder has quick hands and quick reflexes at the plate. He is patient and uses good eye-hand coordination to lengthen an at-bat and make a pitcher work.

One of Refsnyder’s greatest assets is his versatility. He can play almost anywhere on the diamond except catcher or pitcher. That versatility could lead to an eventual role with the Yankees as a super utility player.

WEAKNESSES
Refsnyder is not the polished middle-infielder we see on many clubs today. He doesn’t have the greatest range or first step quickness that may provide him with a full-time infield job. He gets the job done on defense, but he could probably be billed as adequate or average, at best.

In today’s game, an average middle-infielder without home run or huge gap power and only marginal footwork struggles to break into the starting lineup on most clubs. However, there are many teams that could benefit from the versatility Refsnyder offers. The Yankees may eventually be among them.

NARRATIVE
Born Kim Jung-sae in Seoul, South Korea, Refsnyder was adopted by a couple from Southern California when he was five months old. His father Clint was a former college basketball player at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.

He went to Laguna Hills High School in Laguna Hills, California. Always a good hitter, he won high school conference honors. A good athlete, he also played high school basketball and football. He was heavily recruited to play quarterback at several Pacific-10 colleges.

Refsnyder was the starting right fielder on the Arizona Wildcats winning 2012 College World Series team. He was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player. He was selected by the Yankees in the 2012 Draft and immediately converted from the outfield to second base.

Refsnyder drew attention from scouts while playing both in college at Arizona and in the Cape Cod League. As a junior at Arizona, he hit .352 while leading his team with six home runs.

Refsnyder found himself on the Yankees prospect radar almost instantly. In fact, there was a great deal of buzz surrounding him and many scouts felt the Yankees had found their second baseman of the future. So far, that has not materialized.

While things never really fell into place for Refsnyder at second base, the Yankees began giving him opportunities in the organization to fill-in upon occasion at first base, third base and right field, using him as a super utility player wherever needed.

THE FUTURE FOR REFSNYDER
Refsnyder is beginning to profile as a “jack of all trades” utility player that could always be a phone call away from a major- league job. This season he his assigned back at Triple-A Sacramento/Wilkes-Barre. He’s off to a tough start in his first four games, getting only one hit in 14 plate appearances so far. There will be those who question his ability to sustain a solid batting average against quality pitching.

Perhaps Refsnyder will be a Quad-A player-a guy that comes and goes between the highest level of minor league baseball and major-league baseball.

Refsnyder is not currently on the Yankees 25-man roster. Players such as Pete Kozma and Ronald Torreyes are taking the roles of utility infielders. Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge virtually platoon as the 4th outfielder. So Refsnyder has to wait patiently for his turn.

CONCLUSIONS
South Korean born and California raised, Rob Refsnyder is a very good athlete with a solid hit tool.

Versatile enough to play second base, third base, first base and the outfield, Refsnyder is seen as marginal or average at best on defense. That factor may figure in the calculation of him as a Quad-A type player.

Refsnyder makes good contact at the plate, but his power has not yet fully developed. He isn’t quite a threat to hit home runs. However, he can spray the ball and hit the gaps for doubles. He runs well and could likely steal some bases if given the chance.

While Refsnyder doesn’t flash any one excellent tool, his hitting is strong enough to project a good batting average and an ability to see lots of pitches, take his share of walks and get on base with some degree of regularity. There are certainly clubs that could use those skills, even if he is relegated to a super utility role.

As a result of his role with the Yankees, perhaps the best opportunity for Refsnyder will occur if he is included in a future trade. That certainly could happen.

Scouting phrase for Refsnyder: A good hitting utility player versatile enough to play several positions

Scouting grade: 45 — A utility player on a major-league team

Mejia Makes Debut

Dominican League: (LIDOM)

Francisco Mejia (DH, Estrellas Orientales) 2-5, 2 R, SO. Mejia made his Dominican league debut Friday night and it was a typical Mejia performance as he connected for a pair of singles and would come around to score both times. While this was his Caribbean winter ball debut, he did previously play in 15 games this autumn in the Arizona Fall League. Francisco solidified his spot as one of the top prospects in baseball by batting .365 with two home runs and eight RBIs in the desert.

OF INTEREST

Francisco Mejia debuted with a pair of hits for Estrellas. In the fifth, Francisco Mejía managed a base hit to right, Junior Lake walked. Hector Gomez doubled home Mejia and Lake cutting the leade to 6-4. In the seventh, Mejía singled to center, came to third on a base hit by Junior Lake and scored on a base hit by Schwindel. For Estrellas, who had 10 hits and reached 19 games with ten or more hits, Frank Schwindel, home run and double and three RBIs and one run scored; Héctor Gómez, 2-4 with two RBIs; Francisco Mejía, 2-5 with two runs scored; Robert Andino, 1-4, and Junior Lake, 1-3 with a walk.

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Erik Gonzalez (SS, Leones del Escogido) 0-2, RBI, BB, 2 SO. Gonzalez recorded his ninth RBI when flew out on a sacrifice fly. He also managed just his fourth walk in 22 games and it was his first in the last ten games. He has ridden hot and cold streaks this winter and is sitting at a .241 average as a result.

Ronny Rodriguez (2B, Aguilas Cibaenas) 3-4, R, RBI, BB, SB. Rodriguez had a monster game reaching base four times. He recorded his 20th RBI and 3rd stolen base during his big game Friday night. Ronny was also able to draw a walk which is somewhat of a rarity for him as he has built a reputation of having an aggressive approach.

Louis Head (RP, Gigantes del Cibao) 1.0 IP, 0 ER. Head picked up the win by tossing a perfect frame of relief during the 8th inning. This was his third straight scoreless appearance after going through a rocky stretch in early December.

Carlos Frias (RP, Gigantes del Cibao) 0.1, 0 ER, BB, SO. Frias continues to pitch well lowering his ERA to 0.68 in 13 total innings of work. He pitched last season with the Columbus Clippers and is currently a free agent.

Venezuelan League: (LVBP)

Yonathan Mendoza (2B, Cardenales de Lara) R. Mendoza entered the game Friday as a pinch runner in the 8th inning and came around to score. He has seen limited playing time going 1-14 for a .071 average with one RBI. He played last season in Lynchburg and Akron, but he currently is a minor league free agent.

Jorma Rodriguez (2B, Tiburones de La Guaira) GM 1:0-1, RBI, BB. GM 2: 0-3, SO. Rodriguez recorded his seventh RBI snapping a dry spell dating back to November 8th. He also broke through and drew his first walk of winter ball after 33 trips to the plate.

Leonel Campos (RP, Aguilas del Zulia) 1.0 IP, 0 ER, BB, HD. Campos had his second scoreless outing in just a three day span. He converted his second hold and lowered his inflated ERA to 6.75. He gave up three earned runs in his first three appearances before these two sharp outings. He signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Indians on November 22nd.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

Erik Gonzalez (Leones del Escogido, SS) - 0-4, 1 SO - It looks like Gonzo is starting to cool off a bit. He's now gone hitless in two straight games after going on a bit of a hot streak a week earlier. Hopefully he'll be able to pick things up again and not let this slump drag on too long.

Henry Martinez (Leones del Escogido, RP) - 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R/ER - The minor league righty posted another favorable outing on Saturday. He allowed nothing to the opposing team and now holds a 3.27 ERA in Dominican League play.

Louis Head (Gigantes del Cibao, RP) - The righty is starting to come into his own. After a less than favorable start to the Dominican League he's now gone four straight games without allowing an earned run and has walked no one and fanned four batters in his last 3.2 innings of relief work.

Mejia searching for stroke

DOMINICAN LEAGUE (LIDOM)

Francisco Mejia (Estrellas Orientales, DH) - 0-4 - Mejia has struggled in his last two games (1-for-9 with an RBI) following an impressive LIDOM season debut (2-for-5, two runs, and a strikeout) on Friday. While it is too early to evaluate his Dominican campaign due to a small sample size, the long season (regular season, AFL, and now LIDOM) seems to be taking its toll on Mejia. One similarity between both of Mejia's offseason campaigns is that they both began with multiple games at the DH position.

Michael Martinez (Estrellas Orientales, 2B) - 0-3, 2 K, 1 E - Martinez continues to be feast-or-famine, as he has either multiple or zero hits in each of his last five games. The multi-hit games have been enough to give him .290/.343/.355 slash line in his last ten games despite the stretch, including five hitless efforts.

Erik Gonzalez (Leones del Escogido, SS) - 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 E - Gonzalez also continued his recent struggles at the plate, as he is now batting only .205/.238/.231 in his last ten games. He also had a rough day in the field, committing his seventh error of the season (in 24 games). The one positive note in his last ten games stat line is that he has driven in seven runs in those ten games.

FREE AGENT IN LIDOM - SIGNED WITH DETROIT

Ronny Rodriguez (Aguilas Cibaenas, 2B) - 3-6, 1 R, 1 K, 1 CS - Rodriguez's recent hot streak continued on Sunday, with this third multi-hit game in his last four. He is 8-for-17 (.471) during this four-game stretch and it has been enough to give him a .282/.326/.308 slash line in his last ten games, despite going 3-for-22 (.136) in the preceding six games.

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE (LVBP)

Jorma Rodriguez (Tiburones de La Guaira, 3B) - 1-4, 1 R, 1 E - While not one of Rodriguez's best games of the offseason, it was an important one as he ended a four-game hitless streak. This could be the beginning of a turnaround in his Venezuelan campaign.

OF INTEREST
Juan Francisco hammered home run # 62 and is the new King of HRS

SANTO DOMINGO .- The "horse" of the Tigres del Licey, Juan Francisco, became the new historical king of home runs of the Dominican Winter Baseball League, hammering his number 62nd home run into the night on Sunday 17 December at the Quisqueya Stadium Juan Marichal, in a game against the Cibaeñas Eagles. The homer disappeared from the park in right-center field and came in the fifth inning with one out and two runners on base passing the retired Mendy Lopez, of the Eagles, that leaves him in second place with 61. Felix José (60) and Ricardo Carty (59) are third and fourth respectively.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE (LIDOM)

Michael Martinez (Estrellas Orientales, 3B) - 2-4, 1 E - Martinez has alternated hitless and two-hit outing in his last four games, which is an improvement from the five-game, 1-for-14 streak that preceded it. In 14 games this LIDOM season, Michael is hitting .295/.333/.341 with four RBI and two stolen bases (in as many attempts).

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE (LVBP)

Jorma Rodriguez (Tiburones de La Guaira, backup SS) - 0-1, 1 BB - Rodriguez continues to see limited playing time, averaging only two at-bats per game (42 in 21 appearances). While he has three or more at-bats in five of his last ten games, he still has only 22 at-bats in those ten games. He has also struggled in his last ten games, batting only .182/.250/.227 with one RBI, compared to .214/.283/.310 with seven RBIs in 21 games this Dominican season.