Oct 2, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; A Dominican flag is hung over the left field wall during pregame ceremonies in honor of Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) prior to a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; A Dominican flag is hung over the left field wall during pregame ceremonies in honor of Boston Red Sox designated hitter Davvid Ortiz (34) prior to a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
The Atlanta Braves are known for scouring the foreign markets for unknown players, and often they get their start with the DSL team. Who should fans watch in 2017?
The Atlanta Braves saw their AAA club in Gwinnett have a very good finish to their 2016 season, and many of the guys who were quite good in Mississippi will be finding their way to Gwinnett to help them be a very entertaining club once again.
All four return to the squad. Adrianza played mostly first base. De Hoyos is highly regarded for his defense, but none of the catchers are really solid with the bat.
A deep pitching staff has left the infield depth and outfield depth rather wanting. Luidemid Rojas is the only new player to this level as the other four were at the level in 2016. Blanco is the best hitter of the bunch with some excellent contact skills. Salazar can drive the ball to some degree as well.
Outfielders – Yoeli Lopez, Juan Carlos Negret, Charles Reyes, Antonio Sucre
This is where the elite talent is within the team. Lopez was a sight to behold at times last season both positively and negatively. He has incredible raw talent, flashing power and speed both, but also struck out in over 1/3 of his plate appearances. Negret was a little-covered signing over the winter out of Cuba that is very intriguing in his raw skill set. Reyes and Sucre also offer some definite talent as well.
Analysis
The best offensive players are definitely in the outfield, but there is a lot of raw talent throughout the infield as well, which could be very interesting to watch.
The big names here are Del Rosario and Contreras, the two big money pitching signings from last year’s international plunge. The Braves often skip big international bats over the DSL but send their best arms to the level to get the work at a more comfortable level.
The depth of pitching has seemingly cost the depth of hitting the team has available, but many of the returning guys like Lopez, Volquez, Vazquez, and Julian had excellent seasons last year at the level and some were likely hoping to be bumped up to GCL this year and get a chance state side.
The one surprising name here is Lisandro Santos, who made an appearance with DSL last year and threw well, leading many to think he would be with GCL, unless the team wants to get him more innings after only getting 6 2/3 innings with DSL last season. Kelvin Rodriguez and Filyer Sanchez are seeming veterans of the level, working as guys to absorb innings, and their value will be high as Del Rosario and Contreras, among others get their work in.
Analysis
Like most seasons, the Dominican Summer League is a going to be a team with plenty of raw talent. If the team was ever put on a minor league streaming, you’d see just how raw the play is. Remember that most of these players are teenagers from foreign markets and keep in mind that this is essentially an advanced high school league, and you’ll get a good idea of the frustrations of the performance spikes and valleys of the level.
