12 More Prospects Who Stood Out In The Dominican Summer League

Jose Anderson is tied for the DSL lead with 4 homers 💣💣💣💣. First clip comes off the bat at 104 mph

Anderson ranks 4th in the DSL in both SLG (.857) and OPS (1.368)#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/x0ibvfiJ7c

— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) June 19, 2024

Jirvin Morillo, C, Reds

Morillo is an offensive-oriented catcher the Reds signed out of Venezuela this year for $420,000. The 17-year-old switch-hitter batted .254/.442/.447 in 156 plate appearances with two home runs and nearly twice as many walks (40) as strikeouts (21). He’s a patient hitter who can get pull-heavy with his approach, but he regularly puts together quality at-bats by staying within the strike zone and showing a knack for finding the barrel. Both his his home runs came against leftfhanders, even though he took just 15 plate appearances against lefties. He drives the ball well, with exit velocities in the mid-100s now and the ability to go deep from center field over to his pull side during batting practice. Defensively, Morillo caught just 15% of runners and allowed eight passed balls in 28 games at catcher, so there are things he needs to clean up with his footwork and transfer. He has an average arm and his athleticism helps him behind the plate. He runs well for a catcher, too, so if he ever does have to switch positions, he moves well enough to go to an outfield corner.

Oliver Tejada, OF, Giants

Tejada, 17, signed with the Giants for $147,000 in January and the Dominican outfielder became one of the most dangerous hitters in the DSL. He batted .300/.405/.488 in 205 trips to the plate, slugging five home runs with 22 walks and 38 strikeouts. Tejada packs a lot of strength into his compact, stocky build at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds and has big bat speed for his age, hitting balls up to 107 mph off the bat with the potential to be a 25-plus home run hitter. He can ambush fastballs and does show feel for hitting from the right side of the plate, though he will have to tighten his selectivity and pitch recognition as he moves up the ladder and faces better offspeed stuff. Tejada played center field exclusively this summer but projects as a left fielder once he gets higher up the minor league ladder. Switch-hitting catcher Santiago Camacho doesn’t have the power of Tejada or Level, but he was another bright spot in the DSL for the Giants. Camacho is the most selective hitter of the three as he hit .363/.507/.549 with more walks (28) than strikeouts (21) in 31 games as a 17-year-old. 

Oliver Tejada was 4 for 5 with a home run and a double in Friday’s DSL victory over the Dodgers.
 
Tejada on the season is hitting .315/.418/.507 (.925 OPS), with 10.2% BB/19.8% K, 4 home runs, 37 RBI, 10 doubles, 3 triples and 13 stolen bases. pic.twitter.com/YcjgADUg2C

— SFGProspects (@SFGProspects) August 10, 2024

Arnaldo Lantigua, OF, Dodgers

Lantigua was repeating the DSL, but he’s a prospect worth monitoring. Lantigua signed for $697,500 in 2023, so the Dominican outfielder received one of the Dodgers’ biggest bonuses in their class that year. After hitting .222/.345/.475 in 29 games last year, Lantigua batted .301/.430/.575 in 49 games this season, with his 11 home runs tied for second in the league, as he drew 33 walks with 34 strikeouts. When Lantigua signed, his above-average raw power from the right side was the biggest draw from his strong 6-foot-2 frame. He showed that power in his debut and featured some of the best power in the DSL this season with some of the most consistent hard contact of any hitter in the league and exit velos up to 109 mph. Lantigua has long been a good fastball hitter for whom some scouts had questions about his ability to hit offspeed stuff, but he made strides with his ability to recognize and hit soft stuff this year, even homering a few times on breaking balls. An average runner, Lantigua spent most of his time in center field but projects better in a corner long term. 

Francisco Vilorio, OF, Yankees

Vilorio signed with the Yankees this year out of the Dominican Republic for $1.75 million, making him their top signing for 2024. He has as much power as any hitter in the DSL, using the strength, bat speed and leverage in his righthanded swing from his 6-foot-4, 212-pound frame to launch deep blasts when he’s able to center the ball. The raw power is there for a hitter with 30-homer upside, though it’s a high-risk profile given his high swing-and-miss tendencies and aggressive approach, which limited him to a .196/.294/.345 line in 170 plate appearances with 16 walks (9%) and 56 strikeouts (33%). He’s a center fielder for now and runs well enough to continue developing there, though at his size he could end up in right field, where his well above-average arm would fit. Stiven Martinez (Orioles) and Robin Ortiz (Cubs) are two other big, physical specimen righthanded-hitting outfielders who can launch the ball a long way with a power-over-hit profile worth following.

Jesus Pinto, OF, Tigers

The Tigers signed Pinto for $897,500 in January, landing a 17-year-old Venezuelan outfielder who went on to bat .275/.403/.438 in 196 plate appearances with four home runs, 30 walks and 41 strikeouts. At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Pinto has a compact, physically-advanced build for his age with fast bat speed and the ability to drive the ball with impact from the right side. He hits the ball hard and out front, getting too pull-happy at times, which leaves him more susceptible to swing through breaking stuff, but he makes frequent hard contact with exit velocities up to 107 mph. With his first-step quickness, plus speed and strong arm, Pinto has the tools to stay in center field, though with his body type there’s a chance he could head to a corner if his speed backs up. 

Robert Arias, OF, Guardians

Arias, who turned 18 last week, got $1.9 million in January, making him the top bonus recipient this year for the Guardians. A lefthanded outfielder from the Dominican Republic, Arias is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and had a reputation as one of the best contact hitters among 2024 international prospects. He lived up to that billing in the DSL, where he struck out in just eight percent of his 180 plate appearances, albeit without much extra-base damage, as he hit .247/.367/.347 with no home runs, 25 walks and 15 strikeouts. Arias is a selective hitter with good hand-eye coordination and contact-oriented approach from an unorthodox swing that enables him to slice line drives around the field. It’s mostly gap power for now that could tick up as he layers strength on to his wiry frame, though he will likely need a swing or approach adjustment to be able to do more damage on contact. He’s an above-average runner who stole 29 bases in 33 attempts and has the defensive instincts and plus arm to give him a good shot at staying in center field. Fellow Guardians outfielder Yeiferth Castillo had the fifth-lowest strikeout rate (7.8%) among qualified hitters in the DSL, where he hit .301/.389/.366 with 21 walks and 14 strikeouts in 180 plate appearances. He also has elite bat-to-ball skills from the left side of the plate, though he’s a 5-foot-9 likely corner outfielder with a question mark on how much power he will develop.

Yoel Roque, RHP, Twins

Roque signed for $27,500 in January out of the Dominican Republic and posted a 6.93 ERA in 24.2 innings with 33 strikeouts and 29 walks. Why is a pitcher who walked more than a batter per inning here? His stuff. The 17-year-old righthander is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, with a projectable build with a fast arm and the potential to add to what’s already a high-end heater for his age from a lower release height. He sits 92-95 mph and can reach 98 mph with a mix of four-seamers that have good carry with two-seamers that have more armside tail. Roque’s 82-86 mph slider is a lower-spin pitch, but it has good action and gets swing-and-miss at a high clip. The risk with Roque is obvious: He needs to learn to repeat his delivery to throw way more strikes. Righthander Frankie Montas walked 30 batters in 34.1 innings over two years in the DSL, so there’s precedent for a pitcher with big stuff and major control issues at this level becoming a major league starter, but it is a significant concern in his game.

Yander Maria, RHP, Cubs

Most of the players we’ve focused on so far have been hitters, so let’s close with a young pitching prospect who showed impressive stuff this season. Maria, 17, is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds and signed out of the Dominican Republic in January for $200,000. Even on signing day, that looked like a great value for the Cubs, as Maria had already gone from a pitcher who was in the upper-80s early in 2023 and came into signing day with a fastball that reached the mid-90s. He held that velocity in the DSL over starts of mostly 2-4 innings, pitching at 90-94 mph and reaching 96 mph, with the arm speed and physical projection to one day throw in the upper-90s. He complements a big fastball for his age with a low-to-mid 80s slider with tight spin (typically in the 2,500-2,800 rpm range) and tight lateral break across the zone that misses bats. Like most pitchers at this level, he hasn’t thrown much of a changeup yet, so that pitch will be a focus as he moves up the ladder. Maria posted a 3.98 ERA in 31.1 innings with 34 strikeouts and 24 walks, which included a few rocky outings early on, but he held down a 1.46 ERA over his final eight starts.

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Publish date : 2024-09-15 13:00:00

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