The Dominican Summer League is even more of a exhibition league than the Gulf Coast League and the players are usually just as young, if not younger. In this league you will generally find players who have yet to get their work visa for the US or have just signed from Venezuela or the DR. Let’s get familiar with a few of the players who are playing well in the DSL.
Hitters:
Robelys Reyes – age 21. Reyes just turned 21 this week and is very old for this league and is his second tour through the DSL. But, still as a 2nd baseman, he is slashing 394/483/598 for a 1.082 OPS. (37 games) Reyes probably needs to be moved up to the US-based leagues at this point.
Amaury Capellan – age 18. Capellan is also in his second tour of the DSL. He’s the right age for the league and the outfielder is slashing 309/432/536 for a .968 OPS. (29 games)
Junior Agustin – age 18. Agustin is also in his second tour. The 3rd baseman so far has 20 walks in 23 games and an outstanding .417 OBP.
Pitchers:
Hansel De Los Santos – age 19. De Los Santos has been the most reliable starter for the DSL Cardinals with a K/BB ratio of 30/9 in 37 innings. His ERA stands at 2.63.
Anderson Gerdel – age 20. Gerdel just turned 20 this month and the Venezuelan product moved up to the DSL after the Cardinals shuttered operations in the VSL after last season. Gerdel is a reliever and spot starter with K/BB ratio of 26/4 in 31.2 innings. Gerdel’s ERA stands at 1.14 ERA for the season so far.
Kender Villegas – age 18. Villegas also has moved up from the VSL, with success. He has featured as a reliever and has a K/BB ratio of 23/7 in 20.1 innings. His ERA is 1.33.
Please keep in mind that performance in the DSL is not predictive of anything in the future, but these are some names to keep an eye on for the next 3 years in the Cardinals system.
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Thanks for the update, Jeff.
Reyes isn’t in the US due to visa issues.
Leobaldo Pina, 17 y.o. SS, is probably our most heralded prospect in the DSL.
I would say Pina and Capellan are tied…. Capellan’s numbers are outstanding
Leobaldo Pina is definitely our best prospect on that team.
I say that simply because he can actually stick at SS, which is something we need more of. Capellan and a few others are talented kids as well. This league is so far from the big leagues you mostly have to rely on tools and the hope that they actualize.
Capellan signed for $450,000, I think, so we probably oughtta take his stellar performance with fewer grains of salt than the usual DSL numbers. :)
The 18-year-old outfielder with the “plus-plus” throwing arm (per Baseball America) is showing excellent strikezone command, to go along with his current .333/453/.553 slash line. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do on American soli next year….
Also not to be overlooked, kid hurler Juan Bautista (turned 18 last month) has thrown a couple of gems–along with some young-pitcher clunkers. Six hitless innings on July 1st was very tidy, then his last time out it was seven one-hit frames, eight whiffs v. two walks.
I know the organization is very high on Juan Bautista supposedly he has a big arm.
Having been to a few DSL games people need to understand that this is about the equivalent good JUCO level ball with better peak talent. When you see a game there you have a decent chance of seeing a future major league player, but most of these guys would play JUCO or Div2 in the states.