Also, something interesting to watch moving forward.
The Indians have made terrific strides in their Latin American scouting and signing in recent years, and its starting to pay off...and it is paying off in potential power hitters moving into our stateside farm relatively soon.
Going back to 2005, the Indians DSL team has almost always sat middle to bottom of the pack in slugging percentage, HRs, and OPS. Last time they were in the top 10 in all 3 categories was a decade ago in 2007.
This year, they are 8th in slugging, 3rd in HRs, and 6th in OPS.
Some of the major players you should get to know, as they should most likely be either in the AZL or Mahoning Valley next year:
Cristopher Cespedes: 19 years old, 6'3, 200 lbs, RH hitting OF. Has committed 1 error in the OF in 200+ innings, which is rare in rookie leagues, as they are usually filled with poor defensive play. Slashing .314/.362/.527 between both of our DSL teams. 5 HRs, 13 2B, 4 3B, with a high BB rate and a low K rate for a .500+ slugging percentage hitter. Struggled his 1st few years as he battled poor hitting mechanics, but has made strides since he came stateside for a bit last year.
Henderson De Oleo: 19 years old, 6'4, 210 lbs, RH hitting 1B. Like Cespedes, struggled his first few years in the DSL, mostly as he filled out his body and figured which defensive position he was going to play (started out as a 3B). But this year has slashed .263/.410/.451. 5 2Bs, 1 3B, 6 HRs, with a high BB rate.
Jhon Torres: 17 years old, 6'4, 200 lbs, RH hitting OF. First year of pro ball, and the first thing that sticks out is his size for his age. Slashing .257/.368/.421, with 5 HRs, 7 2B, 3 3Bs, and like Cespedes and De Oleo, has a high BB rate for a guy slugging at a pretty good rate. I'm hoping he comes over soon, since there isn't much out there about him, both in writing or in video, so getting him to the states playing in front of more eyes would be good for more info. But you have to be intrigued by the size and apparent plate discipline from a 17 year old.
Jean Montero: 18 years old, 5'11, 175 lbs, RH hitting OF. Second year in the DSL, has made strides all across the board at the plate, and changed defensive positions from 2B to CF this year. Slashing .264/.404/.403, with 3 HRs, 9 2B, and 1 3B...and yet again, another high BB rate hitter. But he adds a different element, in that he has 30 steals in his 100 career DSL games, 14 so far this year. Like Torres, there isn't much, if anything, about him out there, so we should learn more soon when he comes over.
Jonathan Lopez: 18 years old, 6'2, 175 lbs, switch hitting IF. Second year as well, and like Montero, has sweeping improvements at the plate this year. Slashing .265/.368/.379 with 2 HRs, 10 2Bs, 4 3Bs...and, yes, another high BB rate hitter, which is a real theme with this years DSL team, so they must be emphasizing plate discipline down there in preparation for coming over to the states.
If you took time to read all that, one thing is obvious. Indians are stocking up on big bodies in the DSL, and hoping they fill out and develop skills to go with the unteachable body size. Quite a few teens who are 6'0+ and 200+ lbs in their stockpile down there.
And now they are injecting in a few top guys from this years signing period in Valera and Bracho into that stock. Valera, who was touted as the best pure hitter in the 2017 International pool, and Bracho who supposedly generates a lot of pop as a switch-hitter.
Fun goings on at the bottom of the totem pole to keep track of moving forward.