Down on The Farm- 2017 Review: The Promising DSL Padres
Credit: AP Photo
The 2018 Dominican Summer League Padres
In an attempt to keep you up to speed with all things San Diego Padres, we here at EVT will do a recap of all eight affiliates.
We start with the lowest of all the levels, the Padres DSL team.
This summer team first came into existence in 1990, as the team first shared affiliation with the Tigers, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and Cubs through its first seven years. In 1997 the team became solely a Padres team and for the past 20 years the Padres have had their hands in the Dominican market.
In 2017, the team finished with an overall record 24-47, which was tied for third from the bottom in the 40-team league. They ended the season 20.5 games behind the first place DSL Blue Jays, who finished with a 44-26 record.
The team really struggled offensively, as only three players (Yordi Francisco-.275/Blinger Perez-.270/DannyTovar-.266) hit over .250 on the season and nobody slugged over .385 (Francisco) for the entire season. Martin Carrasco (2.64 ERA/0.98 WHIP) and Moises Lugo (1.97 ERA/1.05 WHIP) provided some quality pitching. Each will likely take their game to the States in the coming months as they further their development.
Rarely discussed, the DSL baseball league allows new international signees to play pro ball without having to make overwhelming adjustments to American life.
While rosters in the league don’t often feature prominent prospects, because the most raved about ones are sent to rookie ball, there are players who surprise.
A recent one is Pedro Avila who was with the 2015 DSL Nationals and who is now in Fort Wayne pitching like a promising starter. Another, Eguy Rosario, a 17-year-old in the Arizona League, has shown plus skills in every area, but power which could still be average.
Lastly, a guy by the name Esteury Ruiz, who can ascend in rankings like Fernando Tatis, proved to be an electric player for the DSL Royals in 2016. That year he hit for a slash line of .313/.378/.889 while exemplifying advanced plate coverage and pitch recognition. 2017 has been an even greater year as he has proven all five tools, led by an outstanding hit tool, tantalizing power potential, and skillful base running. His cumulative batting average of .350 tagged with four homers and 26 stolen bases has quickly made this year’s Trevor Cahill trade with the Royals heavily lopsided in the Padres’ favor.
Similarly, there are prospects who are performing well on the DSL Padres this year.
As a result, this article will highlight their results and what to expect of them in the future.
PAGE 2 LINK BELOW
I write, I write, and then I write some more.. Lifelong Padres & Chargers fan who is tired of the acceptance of losing that grips all of San Diego sports fans!
This article is well written and very informative. I really like this site because it offers loads of information to its followers.