2024 DSL Red Sox

JM3

JM3

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Dec 14, 2019
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I haven't gotten around to starting this thread because I decided to wait on doing profiles on the new guys until they had some playing time under their belts.

But this Jen McCaffrey piece in The Athletic feels like a good jumping off point for the thread.

View: https://twitter.com/jcmccaffrey/status/1768244390940553288


Going to take some excerpts that are interesting to me, but the whole thing is a really good read.

The day before the Red Sox-Rays exhibition series began, we met at 8 a.m. at the team hotel in a congested, but high-end area of Santo Domingo. The Red Sox Academy is only 25 miles west of the city center, but the drive takes about an hour. Streets are clogged with cars, motorbikes whip in and out of traffic and street vendors squeeze in between vehicles selling everything from strawberries to bottled water. It’s more important to have a horn than brakes when driving in the D.R., Romero said he was once told, only seemingly half-joking.
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This building is the main check-in area for any visitor to the complex, but it also houses the dormitories on the second level. Roughly 80 players live at the complex with four players to a room, sharing two bunk beds, along with communal bathrooms, similar to a college dormitory.
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In 2015, Romero pushed the Red Sox to add a second DSL team. Only about two-thirds of major-league clubs have a second DSL team and the Red Sox were one of the first to do so.

“I kept fighting, ‘Let’s treat this like one of our affiliates, this is one of our affiliates.’ It used to just be an afterthought,” he said.
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“Technology-wise we are very close to Fort Myers,” Mejia added, noting the use of KinaTrax, HitTrax and Trajekt installed in 2019-20 as tools for tracking player progress.
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This building houses everything from staff offices to classrooms for players to learn English, life skills and earn their GED, to the mental skills offices, video scouting rooms and conference rooms for player signings and staff meetings.

There is as much of an educational component as there is a baseball component here. Most of the players are 16 or 17, so taking care of them away from the field is an important part of academy life, too.
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Players are taught a variety of skills from how to open a bank account to how to cash a check or get their license or order food at a restaurant. There’s even a day where they take the players to the airport to show them around and how to check in since many of them, particularly the Dominican natives, have never taken a flight.

“We bear the responsibility of making sure we do everything we can, use the resources we have to properly nourish them, and properly educate them,” Romero said. “We know unfortunately a majority of them won’t make it (to the big leagues), but they can still be productive people, go out and get a job somewhere else because they still have their education, they speak more English now, and hopefully they were able to save some money, with what they sign for. We educate them on that, too, just being smart with their money, the concept of savings.”
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“I’m very proud of the systems we have in place,” Romero said. “I think we are constantly trying to learn, modernize, teach our staff more, so I look at it more as process-based than results-based.

“I think having Devers, Bello and hopefully Rafaela and other guys, that’s great,” he added. “But that’s a byproduct of doing things right from our scouting process to player development process at the academy to our education and behavioral skills strategies and putting an emphasis on those things. Those are the priorities for me, and if we do those things, all those other successes, the guys that get to the big leagues, the guys that get on prospect rankings, that’ll take care of itself.”
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JimD

JimD

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Fantastic work by Jen and The Athletic. It's really great to see that our Sox are running a class operation in the D.R. Money well spent in not only a baseball sense but also in improving lives.
 
JM3

JM3

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Vladimir Asencio, OF - Smaller frame without one spectacular tool, but does everything pretty well.

Carlos Carrasquel, 3B - Big time power with a potential power-over-hit profile. Already moved from SS to 3B and a chance he might need to go to 1B if he gets any bigger.

Dalvinson Reyes, SP - Up to 92, very projectable starter, has feel for secondary stuff.

Edwin Brito, OF - Thicker built OF who has big power but some swing and miss concerns for certain scouts. Likely RF.

Anderson Fermin, SS/OF - One of the best athletes from the DR, plus-plus runner who also has explosive hand speed in the batter's box. Should play both infield and outfield.

Justin Gonzales, OF/1B - Another very large build who has already moved to 1B, plus raw power (future 70 grade), swing mechanics need work but could develop into a Franmil Reyes type player.

Tavano Baker, OF - Fluid, quick-twitch athlete who excels in CF and has already made standout defensive plays in the DSL preseason. Needs to get more reps at the plate.

Shnaider Rojas, SP - Lots of athleticism and quickness on the mound, fast arm that projects for more velo which currently gets up to 92 with a curveball ahead of changeup.

Juan Medina, SP - Could pack on significant size and "eventually throw in the mid-to-upper 90s", currently up to 92 with feel to spin a curveball.

Christopher Alvarado, SS - Smaller player that still generates big bat speed, hit-over-power profile but still has sneaky pop, younger for the class, advanced approach, will play at multiple positions on the infield.

Jesus Lugo, OF - Athletic OF that is a plus runner, rawness to his game, but has fast bat speed and above-average power.

Avinson Pinto, SS - One of Badler's sleeper watches, only signed for $25k, talented fielder, short swing with doubles power.

Edwin Darville, SS - Another one of Badler's sleepers, compact swing with loft and sneaky pop because of solid bat speed, raw but has offensive components to like, will play around the infield but could also move to the outfield.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/boston-red-sox-2024-international-review/
 
ZMart100

ZMart100

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[We were talking about Ilan Fernandez]
JM3 said:
My DSL rankings definitely aren't very sharp, yet, but he has a pretty interesting profile so far (including more walks than strikeouts).

My only real reservation at the moment is that he's only 1 of 2 on steal attempts, which without more info leads me to question the athletic ceiling a bit.
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I was curious if I could find any video of Ilan to see what he looks like. I found a couple as a 16 year old from a fall league.

Here are 2 PAs from last August. The first is a weak grounder for a single. The second is a five pitch walk.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL2xneIgbOE


Here is an interview/some highlights from November after he agreed with the Sox. I don't habla the espanol, so I'm not sure if he said anything interesting.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ckrj1oSDTGq/
 
RoDaddy

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Not sure if we have any other thread going for the DSL but thought this DSL-games only day would be a good time to catch up a little here. I'll mention 3 of the above 2024 international signing class who are off to good starts:

Carlos Carrasquel -.299/.379/.338 (so not much power)
Justin Gonzales - .296/.371/.465 and was a DSL all-star
Dalvinson Reyes (pitcher) - 0.62 WHIP with a very impressive SP scouting report

I like that they're all big, and that Carraquel and Reyes are still pretty projectable
 
ZMart100

ZMart100

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Still 3 weeks left, but it's worth comparing to what the top bats did last year.

Yoeilin - .346/.392/.506
Arias - .350/.440/.453

I think Justin is the most exciting DSL bat and there are good reports of his tracking data. I think he is comfortably third in the last two years, even more so since it sounds like he will be 1B. While this year looks like it lacks the top end prospects, there does look like there is a fair amount of depth in the DSL. If you squint you can see 7 or 8 bats who are producing like they might turn into something, but are more likely going to project as utility/up-and-down type prospects. Maybe one of them will break out.
 
JM3

JM3

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RoDaddy said:
Not sure if we have any other thread going for the DSL but thought this DSL-games only day would be a good time to catch up a little here. I'll mention 3 of the above 2024 international signing class who are off to good starts:

Carlos Carrasquel -.299/.379/.338 (so not much power)
Justin Gonzales - .296/.371/.465 and was a DSL all-star
Dalvinson Reyes (pitcher) - 0.62 WHIP with a very impressive SP scouting report

I like that they're all big, and that Carraquel and Reyes are still pretty projectable
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Most DSL stuff I post is just in the game day threads (& a bit in the rankings thread).

Was unsuccessfully trying to figure out what's going on with Dalvinson today. He pitched 6/4 (3 IP, 0 runs), 6/11 (4 IP, 0 runs), 6/18 (4 IP, 0 runs) & 6/25 (5 IP, 0 runs), but not since.
 
JM3

JM3

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Dec 14, 2019
19,571
JM3 said:
Most DSL stuff I post is just in the game day threads (& a bit in the rankings thread).

Was unsuccessfully trying to figure out what's going on with Dalvinson today. He pitched 6/4 (3 IP, 0 runs), 6/11 (4 IP, 0 runs), 6/18 (4 IP, 0 runs) & 6/25 (5 IP, 0 runs), but not since.
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Dalvinson becomes like the 4th or 5th pitcher to be sent from Blue to Red this season.

08/09/24 RHP Enrique Carta assigned to DSL Red Sox Red from DSL Red Sox Blue.

08/10/24 RHP Dalvinson Reyes assigned to DSL Red Sox Red from DSL Red Sox Blue.

08/10/24 OF Justin Gonzales assigned to DSL Red Sox Red from DSL Red Sox Blue.
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So I'm guessing he's coming back soon. They also sent over Justin Gonzales, who has been Blue's best hitter, so it looks like they're gearing up for a championship run.

DSL Red 37-13
DSL Blue 23-22
 
JM3

JM3

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Dec 14, 2019
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Chris Hatfield on the DSL class:

FWIW, I asked someone the other day and was told that Anderson Fermin, Avinson Pinto, Justin Gonzales, Christopher Alvarado, Justin Barry and Edwin Brito ("whose artificial numbers don't tell the whole story") have been impressive. They also added Josue Brito and Tavano Baker (who "has a chance once he learns to take a few pitches") as others to keep an eye on.

For whatever it's worth, I didn't necessarily limit the inquiry to pitchers, so make of that what you will. I also had asked about Dalvinson Reyes and was told he was "eye-popping" though. For me, this is the Gonzales-Reyes class right now, with those other guys above - and the usual arms who suddenly show up throwing 95 after being entirely off the radar - having a chance to pop up.

But yeah, DSL stats mean so, so little. Valera was an unimpressive RP last year there. Vargas had also walked a ton of guys. Portes was repeating and barely pitched. You need to remember, these are pretty much high school kids.
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https://forum.soxprospects.com/thread/6755/2024-international-signing-period?page=8
 
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
19,571
JM3

JM3

often quoted
SoSH Member
Dec 14, 2019
19,571
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