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Winter Baseball Update

A look at the stats of the Nats in the Winter Leagues

Here’s a look at how the Nats prospects are doing in the in the Winter Leagues thus far. Stats are through December 18.

BATTERS

PLAYER LG AB R H HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG GPA SB
Chris Marrero PWL 85 11 26 2 16 7 25 .306 .351 .424 .264 2
Wilberto Ortiz PWL 118 24 38 1 14 9 15 .322 .375 .449 .281 2
Eury Perez DWL 101 14 35 0 5 4 17 .347 .400 .396 .279 18
Wilson Ramos VWL 147 26 45 6 28 14 26 .306 .366 .510 .292 1
Jesus Valdez DWL 37 3 11 1 4 0 8 .297 .297 .432 .242 0

PITCHERS

PLAYER LG W L SV ERA G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
Erik Arnesen PWL 3 3 0 2.47 8 8 43⅔ 44 17 12 3 8 18 1.19
Jeff Mandel PWL 1 1 0 2.19 19 0 20⅔ 20 5 5 1 8 16 1.35
Yunesky Maya DWL 4 1 0 0.69 7 7 39 21 3 3 1 9 41 0.77
Pat McCoy PWL 1 0 0 4.43 19 0 20⅓ 22 10 10 0 8 7 1.48
Hassan Pena PWL 1 0 0 1.23 19 0 29⅓ 15 4 4 0 8 25 0.78
Elvin Ramirez DWL 1 2 0 1.88 19 0 24 18 7 5 0 4 28 0.92
Henry Rodriguez VWL 0 1 5 1.69 18 0 21⅓ 11 4 4 0 9 28 0.94
Jack Spradlin VWL 0 0 0 1.54 16 0 11⅔ 12 4 2 0 4 9 1.37
Cory VanAllen PWL 0 0 0 5.06 10 0 10⅔ 11 7 6 1 5 2 1.50
Josh Wilkie VWL 1 2 0 4.50 14 0 14 13 7 7 3 3 2 1.14

PWL = Puerto Rican Winter League
DWL = Dominican Winter League
VWL = Venezuela Winter League

I’ve omitted a couple of names that have small sample sizes (Sandy Leon, Jhonatan Solano, John Santiago) or have gotten injured (Danny Espinosa). Unfortunately, it’s been like the office holiday party for the soft-tossers (Arnesen, Wilkie), getting lit up for six home runs combined in less than 60 innings pitched. That’s, of course, a knee-jerk observation but it stands out to me, particularly in the case of Wilkie.

Since it’s come up in the vein of trades, Jesus Flores is hitting .355/.388/.548 in 17 games. Unfortunately, with few box scores (OK, no box scores) to look at, it’s tough to extrapolate how he’s throwing. As you can see, Ramos is also hitting well (and in the same league) so if Flores is actually healthy again, this puts the Nats in the position of not only being able to trade but release Ivan Rodriguez if need be.

21 Commments

  1. At age 20, Perez is hitting .347 with 18 stolen bases in the DWL. This after a second half in which he dominated the SAL. You have to wonder when the baseball world is going to take him seriously as a prospect.

  3. There are 4 Winter Leagues, Liga Mexicana de Pacifica has been hit hard by the Mexican drug violence – you look on the rosters and there not many players in a ML farm system.

    Puerto Rico was actually went under for a year, and was just resusciated – they are benefitting from the Mexico’s plight. They also suffer from having an odd number of teams. Dominican and Venezuela are top notch, Venezuela had some security problems/gov’t anti US stance, but so many ball players are Venezuelan that they are still very good.

    So I would go Dominican, Venezuelan (close), Puerto Rico, then Mexico.

  4. Also, the Winter League teams entirely change scope after Christmas. That is when the established Major Leaguers start playing to help their teams win the playoffs in January and represent the country in the Caribbean Series.

    2. VladiHondo: I’d tend to agree with you here. Both the VWL & DWL play like AA+ mimes during the regular season in my limited observation, but turn it up a notch for the playoffs by bringing in some “stashed” players. Roster requirements seem to be a little on the ‘loose and fast’ side down there, as 3-4 players (per team) become eligible who haven’t appeared previously.

  5. Hi Sue, thanks for the information. Why no Jeebus Flowers… er, Jesus Flores on your list? Is he no longer active in the winter leagues (he was playing in the VWL, correct?)?

    1. Paul, my last graf was about Flores and how he’s been hitting (.355) and that, if healthy, makes it possible for either a trade or to cut I-Rod if he continues to decline.

      1. Thanks, Sue. Love the depth that we are building at the catcher position. Going into the season without Nieves in the system makes me feel good, and hopefully we can protect Pudge enough to deal him for a bag of balls and a song by the deadline.

  6. Hi Sue,
    Love your work.
    I might be stating the obvious but just about all these numbers look very solid.
    Pair that with the Arizona league numbers and we finally have more than a few strong performances to revel in.
    Which of the pitchers do you see as most likely to come north for the first time this season??
    Maybe Pena??

    2. When I see guys like Arnesen, Mandel, and Pena ripping up the PWL that starts to raise concerns about how seriously I should be taking these numbers. Mandel was barely a prospect this year and didn’t really solidify his status playing for the Chiefs.

  7. Thanks for the update Sue.Looks like a lot of the guys are having good winter ball seasons. I’m still amazed with Eury Perez. Everyone keeps knocking his value as a true prospect, but he just keeps in hitting at every league.

    1. I think the knock on Perez is the “Esix Snead syndrome,” which is the snap judgment for any high-steal, low-obp, low-slugging prospect. I think that’s more valid when the prospect is 22-23 vs. 20-21. Wish I could find the article where I first read that.

      1. I guess. I’ll be real interested to see what he does at Potomac. He has 4 walks in the DWL, though, and that’s the concern with him. Plus isn’t his defense raw in center field? He’s got to be real smooth in center with his skill set. I like him, though, and I think he’s jumped to the lead in the Perez > Ramirez > Hood group.

        1. Perez ‘tore it up’ in the GCL in 2009, claiming Player of the year, IIRC. Jumping to Class A, he just fell short of the .300 mark (.299), but seems to have had some fielding issues (a failure to stay interested, from the sound of it). He reads like a slap-hitter with wicked speed, from gleanings to date; I’m also curious about how he’ll perform in POT – It should be interesting.

  8. I have no idea who Wilberto Ortiz is, can you give me the bottom line on him, he looks to be playing quite a bit.

        1. “Hellenic flu” is how the sportswriters described the Boston Celtics use of the DL to move marginal players on and off the roster with phantom injuries and illnesses.

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