Dominican Playoff Participants Decided
The four playoff participants have been decided for the Dominican League. The Escogido Lions hung on to the division and get the number one seed to start the playoffs. Since they and Licey play in the same park, the second place and defending champion Licey Tigers don’t see that as much of an advantage. The team that won the division last year, but didn’t catapult them to the Caribbean World Series are the Gigantes de Cibao. They are the only team that has currently not represented the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean season. The last team is the Toros del Este.
One of the two teams that did not qualify this year are the champions just two years ago, the Aguilas Criollos. Even though the Criollos finished with a .500 record they were still two games behind Toros. The second of the two teams was never in it. Estrellas got off to a slow start and never recovered. Estrellas finished the abysmal season 15-35.
Let’s take a look at the teams and some of the players to watch. It is also possible some players from the major leagues will join their clubs for the playoff round. Miguel Tejeda used to be a traditional participant, but now he is a free agent and must focus on signing a new contract.
Escogido Leones (30-19)
Top Hitter - Conor Jackson was really their top hitter at .425, but he only played the first half of the season so the vote will have to go to Alex Valdez. He hit .308 for the season, second on the team behind Jackson and was fifth in the league in runs scored with 25. He was also the leading triples hitter in the league with six.
Hitters to Watch in the Playoffs - Joaquin Arias used to be a top prospect with the Yankees, but now must play second fiddle to Elvis Andrus. He is trying to prove to some team that he can hit (.305). Only two of his 29 hits have gone for extra bases and at that rate he may have to settle for a utility role. Carlos Gomez had a down year last year and will get another chance, this time joining the Brewers to patrol centerfield. He joined Escogido in the second half of the season and is hitting .275, plenty of bat for a player that can play defense like Carlos. Daryl Ward should provide the power, though in 16 games during the season he hit just one homerun and drove in 11 runs. Fernando Martinez may need more playing and use the playoffs to get that time. He only hit .191 in the 14 games he played for Leones. In a strange stat award, 5 of Ben Copeland’s six extra base hits have been triples.
Top Pitcher - The most consistent pitcher for the Leones has been Nerio Rodriguez. He is 2-1, 1.98 and in his eight starts he has given up three runs or less in all of them. Three of those starts he left with a shutout.
Pitchers to Watch - It will be interesting to see how many games the Twins allow Francisco Liriano to pitch during the playoffs and the World Series. He had three starts during the regular season and finished with a 1.54 ERA. His last two starts he did not allow a run in eight plus innings. Edward Valdez (1-3, 3.31), Heath Phillips (1-1, 4.82) and Elizardo Ramirez (3-1, 3.32) will round out the rotation.
Major Leaguers on their Roster who won’t play: None, unless you include Conor Jackson and Tobi Stoner who played with them earlier in the season.
Licey Tigres (28-22)
Top Hitter: Timo Perez led the league in hitting with a .356 average. He had a .408 OBA and .515 slugging, and his production of 26 RBIs was tops on the team.
Other Hitters to Watch: Jose Bautista and Cuban slugger Juan Miranda should be good additions to the lineup. Bautista hit .625 in the three games he played to warm up for the playoffs. Miranda hit .409 in 13 games and went deep once with eleven RBIs. Wily Mo Pena has made a comeback with his bat, hitting .324 with six homeruns and 16 RBIs. Jake Fox is not hitting as well this year as he did last year but a .284 average with one homerun is nothing to feel sorry about. Eric Aybar played four games towards the end of the season and should play shortstop in the playoffs, despite his .143 average during the regular season. Emilio Bonafacio is the teams leadoff man and plays multiple postions. He’s only hitting .269 with seven stolen bases in eleven attempts. Those kinds of numbers will not getting him a starting role for minors.
Top Pitcher: Matt Wright gets the nod for his 1-2, 2.27 performance. Like Nerio Rodriguez, he has started six games and not given up any runs in those six. Righthanders are only hitting him at a .135 clip, but lefthanders are unloading against him at a .306 clip.
Pitchers to Watch: Ubaldo Jiminez got one start during the regular season and finished with a 1.80 ERA after giving up one run in five innings and striking out seven. The Rockies don’t want him to throw too many innings after toiling for 218 for the Rockies last year. Daniel Cabrera, despite his 19/14 walk to K ratio may be given some starts in the playoff. His ERA is still an acceptable 4.03. Rounding out the rotation will be Jorge Sosa (4-2, 3.83) and Ramon Ortiz (3-2, 3.68). They will have John McDonald (1-3, 5.40) to come in for a long relief if one of those starters is not effective early. The closer is Oneil Perez, who was second in the league in saves.
Major Leaguers on the Roster Who Won’t Play: Manny DelCarmen, Ervin Santana, Aramis Ramirez and Hanley Ramirez.
Gigantes del Cibao (27-22)
Top Hitter: Juan Francisco led the league in homeruns (11) and RBIs (42) but his .302 average was quite a bit off the pace to contend for the Triple Crown. Juan was also third in strikeouts with 41. He tied with Wilson Betemit for the league lead in doubles.
Other Hitters to Watch: Wilson Betemit left first place Escogido to play for Gigantes and would be leading the league in homeruns (8) and RBIs (36) if it was not for Juan Francisco’s production. Luis Durnago provides the bat at the top of the order, hitting .293 with a .395 OBA with his 12 steals in 16 attempts tied for first in the lead. Erick Almonte (.325) will move over to second to accomodate Ramon Santiago (.322). This leaves Alex Casilla (.219) on the bench. The Dominican League has little patience for players who can’t produce early.
Top Pitcher: Jose Capellan is not only the top pitcher on the team but he is the top pitcher in the league. His seven wins and 2.15 ERA are both tops in the league. In twelve starts he is 7-3 with a league leading 41 strikeouts.
Other Pitchers to Watch: Aquilino Lopez is a new addition that will be plugged into the rotation. While his ERA is only 0.73 because he’s only given up one earned run in 12 plus innings he’s also given up four unearned runs. Opponents are also hitting him at .365. Fabio Castro (0-1, 2.47) will probably be the number two starter. He has started nine games and has not given up more than three runs in any of those nine starts. Rafael Perez (3-0, 0.33) could also fill the second role. In five starts he has only given up one earned run and one unearned run. Opponents are hitting him at only a .156 clip. So while Lopez may be smoke and mirrors Perez appears to be the real deal. Sam Narron (0-2, 4.10) and Luis Villarel (0-4, 5.14) will battle for the last spot in the rotation. Dario Varas and his 13 saves is the closer. He has a 1.13 ERA.
Major Leaguers on the Roster Who Won’t play: Pedro Feliz, Kendry Morales, Placido Polanco, Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes.
Toros del Este (27-23)
Top Hitter: He only hit .237 but Esteban German’s 32 runs scored led the league. He was also second in walks and his 31 to 15 walk to K ratio is astounding. He did steal 10 bases in 15 attempts.
Other Hitters to Watch: Ricardo Nanita led the team in RBIs with 28 but he hit only .286. Danny Richar is a new addition that has ignited the Toros lineup. In eleven games Danny is hitting .405. Jose Constanza is hitting .333 and has 12 steals in 13 attempts. He’s hitting .388 against righthanders and only .150 against lefties. Eddy Garabito won the MVP in his Italian league. He would like to acquire a second MVP for the playoff race. He hit .298 with one homerun.
Top Pitcher: He’s not in the starting rotation but Julio Manon leads the league in saves with 17. He is 1-2, 1.04 ERA in 23 bullpen appearances.
Other Pitchers to Watch: Robinson Tejeda could be their ace. He made three starts in the regular season and finished with a 2.89 ERA. He has yet to last past the fourth inning in any of his starts. Fernando Abad has been their most consistent starter, going 3-1, 3.42 ERA in ten starts. In only one start did he give up more than three runs, but his other nine starts are two or less runs per appearance. Raul Valdes (2-0, 2.02) is probably the only other pitcher guaranteed in the starting rotation. The other Jose (Astros) Capellan (1-3, 3.55) is another option, but he hasn’t gone past two innings in his last four appearances, two of them starts. One pitcher that would be a closer on any other team is Luis Lebron (3-0, 1.38). He unleashes a high 90s fastball that is the envy of the league.
Major Leaguers who will not Play: Neftali Feliz, Jose Valverde.
Not Making the Playoffs
Aguilas Cibaenas (25-25)
Top Hitter: Kevin Barker has been the most consistent with his .324 average, six homeruns and six homeruns and 31 RBIs.
Top Pitcher: Ben Jukich led the league in strikeouts with 42 and he finished with a 4-3, 2.86 ERA.
Estrellas de Oriente (15-35)
Top Hitter: Despite leading the Dominican League in team batting average they finished in the basement. Robinson Diaz (.291, 1, 20) wins by default. He was tied for first in doubles with 13 but second in whiffs at 42.
Top Pitcher: At 5-2, 2.87, Evan McClane won a third of Estrellas games. He was tied for second in strikeouts with 41