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The Arizona Fall League was off yesterday, so we'll focus on the three Caribbean leagues that are active:

  • Oswaldo Arcia, CF, Twins (21) (Aragua): 2-for-3, 2B (1), BB, K. Briefly asserted himself as the Twins’ best outfield prospect before Byron Buxton joined the organization; hit .320/.388/.539 between High-A Fort Myers and Double-A New Britain.
  • J.C. Linares, LF, Red Sox (28) (Margarita): 2-for-5, HR (1). Power was never the question, but he may be too aggressive for his own good. Linares turned 28 last month and is dangerously close to becoming the next Leslie Anderson.
  • Leonys Martin, CF, Rangers (24) (Licey): 1-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SB (2). Hasn’t hit in brief big league trials over the last two seasons, but batted .359/.422/.610 in Triple-A last year while playing quality defense in center field.
  • Jackson Melian, CF (32) (Margarita): 2-for-5, 2B (2), R, 2 RBI. Hasn’t played for an affiliated club since hitting .160/.160/.400 for the Astros’ Triple-A club in 2008. He spent 2010 in Mexican and American independent leagues before falling off the map. He’s been around forever, and it’s difficult to believe he’s still only 32. Melian is hitting .313/.353/.438 overall in the VWL.
  • Joe Ortiz, LHP, Rangers (22) (La Guaira): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K. Diminutive fastball/slider reliever has a history of solid performance in the Venezuelan League; 0-1, 3.38, 3-2 K-BB overall.
  • Marcell Ozuna, CF, Marlins (21) (Cibao): 3-for-4, 2 2B (2), HR (1), 2 R. Not a bad way to make your VWL season debut; Ozuna is a streaky hitter with obvious power – he led the High-A Florida State League with 24 home runs this year, which was six better than anyone else in the league.
  • Adys Portillo, RHP, Padres (20) (Zulia): 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 0 K. Jumped from Low-A Fort Wayne to Double-A San Antonio as a 20-year old in July and, unsurprisingly, had his head handed to him. In eight starts, Portillo surrendered fewer than three runs just twice while going 2-5, 7.20, 26-25 K-BB.
  • Bruce Rondon, RHP, Tigers (21) (Magallanes): 1.0 IP, 0 H. Nice rebound from a rough debut where he allowed a walk and a run; has two saves in as many tries, 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 1-1 K-BB overall.
  • Darin Ruf, 1B/LF, Phillies (26) (La Guaira): 0-for-4, 2 K. Last year’s Eastern League home run champ is hitting .083/.083/.167 with four strikeouts through his first three games in the VWL.
  • Oscar Taveras, CF, Cardinals (20) (Aguilas): 2-for-5, 2B (1), R, K. Solid debut for the best hitting prospect in the minor leagues.
  • Sebastian Valle, C, Phillies (22) (Los Mochis): 2-for-3, HR (1), 4 RBI. More impressive: he walked the day before; hitting .333/.375/.833 overall.

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Scott44
10/15
Bradley - We know the AZL park factors very much favor hitters, much like those in the PCL and CAL. Is there a way to put the Carib. League environments into perspective, do they favor hitters/pitchers? It will provide some context too, I believe. Thanks for keeping the prospect-y goodness during the long off-season.
bradleyankrom
10/15
That's a good question. I'll look for an answer.
bradleyankrom
10/15
From what I can tell, the Mexican Pacific League favors hitters (understandable, given the altitude) while the other leagues play mostly neutral. The talent levels in each of the leagues varies from year to year, but the Mexican Pacific League is by far the most veteran-heavy. The Dominican and Venezuelan leagues are stocked with prospects, but the composition varies from team to team.
sitdancer
10/15
RE Arecia: Does it still look like he will have to move to a corner OF position by the time he reaches the majors or does he have a short at sticking at CF?
bradleyankrom
10/15
He profiles in a corner, and he has the arm to handle right field.
dwachtell
10/15
By implication, are you saying that you think Sano sticks at 3B? Or where?
bradleyankrom
10/15
My feeling is that he winds up at first base.
jparks77
10/15
Note on Leonys Martin: He doesn't have the sexiest ceiling, which means he should develop into a quality role 5 player, with a strong defensive skill-set (range, glove, arm) at a premium position and a good (but not great) bat. He could hit down in the order, but still provide enough value to start for a first-division team. The bonus built up the expectations that he could be a star, but the package is more solid-avg, which is still a great player to have on the roster.

It doesn't always show up in the stats, but Martin has some of the best bat speed in the organization. Very fast hands, very quick bat. He gets overlooked because of his struggles at the highest level, but he can really play.
nschneider
10/16
"Role 5 player"? Is that a new term, or a typo? What does it mean (or is the rest of that sentence exactly what you're defining)?
jparks77
10/16
Role 5 is just a way of saying he will (his role will be) be an average player at the major league level.

2 Poor
3 well below-average
4 below average
5 average
6 above average
7 well above average
8 elite