The six-team Dominican Winter League season has concluded, and several prospects made some cameo appearances. Entering the Winter League, the biggest news was about a manager, Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. Pujols was tasked with leading Escogido, one of the two teams based in the capital city of Santo Domingo. The other team in Santo Domingo was three-time defending champion Licey, who had a few notables, including top prospect Jordan Lawlar, Padres catcher Luis Campusano, former Nationals reliever Wander Suero, recently-suspended Blue Jays prospect Orelvis Martinez, and a few guest appearances by Pirates’ stud Oneil Cruz.
Other notable players included:
Estrellas: Roderick Arias (NYY), Vidal Bruján (MIA), Eguy Rosario (SDP), Miguel Sanó, and Cubs legend Frank Schwindel
Aguilas: José Caballero (TBR), Alexander Canario (CHC), Jonatan Clase (TOR), Starlin Castro, Jerar Encarnación (SFG), Dinelson Lamet, and the ageless wonder Johnny Cueto
Escogido: Franchy Cordero, Martín Maldonado, Ramón Laureano, Reese McGuire, fantasy football commissioner Tommy Pham, Jean Segura, and a cameo from Junior Caminero (TBR).
Este: Bryan De La Cruz (PIT), Pablo Reyes (NYM), Emmanuel Rivera (BAL), Fernando Abad, and the perfect one, Domingo Germán
Cibao: Noelvi Marte (CIN), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Oliver Dunn (MIL), Dane Myers (MIA), Jose Siri (NYM), Angel Chivilli (COL), and embattled Giants’ closer Camilo Doval.
Notable Prospect Performances
Jordan Lawlar (ARI)
It’s been a rough 18 months for Lawlar, the Diamondbacks’ top prospect, and a one-time Top 10 overall prospect. After two productive seasons in 2022 and 2023, Lawlar finally got the call to make his MLB debut. In 14 games, Lawlar slashed .129/.206/.129 for the eventual NL Champions. With a short MLB stint under his belt, Lawlar seemed poised to return to the big leagues this season. A torn ligament in his thumb sidelined him until June, and then a hamstring injury following his return limited Lawlar to just 14 games in 2024.
The Winter League was a chance for the oft-injured Lawlar to get some much-needed at-bats in hopes of building back up for 2025. Lawlar struggled for Licey, batting just .237 with three home runs and a near-30% strikeout rate. The silver lining is that Lawlar remained healthy throughout the season and should be ready to go come Opening Day, although it will be at Triple-A Reno.
Alexander Canario (CHC)
Canario has been around the block in the minors, having played in the Cubs organization for seven seasons. The 24-year-old has played 21 games at the major league level, including two encouraging stints this season. A hamstring strain in late ended his 2024 early, so he made his third trip to the Dominican Winter League. Canario performed well, slashing .298/.388/.561 with four homers and three doubles in 21 games for Aguilas. With a big spring, Canario could work his way into a fourth outfielder role with the big club.
Orelvis Martinez (TOR)
Martinez was mashing early in 2024, belting 16 homers and 14 doubles in just 63 games for Triple-A Buffalo. He was rewarded with a promotion to the big leagues and his MLB debut against Cleveland on June 21st. Two days later, Martinez was suspended 80 games for his use of a banned substance. He returned to Triple-A in September and batted .304 with a homer and five doubles in 11 games. After missing a large chunk of the season, Martinez took to the Winter League to recoup some at-bats. Martinez only got 14 at-bats but recorded one home run with seven strikeouts. It’s unclear how Martinez fits in with a revamped Blue Jays roster, but I expect him to see ample opportunity in 2025.
Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA)
The 2024 minor league home-run champion took his talents to the DR this winter after a 40-homer season split between two levels and two organizations. In 137 games, DDLS slashed .294/.343/.571 with 25 doubles, 120 RBI, and 89 runs scored, in addition to the 40 bombs. De Los Santos maintained his power output after moving to the Marlins organization but took a big step back everywhere else, moving out of the hitter-friendly PCL. This winter has not been a great showing for DDLS as he’s slashing .260/.296/.320 with no homers and just two extra-base hits in 17 games. The silver lining is that he’s got just an 18.5% strikeout rate compared to a near-25% in the regular season. Given the shake-up with the Marlins’ roster this offseason, it seems likely that DDLS will get a shot early in Miami as a DH/1B/3B.
Roderick Arias (NYY)
Arias was one of the hottest prospect names this time last year after an excellent performance at the Florida Complex League. Arias had a brutal start to 2024, batting .172 with a 38.7% strikeout rate through June at Class-A Tampa. The second half of the season was much better as Arias hit .340 down the stretch with seven homers and 11 doubles while cutting his strikeout down under 30%. Arias hoped to build on that in the Winter League and was chosen as a first-round pick in the draft. But he played just one game, recording two at-bats before leaving. No explanation was given for his departure. Arias will look to build on a strong close to 2024 as he enters 2025.
Jonatan Clase (TOR)
Clase’s career got off to a running start as a professional and hasn’t slowed down since. After a 31-steal effort in the DSL in 2019, Clase ripped off 55 steals in ’22 and 79 in ’23 while adding power to his profile. His performance has plateaued since, but after an exciting start to 2024, Clase was traded from Seattle to Toronto. He struggled in pitcher-friendly environments in Triple-A, batting just .244 with 12 steals and a near 30% strikeout rate. Clase played in just five games in the Winter League but figures to see plenty of playing time for the Jays in 2025.