Draft/ International Signing Day?
Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
I feel like he is a luxury item to be honest. it never hurts to have more, but we have Kershaw locked up, and will probably retire as a dodger and he is still in his mid 20s. Greinke, as much as I think resigning him in the long run would be a problem, will most likely be back as #2. then there is Ryu and McCarthy coming back from there injury and Alex Wood to round up the rotation. I just don't see where we could use EJM when Urias and De Leon are coming up soon. I understand that we can always have him be a trade bait as Oliveras was, and for that I would not mind signing him. I am just saying I don't see him in our rotation in any near or intermediate future.
ehhhhh f it.
Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
isn't EJM a CF?
“I’ve always felt that drafting is the life blood of any organization.” - Jerome Alan West.
Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
Quake Griffin wrote:isn't EJM a CF?
lol I am sorry, I came home past 8:45 PM after a long day at work and had a bottle of merlot and had overlapped EJM with Angel German. my bad.
ehhhhh f it.
Cubbies Get EJM
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Cubbies Get EJM
I was wrong about Martinez getting a "significantly" bigger deal than the one he walked away from the Giants, but this just signals such a big drop in interest in the guy for the Cubs to poach him for such a relatively low price.
Also, with regards to Angel German, he looks to be a few years away, but any way you slice it, a 6'4" tall, 19-year-old RHP who can throw around 100 mph is an intriguing commodity to have in your developmental pipeline.
Also, with regards to Angel German, he looks to be a few years away, but any way you slice it, a 6'4" tall, 19-year-old RHP who can throw around 100 mph is an intriguing commodity to have in your developmental pipeline.
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
Exactly on German. I love having taller pitchers. The extension they get going down the hill adds to their fastball and I love the angle it creates. I can't remember when or where we signed German. Do you have info on that? I thought he was a part of those 4 young pups we signed from the DR in 2013 (the new ownership's first international signings) but I went back and found the article and saw he wasn't a part of that group.
Not worried about EJM anymore. If his value has dropped like that, there must be a critical flaw with him as a prospect. I like who we have and if all things go well, we should have 3 draft picks coming in the regular Rule 4 draft next July.
I am curious though. Missing out on Lucius Fox/ EJM have anything to do with the overhaul in our scouting department? or did the overhaul in our scouting department have anything to do with missing out on them? I certainly hope Friedman and Co. know what they're doing with that overhaul.
Not worried about EJM anymore. If his value has dropped like that, there must be a critical flaw with him as a prospect. I like who we have and if all things go well, we should have 3 draft picks coming in the regular Rule 4 draft next July.
I am curious though. Missing out on Lucius Fox/ EJM have anything to do with the overhaul in our scouting department? or did the overhaul in our scouting department have anything to do with missing out on them? I certainly hope Friedman and Co. know what they're doing with that overhaul.
“I’ve always felt that drafting is the life blood of any organization.” - Jerome Alan West.
German Signing
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German Signing
Quake Griffin wrote:I can't remember when or where we signed German. Do you have info on that? I thought he was a part of those 4 young pups we signed from the DR in 2013 (the new ownership's first international signings) but I went back and found the article and saw he wasn't a part of that group.
I don't know much about German either, but it looks like you were right about signing him out of the DR in 2013. Maybe he was an under-the-radar signing from that region who the Dodgers scout noticed while coming to see other prospects. That would explain the little information available about him, but his sudden emergence is a bit exciting.
Ranma wrote:I've never heard of Angel German but he sounds intriguing as a 6-4, 19-year-old RHP. Can't find much about him but he is briefly mentioned in the piece below and there's also a fairly recent video of him even if it is rather short.
Cary Osborne, DodgersInsider.com (10/7/15)Earlier, BA ranked Angel German, a 19-year-old right-hander who had a 4.53 ERA/1.64 WHIP in 45 2/3 innings with the AZL Dodgers, the No. 18 prospect from the Arizona Rookie League. According to Ben Badler of BA, German was throwing 88-90 mph when the Dodgers signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. He has since upped it to the 95-100 mph range with good sink, Badler reports.
Urias Heads Texas League Class, De Leon Close Behind
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O6cn0C9ZQ0[/youtube]
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Eddy Julio Martinez...What a Mess
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Eddy Julio Martinez...What a Mess
The Dodgers apparently were still interested in EJM but not at his initial asking price of $10 million. Now Major League Baseball has to determine, which of the two deals between the Giants and Cubs agreed to by his representatives is valid. Martinez looks like he has a sanctioned agent and multiple buscones (street agents) separately negotiating on his behalf. It is unclear which of the deals was negotiated by the sanctioned agent.
Jon Heyman, CBS Sports (10/14/15)
MLB Expected to Pick a Team Soon -- Giants or Cubs -- for Cuban OF
Jon Heyman, CBS Sports (10/14/15)
It all started when Martinez or a representative of his reached an agreement reported to be for $2.5 million with the Giants. But that was just the beginning. While the Giants apparently were under the impression their agreement was binding, Martinez or another representative some time after that made a deal with the Cubs, reportedly for $3 million.
At the heart of the matter is whether the deal with the Giants is a binding deal that should count.
Martinez has been compared to Andruw Jones for his skill set, but scouts don't necessarily see him reaching that kind of height (though it's a good sign two of the better organizations are fighting over him). He held workouts in the Dominican Republic. The Dodgers were a third team to make an offer.
MLB Expected to Pick a Team Soon -- Giants or Cubs -- for Cuban OF
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Update on International Scene
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Update on International Scene
Eddy Julio Martinez's U.S.-based agents in Beverly Hills agreed to a deal with the Giants first, but failed to get his actual signature on the deal. The Cubs were negotiating with his buscones and secured Martinez's signature on an agreement, which MLB ruled was binding. Apparently, his dad played a big part in the change of heart, which also happened to the Dodgers with Lucius Fox.
The tweet below confirms my suspicion that the Dodgers and Fox had agreed to a handshake deal, but his dad steered him to the Giants instead at the last minute. It is unclear if it was a ploy for more money--like I assumed--or if he felt his son was better off with the San Francisco organization. In any case, the international signing scene has been likened to the Wild West where early reports of agreements are seen as a disadvantage with rivals laying in wait ready to poach.
Cuban RHP Yasiel Sierra impressed scouts in a recent workout, but I'm a bit ambivalent about him. He's 24 years old and is not subject to the international signing guidelines. He's considered polished with a solid repertoire of pitches including a fastball that averages 94.7 mph peakng at 96 mph and could immediately contribute next season whether as a starter or reliever. I'm personally higher on Vladimir Gutierrez.
Meanwhile from the Land of the Morning Calm, both Korean 3B Jae-gyun Hwang and OF Ah-seop Son have asked their team, the Lotte Giants, to be posted in order to play in MLB, however, KBO ruled that only one will be permitted to transfer to the United States for next season. While both are decent prospects, I'm not really interested in either.
On the other hand, I'd love to pursue Korean relief pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh. Oh has proven to be one of the top closers in both the KBO and NPB. He's looking to pitch in the United States next season and is a complete free agent not subject to the posting system. He'd be quite the intriguing candidate for our bullpen to go along with Hatcher and Jansen. The Yankees and Mariners would seem to have the inside track for his services, though.
Mark Polishuk, MLBTradeRumors.com (10/18/15)
Korean Righty Seung-Hwan Oh Interested in Move to MLB
The tweet below confirms my suspicion that the Dodgers and Fox had agreed to a handshake deal, but his dad steered him to the Giants instead at the last minute. It is unclear if it was a ploy for more money--like I assumed--or if he felt his son was better off with the San Francisco organization. In any case, the international signing scene has been likened to the Wild West where early reports of agreements are seen as a disadvantage with rivals laying in wait ready to poach.
Cuban RHP Yasiel Sierra impressed scouts in a recent workout, but I'm a bit ambivalent about him. He's 24 years old and is not subject to the international signing guidelines. He's considered polished with a solid repertoire of pitches including a fastball that averages 94.7 mph peakng at 96 mph and could immediately contribute next season whether as a starter or reliever. I'm personally higher on Vladimir Gutierrez.
Meanwhile from the Land of the Morning Calm, both Korean 3B Jae-gyun Hwang and OF Ah-seop Son have asked their team, the Lotte Giants, to be posted in order to play in MLB, however, KBO ruled that only one will be permitted to transfer to the United States for next season. While both are decent prospects, I'm not really interested in either.
On the other hand, I'd love to pursue Korean relief pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh. Oh has proven to be one of the top closers in both the KBO and NPB. He's looking to pitch in the United States next season and is a complete free agent not subject to the posting system. He'd be quite the intriguing candidate for our bullpen to go along with Hatcher and Jansen. The Yankees and Mariners would seem to have the inside track for his services, though.
Mark Polishuk, MLBTradeRumors.com (10/18/15)
Oh, 33, has been one of the top closers in both the Korea Baseball Organization (nine seasons with Samsung Lions) and Nippon Professional Baseball (two seasons with Hanshin) during his 11-year career. He has posted a sparkling 1.81 ERA, 10.7 K/9 and 5.18 K/BB rate over 646 1/3 career innings. Oh has recorded 357 saves in his career, earning him the equally-awesome nicknames of “Stone Buddha” and “Final Boss.” Oh pitched for South Korea in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics, earning a bronze and silver medal, respectively.
According to a two-year-old profile on the Global Sporting Integration homepage, Oh’s top pitch is the “stone fastball,” a rising four-seamer that can go as high as 97mph but is usually in the 92-94mph range. Oh also possesses a slider (thrown anywhere between 80-89mph) and slow curveball (between 70-79mph). The 5’10”, 202-pounder will turn 34 years old in July.
Korean Righty Seung-Hwan Oh Interested in Move to MLB
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
Man….we already can't sign anybody for more than $300k for the next 2 periods.
We better get our hands on Vlad man otherwise I will look at this as kind of a bust.
We better get our hands on Vlad man otherwise I will look at this as kind of a bust.
“I’ve always felt that drafting is the life blood of any organization.” - Jerome Alan West.
Re: Update on International Scene
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Re: Update on International Scene
Ranma wrote:
Meanwhile from the Land of the Morning Calm, both Korean 3B Jae-gyun Hwang and OF Ah-seop Son have asked their team, the Lotte Giants, to be posted in order to play in MLB, however, KBO ruled that only one will be permitted to transfer to the United States for next season. While both are decent prospects, I'm not really interested in either.
On the other hand, I'd love to pursue Korean relief pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh. Oh has proven to be one of the top closers in both the KBO and NPB. He's looking to pitch in the United States next season and is a complete free agent not subject to the posting system. He'd be quite the intriguing candidate for our bullpen to go along with Hatcher and Jansen. The Yankees and Mariners would seem to have the inside track for his services, though.
Mark Polishuk, MLBTradeRumors.com (10/18/15)Oh, 33, has been one of the top closers in both the Korea Baseball Organization (nine seasons with Samsung Lions) and Nippon Professional Baseball (two seasons with Hanshin) during his 11-year career. He has posted a sparkling 1.81 ERA, 10.7 K/9 and 5.18 K/BB rate over 646 1/3 career innings. Oh has recorded 357 saves in his career, earning him the equally-awesome nicknames of “Stone Buddha” and “Final Boss.” Oh pitched for South Korea in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics, earning a bronze and silver medal, respectively.
According to a two-year-old profile on the Global Sporting Integration homepage, Oh’s top pitch is the “stone fastball,” a rising four-seamer that can go as high as 97mph but is usually in the 92-94mph range. Oh also possesses a slider (thrown anywhere between 80-89mph) and slow curveball (between 70-79mph). The 5’10”, 202-pounder will turn 34 years old in July.
Korean Righty Seung-Hwan Oh Interested in Move to MLB
I'm glad someone else is keeping a tap on Oh. Dol-Bu-chuh (stone buddha) has been lights out for most of his career, and really only threw his fastball while with the Lions. he was exceptional in his first season with the Hanshin Tigers, and although he still led the NPB with saves he appeared to be more hittable this season. I don't know if Oh is returning back to Japan, even tho he did say he is opened to coming back to Hanshin. I think he is thinking jumping over to MLB to be a closer or go back to Korea and pitch for the Lions again. he isn't young anymore, but my gosh if he will accept being a setup man in the majors, he can be the bridge between Hatcher to Jensen. Chapman would be nice, but with his advanced age, Oh will ask for less both in terms of money and years.
ehhhhh f it.
Plenty of Time Left Before June 15
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Plenty of Time Left Before June 15
Quake Griffin wrote:Man….we already can't sign anybody for more than $300k for the next 2 periods.
We better get our hands on Vlad man otherwise I will look at this as kind of a bust.
Don't forget there is also OF Yusniel Diaz, who shot up the rankings ahead of Eddy Julio Martinez and was on the Dodgers' radar. Like I've said before, we have to get at least one of Diaz or Gutierrez at this point. Continuing my broken record, even if we get both, I wouldn't consider it an absolute success unless we get SS Lourdes Gourriel, Jr., whom I'm crossing my fingers will eventually become available before June 15, 2016.
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Oh Yeah
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Oh Yeah
Neddy wrote:I'm glad someone else is keeping a tap on Oh. Dol-Bu-chuh (stone buddha) has been lights out for most of his career, and really only threw his fastball while with the Lions. he was exceptional in his first season with the Hanshin Tigers, and although he still led the NPB with saves he appeared to be more hittable this season. I don't know if Oh is returning back to Japan, even tho he did say he is opened to coming back to Hanshin. I think he is thinking jumping over to MLB to be a closer or go back to Korea and pitch for the Lions again. he isn't young anymore, but my gosh if he will accept being a setup man in the majors, he can be the bridge between Hatcher to Jensen. Chapman would be nice, but with his advanced age, Oh will ask for less both in terms of money and years.
The Korea JoongAng Daily article cited by MLBTradeRumors.com quoted presumably his agent as saying, "What’s important is whether the club can offer the environment where Oh can show his best ability." However, it is uncertain if he indeed will make the jump over to the States as he is still having discussions with his Japanese club.
He seems inclined to show his wares against Major League competition but I'm sure he'd prefer a chance to close. It is highly doubtful any MLB team will promise the job as closer but there could be a few teams that may offer him the opportunity to compete for that position. The Dodgers, however, won't be one of them as, like you said, we already have Kenley Jansen.
I'm with you in wanting to add him to the bullpen staff that would be comprised of:
- Kenley Jansen
Seung-Hwan Oh
Chris Hatcher
Luis Avilan
Yimi Garcia
Pedro Baez
That looks pretty good to me, especially if Jharel Cotton can get a shot at competing for a spot in Spring Training along with possibly trading for either Jake McGee or Aroldis Chapman.
His GSI profile cites the Cubs and Mariners' signings of 31-year-old Japanese relievers as comparables for Oh. Chicago signed Kyuji Fujikawa to a 2-year, $9.5 million deal in 2012 while Seattle signed Kazuhiro Sasaki to a 2-year, $8 million deal in 2000. Both contracts contained team options for a 3rd year.
Oh would be older at 34 years old if he signed with an MLB team this winter, so I'd offer him a 2-year, $11 million deal with a team option for a 3rd year. Hopefully, Hyun-Jin Ryu can help do some recruiting in this case. What terms would you propose in a contract offer to Oh, Neddy?
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Re: Oh Yeah
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Re: Oh Yeah
Ranma wrote:Neddy wrote:I'm glad someone else is keeping a tap on Oh. Dol-Bu-chuh (stone buddha) has been lights out for most of his career, and really only threw his fastball while with the Lions. he was exceptional in his first season with the Hanshin Tigers, and although he still led the NPB with saves he appeared to be more hittable this season. I don't know if Oh is returning back to Japan, even tho he did say he is opened to coming back to Hanshin. I think he is thinking jumping over to MLB to be a closer or go back to Korea and pitch for the Lions again. he isn't young anymore, but my gosh if he will accept being a setup man in the majors, he can be the bridge between Hatcher to Jensen. Chapman would be nice, but with his advanced age, Oh will ask for less both in terms of money and years.
The Korea JoongAng Daily article cited by MLBTradeRumors.com quoted presumably his agent as saying, "What’s important is whether the club can offer the environment where Oh can show his best ability." However, it is uncertain if he indeed will make the jump over to the States as he is still having discussions with his Japanese club.
He seems inclined to show his wares against Major League competition but I'm sure he'd prefer a chance to close. It is highly doubtful any MLB team will promise the job as closer but there could be a few teams that may offer him the opportunity to compete for that position. The Dodgers, however, won't be one of them as, like you said, we already have Kenley Jansen.
I'm with you in wanting to add him to the bullpen staff that would be comprised of:Kenley Jansen
Seung-Hwan Oh
Chris Hatcher
Luis Avilan
Yimi Garcia
Pedro Baez
That looks pretty good to me, especially if Jharel Cotton can get a shot at competing for a spot in Spring Training along with possibly trading for either Jake McGee or Aroldis Chapman.
His GSI profile cites the Cubs and Mariners' signings of 31-year-old Japanese relievers as comparables for Oh. Chicago signed Kyuji Fujikawa to a 2-year, $9.5 million deal in 2012 while Seattle signed Kazuhiro Sasaki to a 2-year, $8 million deal in 2000. Both contracts contained team options for a 3rd year.
Oh would be older at 34 years old if he signed with an MLB team this winter, so I'd offer him a 2-year, $11 million deal with a team option for a 3rd year. Hopefully, Hyun-Jin Ryu can help do some recruiting in this case. What terms would you propose in a contract offer to Oh, Neddy?
just to add a few more details about those two Japanese relievers you mentioned, Kyuji Fujikawa was the last closer for the HanShin Tigers before Oh was heavily recruited and given the job once Kyuji expressed his interest to come to US. the difference was, Kyuji was washed up and injured, and with or without Oh coming to Osaka region, Kyuji wasn't going to be on the Koshien stadium's mound in 2014. curiously enough for Theo and his 'medicine ball' Epstein went out and not only bought the injured and washed up Kyuji but his biggest rival from NPB, Lim Chang-yong of Yacult Swallows, whom was the previous closer for the Samsung Lions of KBO before Oh took over the closer role as Lim became a 10 year free agent to sign with anyone, anywhere and chose the Yacult of NPB. but by the time cubbies got him, Lim too was injured and washed up at this point and neither player panned out here. Lim went back to the Lions in his home nation, Kyuji tried to go back to NPB but nobody including his old team wanted his broken arm back, he ended up pitching for an independent league team in his wife's home town for free then made a scandal which led him out of baseball without any proper retirement ceremony. poor ending for a man with rich career. Sasaki on the other hand, had something that most MLB hitters have not seen. hard breaking, somewhere between splitter to Nomo's forkball. another side note, Lim's hard throwing 2 seamer used to slide side ways like a slider that comes back at you after it broke away initially, earning his pitch a nickname of 'snake fastball'. to think the Samsung Lions once had "stone fastball' to set up the 'snake fastball' is pretty astounding, explains their current dominance this decade over there in KBO.
having said all this, if the Yanks or Mariners were not bidding against us, knowing what Oh was getting paid in Japan, I would offer him a 7 million for 2 years guaranteed with 2 extra million if he makes certain innings and appearances. team option for the 3rd year should be at 4.5 million with a 1/2 mil buy out. it makes it worth for him to come over to US and still be making a slight pay raise, knowing he will have to pay 2 countries income taxes PLUS that third extra California state income tax, which when it all adds up will be a wash for him if he is taking anything less than 3.5 million guaranteed money per year to come here rather than go back to Japan and make slightly more than 200 million yen( just a hair north of 2 million US $) remember, Hanshin gave him a rent free luxury apartment in the heart of korea town in Osaka with a car and a personal driver. Oh will have to pay lodging, transportation at home and for a pro athlete like him in good parts of LA rental wouldn't be like getting a one bedroom apartment in gledale with a carport.
ehhhhh f it.
Re: Plenty of Time Left Before June 15
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Re: Plenty of Time Left Before June 15
Ranma wrote:Quake Griffin wrote:Man….we already can't sign anybody for more than $300k for the next 2 periods.
We better get our hands on Vlad man otherwise I will look at this as kind of a bust.
Don't forget there is also OF Yusniel Diaz, who shot up the rankings ahead of Eddy Julio Martinez and was on the Dodgers' radar. Like I've said before, we have to get at least one of Diaz or Gutierrez at this point. Continuing my broken record, even if we get both, I wouldn't consider it an absolute success unless we get SS Lourdes Gourriel, Jr., whom I'm crossing my fingers will eventually become available before June 15, 2016.
I understand our situation a little better than I did in July, so I agree on what would make this an absolute success.
Is there any indication from any sources that our FO will put on a full court press to get all of these guys? Or are we just linked to them?
Seems like when Gourriel Jr. finally makes himself available, he's going to have a lot of suitors and might cost a little bit.
“I’ve always felt that drafting is the life blood of any organization.” - Jerome Alan West.
International Espionage
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International Espionage
Quake Griffin wrote:I understand our situation a little better than I did in July, so I agree on what would make this an absolute success.
Is there any indication from any sources that our FO will put on a full court press to get all of these guys? Or are we just linked to them?
Seems like when Gourriel Jr. finally makes himself available, he's going to have a lot of suitors and might cost a little bit.
I still haven't seen a direct link of Gutierrez to the Dodgers but I know the Dodgers and Giants were part of a big contingent of scouts and evaluators who observed Diaz in a recent workout. If Gourriel, Jr. does become available I wouldn't be as concerned with cost as long as he's not getting Moncada-type money.
With the revamping of the international scouting department, there is some concern whether the Dodgers are focused and have the requisite devoted resources to pursue the remaining names, so to answer your question, specifically, no, the Dodgers have not been linked to a hard pursuit of either Gutierrez or Diaz outside of the notable interest in viewing Diaz's workouts.
However, I'm quite certain the Dodgers are more interested in Diaz than they were with Eddy Julio Martinez and they still offered Martinez a contract before he ended up with the Cubs. I get the sense that we'll have to compete with the Giants for Yusniel Diaz, but having lost out on Fox to them, I suspect the Dodgers will be more aggressive on Diaz.
Likewise, if Gourriel, Jr. becomes available, I also have to think that we'll be very aggressive in pursuing the SS to make up for being sniped on Fox, which would be a perfect turn of events as Gourriel, Jr. is a highly superior prospect to Fox IMO.
I just tweeted both Ben Badler and Jesse Sanchez last night to see if they have heard any updates on the Gourriel brothers, but have not heard a response. Also, keep in mind that in light of the sniping of both Fox and Martinez, you have to think teams are more guarded about showing interest to avoid having agreements leak early. We've already been burned once, so the Dodgers are likely taking precautions to keep stuff going on behind the scenes to remain under wraps.
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Lourdes Gourriel, Jr. Interview
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Lourdes Gourriel, Jr. Interview
I just came across a recent interview with Lourdes Gourriel, Jr. but it's entirely in Spanish. The link to the original article is in the tweet referenced below while the excerpts cited below are from the Google-translated page in English.
Maybe it's the fact that he is so difficult to secure, but I have a baseball hard-on for this kid. He even wears a jersey with #19, a cool hockey number. The 22-year-old is not only talented but plays with enthusiasm and comes from a baseball family that is treated like Cuban royalty similar to the Griffey's. It also sounds like he's anxious to play in the U.S. but is waiting to do so through legal channels and with the blessing of his Cuban government as they are waiting for political relations to clear. Plus, unlike Yasiel Puig and his brother Yulieski, Lourdes, Jr. is disciplined without any motivational issues based on the limited reports I've come across.
p.s. I just realized that our only hope for getting him during this signing period is for the U.S. and Cuba to settle on an open transfer agreement since he would have needed to establish residency in another country for a full year in order to currently come over before the deadline, which he didn't do since he's still playing baseball for Cuba.
Given the slow wheels of government, things don't look so good, after all. I was thinking the Obama administration and Cuba would like to wrap things up before a new administration takes office to minimize the undoing of progress in negotiations, but the presidential elections are scheduled for 11/8/16, which is almost 5 months after the deadline for the current international signing period and there doesn't seem to be as much urgency as anticipated.
I'm going to try to temper my optimism for Gourriel given the realities of the situation, but I'm still holding out hope that progress in U.S.-Cuban relations will be settled soon. However, if we're being honest with ourselves, we shouldn't anticipate him to be available for us.
Francys Romer, ProgresoSemanal.us (10/15/15)
Lourdes Gourriel Jr .: "What baseball player would not want to play in the big leagues!"
Maybe it's the fact that he is so difficult to secure, but I have a baseball hard-on for this kid. He even wears a jersey with #19, a cool hockey number. The 22-year-old is not only talented but plays with enthusiasm and comes from a baseball family that is treated like Cuban royalty similar to the Griffey's. It also sounds like he's anxious to play in the U.S. but is waiting to do so through legal channels and with the blessing of his Cuban government as they are waiting for political relations to clear. Plus, unlike Yasiel Puig and his brother Yulieski, Lourdes, Jr. is disciplined without any motivational issues based on the limited reports I've come across.
p.s. I just realized that our only hope for getting him during this signing period is for the U.S. and Cuba to settle on an open transfer agreement since he would have needed to establish residency in another country for a full year in order to currently come over before the deadline, which he didn't do since he's still playing baseball for Cuba.
Given the slow wheels of government, things don't look so good, after all. I was thinking the Obama administration and Cuba would like to wrap things up before a new administration takes office to minimize the undoing of progress in negotiations, but the presidential elections are scheduled for 11/8/16, which is almost 5 months after the deadline for the current international signing period and there doesn't seem to be as much urgency as anticipated.
I'm going to try to temper my optimism for Gourriel given the realities of the situation, but I'm still holding out hope that progress in U.S.-Cuban relations will be settled soon. However, if we're being honest with ourselves, we shouldn't anticipate him to be available for us.
Francys Romer, ProgresoSemanal.us (10/15/15)
In my prospects in 2015 I placed Lourdes Gourriel Jr at number three. I feel that not equivocate. Not surnamed Parma as the hero of his father, not to be the brother of the player with the best tools in Cuba for more than five years. Lourdes Jr's talent is innate. Their offense, plate discipline, run the bases and their daily progression make it the most useful and versatile of Cuban baseball talent.
...
You're probably the best prospect of Cuba your 20 years. You have strength on offense, the base paths and more debt to defense. What do you think you need to improve to be even better player than you are?
In terms of improvement, I have to improve everything. I may be missing even more strongly, more defense, more on the run, yet I have 20 years and I have to continue to develop the same on offense than defense because I have much to learn.
...
The majors. What do you think? An impossible? Not interested? A dream?
What baseball player would not want to play in the big leagues! Everyone dreams to get there. Thank God we are in an era of openings, changes. And at least one is speaking and that's another door that opens.
Lourdes Gourriel Jr .: "What baseball player would not want to play in the big leagues!"
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Cuba Watch Continued
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Cuba Watch Continued
Jesse Sanchez in the video he tweeted out below says multiple teams in pursuit of Yasiel Sierra but ranks him near the top of the 2nd tier of Cuban prospects. Still like Vladimir Gutierrez better than him. Sanchez also noted that Cuba baseball is depleted with already over 100 players making their way over to the United States, but confirms that Yulieski Gourriel is the top Cuban prospect overall. While he wants to come over, he only wants to do so legally given his family's ties to the Cuban government. I still would rather have his brother Lourdes, Jr.
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Dodgers Sign Ismael Cruz Away from Blue Jays' Scouting Staff
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Dodgers Sign Ismael Cruz Away from Blue Jays' Scouting Staff
It sounds like Ismael Cruz is a great addition to our international scouting staff whether he leads the department or not. He was a key scout in both of the Mets' signings of closer Jeurys Familia and infielder Wilmer Flores and was heavily involved with the Blue Jays' pursuit of Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. to the point where Toronto traded both Chase Dejong and Tim Locastro to the Dodgers in order to acquire enough slot money to sign him. Cruz also found Roberto Osuna Miguel Castro for the Blue Jays.
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Dodgers Sign OF Yusniel Diaz & INF Omar Estevez
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Dodgers Sign OF Yusniel Diaz & INF Omar Estevez
Haven't heard of Estevez, but Diaz was someone I expected the Dodgers to sign and he's ranked pretty high. Another realistic possibility I'm anticipating signing is RHP Vladimir Gutierrez but there hasn't been much talk linking the Dodgers to him specifically.
Ranma wrote:
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
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Re: Draft/ International Signing Day?
YESSIR!!!!111
Winning the int'l deadline.
Good job Doyers.
Winning the int'l deadline.
Good job Doyers.
“I’ve always felt that drafting is the life blood of any organization.” - Jerome Alan West.