February 18th, 2016 at 6:00 am 
by Harold Uhlman Over the past four years the Dodgers have made quite a splash on the Cuban scene. They didn’t just wade into the shallow end of the Cuban pool they jumped off the high dive board into the deepest end of the pool. Jumping off the high board is not just a matter of courage it requires some style points.
So how may points do the Dodgers get as Cuban style points? Certainly the first round that was featured primarily in the pre-Andrew Friedman era didn’t earn the points that made the experiment even a modest success.
The foray into the Cuban market began when left-handed pitcher Onelki Garcia was selected by the Dodgers as a 22-year old in the third round of the 2012 First Year Player Draft. He had a good start with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the AA Southern League in 2013 posting a 2.75 ERA in 52.1 innings. However, Garcia sat out the 2014 season recuperating from left elbow surgery in November of 2103. He was waived by the Dodgers in November of 2014 and selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. He was left then unprotected by the White Sox in the November 2015 Rule 5 Draft and was not claimed by any of the other 29 MLB teams.
Outfielder Yasiel Puig was signed by the Dodgers on June 28, 2012 to a 7-year $42 million contract. He will be entering his fourth year with the Dodgers in 2016 and will play the entire season as a 25-year old. Initially he was able to launch a Puig-mania and had a good rookie season hitting 19 home runs with a batting average of .319 and a .391 OBP. He finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting behind fellow Cuban Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins. His second season with the Dodgers was certainly acceptable for a 23-year old as he hit .296 with 16 home runs and 67 RBI along with a .382 OBP. Plagued by injury, he appeared in only 79 games in 2015 hitting .255 with 11 home runs. He has also been plagued with some off field issues and some issues on the field including base running errors, missing cut-off men and seemingly being an irritant to some of his teammates. The upcoming season may be a make or break season as a Dodger for Yasiel Puig.
Yasiel Puig signed with the Dodgers on July 28, 2012 and blazed his way through the minor leagues, making his MLB debut less than one year later on June 3, 2013.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
On October 21, 2013 the Dodgers signed infielder Alex Guerrero to a four year $28 million contract that included some rather unfriendly team terms. His 2014 season with the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes got derailed when he and teammate catcher Miguel Olivo got involved in a fight. During the altercation Olivo bit off a piece of Guerrero’s ear causing him to lost just over one-half of his minor league season. During the 65 games he did play at the AAA level Guerrero hit 15 home runs with 49 RBI and a .329 batting average. Through his first 13 games in 2015 with the Dodgers he hit .423 with five home runs. However, after that his production fell off and he finished the season with a .233 batting average along with 11 home runs and 36 RBI. Not strong defensively Guerrero seemingly has no place to play with the Dodgers and a contract that makes it difficult to provide other options for him. The best case scenario, however it can be arranged, may well be for Guerrero to get a fresh start with another MLB team.
Shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena was signed by the Dodgers on February 22, 2014 as GM Ned Colletti was attempting to shore up the middle of the Dodger infield. He was awarded a five year $25 million contract and had a reasonably good minor league season across four levels in 2014 with a combined .259 batting average. Arruebarrena also played 22 games with the Dodgers but could muster only a .195 batting average. On May 21, 2015 the Dodgers announced they had suspended infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena for the rest of the season for “repeated failures to comply with his contract.” He was reinstated in July and in 53 games across three minor league levels he hit .299.
Outfielder Yadir Drake was signed by the Dodgers on August 25, 2014. The 26-year old native of Matanzas, Cuba is sort of a mystery man with little information about his signing available. During the 2015 season across three minor league levels he hit .281 with most of his playing time with the Tulsa Drillers of the AA Texas League.
Yadir Drake appeared in only seven games for the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2015. He went 11 for 32 (.407) with three doubles and was promptly promoted to Double-A Tulsa.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Up until this point the influx of Cuban players had been under the direction of GM Ned Colletti. However, in March of 2015 newly minted President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and General manager Farhan Zaidi signed Cuban infielder Hector Olivera to six-year, $62.5 million deal. Following a late start to his season the soon to be 31-year old Olivera played in only 35 minor league games in 2015 hitting .272. On July 30 he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in a multi-player deal and as part of that deal the Dodgers will pay $4.667 million of his contract for the next five years.
Round one of the Dodgers Cuban experiment is now over with the strong possibility that only Yasiel Puig will ever be a regular for the Dodgers and that may well depend on whether or not he has his hitting shoes on in 2016.
Since taking over the reins of the Dodgers Friedman and Zaidi have plunged even more quickly into the Cuban talent pool having signed six Cuban players in a span of 10 months.
On March 22, 2015 the Dodgers signed now 26-year old Pablo Fernandez with an $8 million signing bonus. He split his time almost evenly between the Great Lakes Loons and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2015 posting a 3.92 ERA while striking out 41 in 43.2 innings and walking but 7 in 10 starts. Fernandez was shut down unexpectedly at the end of the 2015 season and reportedly returned home to Holguin, Cuba.
On July 2, 2015 the Dodgers announced the signing of 19-year old right-hander Yadier Alvarez who was considered to be at or near the top of the list of international prospects. Alvarez’s fastball has been clocked at up to 99 mph. He signed for a $16 million bonus the second largest bonus ever paid to an amateur trailing only Yoan Moncada’s $31.5 million bonus with the Red Sox.
Nineteen-year-old Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz was signed by the Dodgers on November 21,2015 for $15.5 million. Since Diaz is subject to the international bonus pools, the total price tag for the Dodgers will be $31 million. As an 18-year old Diaz batted 348/.447/.440 in 250 plate appearances last season in Serie Nacional. He is considered to be a first selection if he was available in the First year Player Draft.
At the same time the Dodgers also announced the signing of middle infielder Omar Estevez who signed for $6 million. The 17-year old is said to have a plus game power and plus defense although his arm may well limit him to second base. One source indicates he would be a second round pick if eligible in the First Year Player Draft while Baseball America did not include him in their top 20 Cuban prospects in 2015. That might not be surprising as he was playing as a 16-year old before his defection.
In January of 2016 the Dodgers signed Cuban pitcher Yaisel Sierra to a six year $30 million contract. A right-hander with reportedly “good stuff” has pitched primarily as a reliever in Cuban. It is thought the Dodgers will attempt to convert him to a starting role. The 24-year old who is exempt from the international bonus signing pool is thought to have an outside chance of making an appearance with the Dodgers in 2016. He has yet to have all the necessary paper work completed to report to Spring Training.
Yaisel Sierra
(Photo courtesy of diariolasamericas.com)
The Hector Olivera signing remains as somewhat of a mystery while the signing of three Cuban teenagers along with a 100% penalty against the international bonus signing pool demonstrates some impatience on the part of Freidman and Zaidi to give the farm system an even greater injection of talent.
The Dodgers will now be able to sign international players for the next two signing periods for a maximum bonus of $300,000 as a result of their overage spending in the present signing period. So with that in mind and with four months still remaining in the 2015-16 international signing period might there be other acquisitions? You know – round 3 – with Lazaro Armenteros or Yulieski Gurriel and his brother Lourdes Jr. at the top of the list.
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Perhaps consequences of poor signings, Dodgers fired several from the international scouting organization last August, including VP Bob Engle, Patrick Guerrero, Franklin Taveras, Joseph Reaves, Rafael Colon, Hidenori Sueyoshi, and Bruce Hurst. Likely that there were other factors involved, but would seem that the recommendations on Cuban players to large sums of money was a significant issue. Regarding Estevez, Baseball America wrote the following: “At around 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Estevez stands out more for his solid fundamental play than his tools. He’s not particularly athletic or flashy and nothing grades out as plus, with fair bat speed and gap power but a good approach from the right side of the plate and a high baseball IQ. Estevez was kind of under the radar tools-wise, but he can hit,” said one scout. “It’s playable defense and he’s not the most agile guy to be in the middle of the diamond, but he has a polished bat. It’s not an athletic body, it’s not what you get excited about, but the way he recognizes pitches, his approach—you don’t see a lot of kids his age doing that.”
I liked Arrie and Guerrero when I saw film of them play. I thought both were going to be every day players in this league. Guerrero was tearing up AAA when Olivo went Tyson on him. Not sure what happened to him after his hot start last year. Artie had adjustment is dues. I still believe both of those guys can play, but not here.
As for all the others I have no opinion. Cubans seem to cost a lot of money and how many are becoming stars? I’m hopeful, but not sure on any of them.
I think Guerrero is like many hitters, he must play regularly to maintain a consistent swing. Mattingly decided early on that Guerrero was a defensive liability and then was “surprised” how well he played third base when called upon, then returned to infrequent use. I agree, Guerrero can play if given the chance. Arruebarrena? If I were a team in need of a SS (Padres) I would take a chance on him IF Dodgers pay half of his contract.
Good points. I would submit that $5.5 million for a starting shortstop, a Gold Glove caliber shortstop, could be a steal. I’d want something in return. Especially in a deal within the Division.
If the Dodgers manage to move Arruebarrena, he will probably learn to hit like Rojas, Castro, Duncan, and Anderson before him.
I can’t help thinking they’ve taken on a lot of risk with their Cuban signings because it hasn’t been possible to scout many of these players. It seems that a lot of the Cubans don’t have major-league skills in the field. Players from Japan and Venezuela seem to be more developed and adjust more quickly.
By the way, on June 2 the Dodgers were supposed to have the inside track on a kid named Lucius Fox from the Bahamas. He had spent two years in high school here before going home to become an international FA so he was highly regarded. The Giants swooped in and signed him. Too bad.
I believe the best Cuban players, the ones that make the National Team, are scouted thoroughly in international competitions. But you are probably right about the younger ones. There is, as far as I know, no official scouting allowed in Cuba. But, the money is very loud and no doubt opens doors. It’s becoming easier as players kick back 20% to the Cuban government. The Dodgers keep signing these guys, even though many are overpaid. I think FAZ believe all that was needed was new scouts. Ok. We’ll see if the new guys are any better.
Ben Badler said in his top 10 prospect chat on BA that he felt the Dodgers overpaid on just about all the Cuban signings. What a contrast to the way they threw money around on free agents this winter. Sierra had an ERA of 6.10 in 2014–he’ll fit right in. Maddux certainly has his work cut out for him.
A side note to the topic, the disparity in money between those players subject to the rule 4 draft (USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico) and those “amateurs” from other countries. Compare what Dodgers paid to 19 year old Yadier Alvarez ($16MM — $32MM counting the 100% penalty) to any pitcher drafted in the rule 4 draft. I am angry that US/Canada/Puerto Rico players are restrained from receiving similar contracts.
I believe there will be an international draft in the next CBA.
Good idea.
Dodgers released Yadir Drake on Friday. Their record with Cuban players to this point has been a bit dismal. Sierra even looks a bit iffy.
The youngsters look much better but it might take another year to determine what paths their careers will take.