Dodger fans are fully aware that the Dodgers foray into the Cuban baseball market over the past three years or so has been a dismal and expensive disappointment. Both the previous front office and the present front office made questionable signings trying to acquire MLB ready or close to ready players without having to trade prospects for them or use selections in the First-Year Player Draft to acquire them.

However, all is not lost with Cuban players. The fate of outfielder Yasiel Puig with the Dodgers has yet to be determined but down in the lower minors Cuban youngsters are busy forging their own paths. I thought it might be interesting to check in on them to measure their progress and see what their managers have to say about them.

Yadier Alvarez

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 had 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 Boston Red Sox.

Yadier Alvarez
(Photo credit – Amanda Ray)

The 6’3” – 175 – pound Alvarez started the 2016 season with the AZL Dodgers. The parent Dodgers, treading lightly with the Matanzas, Cuba native, started him out slowly. In the first month of the season, starting on June 20, Alvarez was limited to 20 innings over five appearances. In those five outings he dominated the opposition limiting opposing batters to nine hits and a batting average against of .127 while striking out 26.

On July 20 he was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons of the Class-A Midwest League where the 20-year-old flame thrower would be forced to face more experienced hitters, many of them having been drafted as senior college players. It didn’t take him very long to cast the die as he struck out the very first batter he faced in a home game against the Kane County Cougars. Cougars center fielder Colin Bray went down on five pitches, the last two called strikes.

Alvarez has now made six starts with the Loons posting a 2.36 ERA over 26.2 innings while limiting the opposition to .194 batting average against and striking out 42 batters. He has given up only seven walks and has twice registered 10 strikeouts, once in a five-inning outing and once in a four-inning stint.

On August 16, against the Lugnuts in Lansing, he gained the win in a 12-0 drubbing of the Lugnuts in which he pitched five hitless innings and struck out eight along with inducing five ground ball outs. Alvarez registered 100 mph on the radar gun more than once in the game and was regularly sitting at 96 mph.

Loons manager Gil Velazquez feels that with some tweaking and speeding up of his delivery Yadier Alvarez has the potential to be a dominant force in MLB.

“The arm is very special, but it’s hard to say where it’s going to go,” Velazquez said. “He’s young and it could be a long road to the Major Leagues. But I believe he’s got the right character and makeup to be up there at a very young age. He’s a guy that competes, he’s a smart kid, he’s very athletic and has that magic arm.”

“It’s very impressive,” Velazquez said. “His fastball is a power fastball. He topped out at 100 [mph] a few times tonight. He’ll sit around 96 and he’s got a sharp curve. You can tell the hitters were intimidated. For him to be as young as he is and have such an easy delivery and hit 100 mph is impressive.”

“I saw him pitch in Spring Training and saw how under control he was with his emotions and character. His delivery was very calm and controlled, but his arm was so impressive. Honestly, I’m not surprised at what he’s done here. If he speeds up his delivery a little more and gets a little more aggressive, I feel he’s a guy who can be dominant in the Majors.”

Omar Estevez

On November 21, 2015 the Dodgers announced the signing of middle infielder Omar Estevez who signed for $6 million. The 17-year-old was said to have a plus game power and plus defense although his arm may well limit him to second base. One source indicated 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.

Omar Estevez
(Photo credit – Robert Spears)

Estevez, like Alvarez, is from Matanzas, Cuba. He was assigned directly to the Loons out of Spring Training and made his Loons debut on April 9, 2016 at home against the Lansing Lugnuts. He had two hits in four at bats.

The right-hand hitting Estevez has split his time between second base and shortstop during the current season. At 5’10” – 168- pounds, Estevez may evolve into a full time second baseman. He turned 18 in February and is the youngest player in the Midwest League. He has been durable and has played 106 out of 122 games for the Loons this year.

Offensively May and June were difficult months for Estevez as he was hitting around the .200 mark and striking out in almost 30 per cent of his at bats. Needless to say he was frustrated and pressing but the Dodgers and Loons stuck with him, did not demote him to a lower level, and continued to start him. Loons hitting coach Jon Valentin took Estevez under his wing encouraging him to be positive and simply work on good at bats.

Estevez turned his season around and in the second half since the all-star break he is hitting .301 with eight home runs and 34 runs batted in. He has raised his OBP to .345 from a first half .252 and cut down his strikeout rate to about 19 per cent. Since July 27 he has registered 11 multiple-hit games, five of them with three hits.

Perhaps the highlight of his season will be the August 11 game against the Lake County Captains. In the bottom of the 9th inning with two out and the bases loaded, Estevez cleared the bases with a grand slam crushed to left field helping the Loons overcome a 10-4 deficit and eventually winning the game 11-10 in the tenth inning. Perhaps it is just a coincidence but the Loons have gone 6-1 since that pivotal game with the Lake County Captains and are now back in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Apparently Estevez has heeded the advice of his coaches and certainly made an impression on hitting coach Jon Valentin.

“Having a game like this is a confidence-booster,” Loons hitting coach John Valentin said. “What’s so great about Omar is that he’s pretty levelheaded and takes a pretty good approach every game. He’s not intimidated by any type of pitcher or any challenges that he’s going through. Whether he’s slumping or not, he still comes out with a really good approach.”

He’s that classic No. 2 guy,” Valentin said. “I would like to see him hit the ball other way with more consistency. He is always used to driving the baseball. … Just because he plays second base and is a little guy doesn’t mean he has to hit the ball to right field every time. A good example for him to emulate would be Dustin Pedroia.”

“He’s 18 years old and should be a senior in high school,” Valentin noted. “He’s being pushed, in a sense, to see how they perform against players older than he is. It’s all about seeing how he adjusts because he has all the tools. It’s a challenge to come out every day and play. If you don’t eat, sleep and lift weights properly, you’ll lose weight. That’s what it means to be a professional, to be able to handle all of those things.

Yusniel Diaz

Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz was signed by the Dodgers on November 21,2015 for $15.5 million. Since Diaz was subject to the international bonus pools, the total price tag for the Dodgers was $31 million. He was considered to be a first-round selection if he had been available in the First-Year Player Draft.

Yusniel Diaz
(Photo credit – Ben Sands)

Diaz, from Havana, Cuba, started the 2016 season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the High-A California League and made his professional debut on April 7 at home against the Lake Elsinore Storm. He went hitless in three at bats.

The 19-year-old right-handed hitter has been placed on the 7-day DL twice during the current season, once in April and then again in June. He has lost about seven weeks of his season while on the DL and has been limited to 72 games played in 2016.

On the season with the Quakes Diaz he is hitting .271 with seven home runs and 46 runs batted in. However, now healthy again, he has been even more solid at the plate since July 16 posting a .304 batting average with four home runs and 20 runs batted in along with a .347 OBP.

The Dodgers’ fifth-ranked prospect homered and drove in a career-high six runs on August 14 while going 4-for-6 with three runs scored in a 17-8 win over the Visalia Rawhide. Diaz has five multi-hit games with seven extra base hits and 16 runs batted in in his last 11 games. The four hits were his personal best at the professional level.

Quakes manager Drew Saylor is suitably impressed with Yusniel Diaz’s play this season and also likes the manner in which the Dodgers front office is pushing players, including Diaz, to reach their upper limits as quickly as possible

“To sit there and see someone who is 19 doing things he’s doing is impressive,” the Quakes’ skipper said. “Right now, if you put him in a college uniform, and no offense to Seth Beer of Clemson University, but he’d give him every run for his money for Freshman of the Year and borderline College Player of the Year.

“For me, there’s something to be said for our organization and how much we push players and challenge them. It shows them that they need to continue to push, grind and find ways to improve. It’s been really special to see him continue to grow as an individual as well as a baseball player.”

Saylor feels that Diaz is a quick learner and that the 6’1” – 195 – pound outfielder is adjusting well to life in professional baseball while playing against players several years older than him.

“Injuries are a part of the game,” Saylor said. “But when you’re not used to playing so many games, you’ll get nicked up. He’s figuring out how the game is played at higher levels and how guys are trying to get you out. I think him understanding how they’re trying to attack him and how he’s modifying pitch to pitch when he was just sticking with one approach at the beginning of the year has been impressive.”

“As he continues to show he can rapidly make adjustments, acquire and apply the information given to him, he’ll show us he’s ready. One thing the Dodgers do a very good job of is recognizing when guys figure things out and then pushing them to achieve more.”

Round 2 definitely looks like it has real possibilities for the Dodgers as they now have three young Cuban athletes in the fold that are included in their top 12 prospect list. The managers and coaches speak well of them but that is naturally part of their job. That is, to always speak positively about the players they have in the clubhouse. However, it’s not just that they are being supportive but it is more so what they are saying. They are talking about process, growing in the game, learning, applying what is being taught, eating well, sleeping well, and so on. As mentioned before, the minor league managers and coaches are looking after the young men first and then the players.

It also seems as each of the three young Cuban players have continued to grow in the second half of the season that the lessons they have learned have not fallen on fallow ground. That is a tribute to the players as well as to their managers and coaches who mentor them. Additionally, let’s not forget the scouts who found them and the front office that signed them. It indeed takes a village to raise a MLB player.