The first time that you lay eyes on Rancho Cucamonga Quakes first baseman Ibandel Isabel, your first thought is that he picked the wrong sport. The 21-year-old, 6′-4″ / 225-pound Yaguate, Dominican Republic native looks more like an NFL linebacker than a professional baseball player. Simple put, he is a beast … a beast who carries a big stick, that is.

All Isabel has done in the first 28 games with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate is post a slash-line of .290 / .348 / .590 for an excellent OPS of .938. Along the way he has slugged a team-high nine home runs, driven in a team-high 28 runs, collected a team-high 29 hits (tied with Quakes left fielder Luke Raley) and has a team-high 59 total bases.

Every time Ibandel Isabel steps into the batters box you almost expect him to hit a home run., and quite often he does. His nine home runs and 28 RBIs are currently tops in the Cal League. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But there’s another side to Isabel, who the Dodgers signed as an international free agent on April 5, 2013, that doesn’t get much ink. He is also a very good defensive first baseman.

“I think the biggest thing that we’re seeing in him is that he’s trending in the right direction,” Quakes manager Drew Saylor said of his first baseman. “Obviously with all of our guys down here there’s a lot more polishing that needs to be done, but really the focus with him has been using his feet. I think that a guy that’s a long-limb big guy, they tend to have some core instability, some leg instability … just using their feet, because that allows your hands to soften up a little but.

“I even told him today in BP that the backhand play he made [on Thursday night] was all set up because he put his feet in position to be able to catch the ball, where sometimes he’s a little more square to the ball trying to use his hands,” Saylor added. “On that one he got his feet parallel with the ball line so he could pull through the ball so he had more area to catch the baseball, more room for success, if you will.”

In 213 total chances at first base, Isabel has committed only six errors thus far for a .972 fielding percentage. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

As with most young baseball players, attitude plays a huge role in their development and success, and Saylor added that Isabel is top drawer in that department.

“He’s workman-like. He’s a guy that likes to work, which is obviously a huge plus and an assert,” said the Quakes skipper. “Really he wants to go out there and be better every single day, not necessarily that there’s a certain line that he’s trying to get to but he wants to be the best version of himself, which is phenomenal.

“I think, as a staff, our job is to be able to support him positively even when there’s moments where he may not be able to get to some balls or he’s not quite there,” Saylor said. “Being able to sit there and be able to know that he’s putting forth the best effort he possibly can, that’s all we ask. I think that any organization, that’s the only focus they have is ‘Hey, you’ll give us your best effort, respect the game, respect yourself, respect our family.’ You can’t ask for any more than that.”

But through their first 28 games of the season, Isabel has only played first base for the Rancho squad. Does Saylor view him as a one-dimensional defensive player with a current Dodgers front office that is huge on having their guys play multiple positions?

“He can play outfield, it’s going to come,” Saylor said. “I think that really we’re just trying to get him to use his feet and do his things in the infield and then we’ll start to progress with him out in the outfield as well. He’s had experience there in previous seasons as well. It’s really just being able to sit there to hone him in and get him as many reps as we can at first base.”

Although history has shown us that many organizations view first base as kind of a dumping ground for guys who do not excel at other defensive positions, the Dodgers organization has long been an exception to this rule. In fact, the Dodgers are famous for consistently having some of the best everyday first baseman throughout history; guys such as Gil Hodges, Wes Parker, Steve Garvey and more recently Adrian Gonzalez and the new kid on the block Cody Bellinger. But with injuries being what they are and the impact that they have on daily lineups, it’s reassuring to know that the Dodgers have yet another skilled first baseman in their wings.

…especially one who can absolutely crush the ball.