This year, like the Dodgers, the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes have something special going for them. They are loaded with talent and many of their players have the potential to become big leaguers. In an article written recently in the LA Times, this Quakes team may be among the best ever and has six or seven potential future major leaguers where most teams in High-A have one or two. One of those six or seven people is 22-year-old first baseman Ibandel Isabel. Isabel has really found his stroke this year and is using it to hit with ridiculous power having slugged 20 homers which ranks first in all of High-A. Isabel was recognized as California League all-star this year and has continued to play at the All-Star pace he set for himself in the first half. Now that the young Dominican first baseman is playing so well, it is time for Dodger fans to learn a little more about the potential superstar.

Every time Ibandel Isabel steps into the batters box you almost expect him to hit a home run. Quite often, you are right.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Ibandel about his story and upbringing into baseball and I truly think that his interview will not only allow everyone to learn about him but also get a look into the life of foreign baseball players and their journey to The Show.

Ibandel was born in Yaguate, Dominican Republic a small town with just under 100,000 citizens. Isabel is not the only professional baseball player to come from Yaguate as Michael Pineda and Jeurys Familia also call it home.  Like most players from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, baseball is a lifestyle and is the path to riches and getting out of poverty. For that reason, boys start playing when they are as young as six years old and some are already being scouted by age 12 to 14. In Ibandel’s case, he started playing baseball when he was eight years old. Motivated by his family and himself, Ibandel worked hard every day to accomplish a dream that he shared with so many others, to be a major leaguer. For Ibandel, he would get that opportunity but for many of his friends the recruiters never came. Ibandel described this moment as “a blessing” and “a moment of pure joy for himself and his family.”

For Isabel, the path following being noticed was like that of many others. He was just 17 when he was discovered and not ready to be moved out of his homeland to play baseball in the States. Ibandel joined the Dominican Summer League Dodgers and played there for a season where he continued to impress by hitting .327 and 23 of his 64 hits were for extra bases. The Dodgers wasted no time following this hitting rampage and chose to move him to the Arizona Rookie League the following year. At just 18 years old and from another country, Ibandel knew to stay within himself to find the motivation to keep going while being so far away from home and his family.

Moving to a new country and not speaking the language is by no means easy. Not only does it make it very hard to get instruction from your coaches but it is also quite hard to communicate with your teammates. In 2014, Ibandel was set to begin his first season on American soil and following what he did in the DSL, he was expected to really shine. That did not happen. In 38 games Ibandel hit just .238 with three home runs. Of his total 16 hits that season 11 of them were for extra bases but the numbers were still unimpressive. The Dodgers decided that he would play another season in Arizona and spent the 2015 year there as well. This year was much improved. In 2015, Ibandel hit .295 and even stole five bases in just 47 games. This was the player the Dodgers scouted and he was showing that he was capable of living up to expectations.

The following year included a promotion to Rookie Level in Ogden which did not even last a full season because the competition was nonexistent for the 21-year-old. Midway through the season Ibandel was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons, the Low Single-A affiliate of the Dodgers and would go on to win the Midwest League Championship that year. In 2016, Isabel hit .317 with decent power as he hit a total of 12 homers between two levels.

The one area in which Isabel needs to improve on is his defense. In 625 total chances, he has committed 17 errors for a .973 fielding percentage – lowest among all Cal League first basemen.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Now that brings us to this year. This season has been a new tale for the young first baseman as he is hitting at an all-time high in the power department. This year Isabel has slugged 20 home runs to go with 57 RBIs and much like his idol, Giancarlo Stanton, none of those homers were cheap shots. Most notably this year Ibandel Isabel hit a moonshot off Giants dirt bike expert, Madison Bumgarner.

In the end, stories like Isabel’s are not uncommon. The journey from countries like Cuba and the Dominican Republic is a long one and the only way to get through it is with the support of family and most importantly, believing in yourself. Ibandel has the confidence and most importantly, he has the swing.

Look out MadBum.