The Indians of the Dominican Summer League wrapped up their season yesterday on an overall high note. They had struggled through the first part of the season in June, but in early July the Indians of the Dominican began to turn things around beginning with a seven game winning streak that began on July 8th, running through the 15th. From that point to the end of the season, the Indians won 28 of their final 38 games to finish the season 40-32, good for a second place finish in the Northwest Division.
For most of the season, the Indians were lead by their stellar pitching staff while getting little to no production from their offense. That balance began to shift around July with the improved play of a few Indians hitters.
Jose Vicente
Vicente is perhaps the biggest reason for the Indians’ success from the first week of July to the end of the season. This was Vicente’s second season on the Indians’ roster and up until this season, he had only played catcher. This season Vicente spent the majority of his time at first base, where he appeared to perform fairly well, committing just 5 errors in 61 games. Obviously this is far from an accurate measure of his fielding abilities, but without being able to watch him play, it’s as good as we can get right now. On July 6th, Vicente was struggling as an everyday player in the Indians’ lineup, posting a batting line of .167/.270/.205 with 0 home runs and just 3 doubles, but on July 7th he had a breakout game that would change the trajectory of his entire season.
On that day he went 3 for 3 with a home run, triple, run scored and 3 RBI. From July 7th to the end of the season Vincente was the Indians’ best hitter, finishing the season with a solid .276/.368/.408 slash line with 4 home runs (tied for team lead), 15 doubles, and a team-leading .776 OPS. Impressively, Vincente played in 70 games this season, walking 32 times and striking out just 34 times, showing good pitch recognition for a 19 year old. This is likely Vincente’s final season in the Dominican Summer League, expect to see him in an AZL Indians uniform or perhaps even a Mahoning Valley uniform next season.
Elvis Perez
Perez has been the most consistent hitter on the Indians roster all season. This was the 19 year old’s first season in the Dominican Summer League, and at age 19 it could be his only season. Perez played in 71 of the Indians’ 72 games, making 69 starts all at short stop. While Perez’ glove may not be his strongest asset just yet (15 errors on the year), his bat certainly makes up for it at this point in his career. For the season Perez posted a .300/.390/.384 slash line, leading the team with hits (75) and walks (33), showing his ability to get on base. Perez could be a candidate for a promotion to the States next season, a decision that will depend on how the front office feels about his glove. Considering there are a number of good middle infield options already in the system (see Luke Wakamatsu, Alexis Pantoja, Willi Castro, Mark Mathias), the front office may feel another year of seasoning could be in his best interest.
Wilbis Santiago
Santiago had a solid first season with the DSL Indians. Playing the majority of his games at second, Santiago posted a slash line of .274/.357/.329. While he may be a fairly light hitting middle infielder at this point in his career, he did hit .327 over the last month of the season.
Julio Medrano
Medrano’s season had a disappointing end after a promising start. On June 22nd, Medrano was hitting .340/.417/.396, a month later he was hitting well at .297/.370/.379. August was a rough month for him, he played in just 9 games, accumulating just one hit and finishing the season with a .247/.318/.309 batting line. This is Medrano’s first season with the Indians and he will likely be returning next year. Medrano showed flashes of being a very good hitter and another year of development could go a long way in making him a more consistent batter.
What the Indians lacked in great hitting, they more than made up for with very good pitching. The DSL Indians had the second highest team ERA in the league with 2.83. The Indians’ were lead by a great pitching staff as well as a very solid relief corps. If there are to be any contributors from this team on any of the upper levels of the Indians’ organization, they are likely to come from the pitching staff.
Francisco Perez
This was Perez’s first season as a professional ballplayer, and for someone who didn’t turn 18 until halfway through the season, it was a good one. Perez made the most starts of any other pitcher on the Indians roster with 12. He pitched 50.2 innings, striking out 48 batters while issuing 19 walks. His 2.49 ERA was the lowest of any of the primary starting pitchers.
Gabriel Vizcaino
Despite being one of the oldest players on the roster, Vizcaino was one of the team’s best pitchers. Vizcaino appeared in 15 games, making 11 starts for the Indians posting a 2.50 ERA. His age is a concern, most 21 year olds are in A ball by this time, his strikeout rate, or lack thereof, is also an issue. Vizcaino struck out just 30 batters in 68.1 innings pitched. This is Vizcaino’s second stint in the Dominican Summer League, likely to be his last. He’s had great results each season and we may see him make the leap to the Arizona Rookie League or New York-Penn League next season.
Jhonleider Salinas
Salinas is an interesting prospect for the Indians, combining a great strikeout rate with a very poor walk rate. Salinas appeared in 14 games this season, the final 9 were starts. He finished the season with a 2.66 ERA over 40.2 innings pitched. Over those 40.2 innings he struck out 39 batters and walked 40. Salinas over came his poor command with his ability to strike batters as well as a remarkably low .100 batting average against.
Gregori Vasquez
At age 17, Vasquez is one of the most interesting and exciting pitching prospects on the Indians’ roster. Vasquez appeared in 15 games this season, making 3 starts and primarily being used as a long reliever. He accumulated 42 innings over those 15 starts, striking out 50 batters for a remarkable 10.71 K/9 rate. On top of that he showed very good control for a 17 year old, issuing just 7 walks on the year.
Ramon Tineo
Tineo’s second season with the Indians was by far his best. Appearing in 20 games this year, over 34 innings pitched he allowed just 5 earned runs for a team low 1.34 ERA. He also struck out 37 batters over those 34 innings. At age 19, the lefty has a great deal of promise at this point in his career.
There were a number of other pitchers who had very good seasons for the Indians including: Randy Marte, Jean Carlos Mejia, Felix Tati, Cesar Ventura, and Luis Santos. Many of them like Marte and Tati will be returning next season and will likely be featured prominently in the starting staff in 2016.
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