The Cincinnati Reds and Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez have officially come to terms on a contract. They have also decided that he’s going to begin his career in the Dominican Summer League, according to Cincinnati Enquirer writer Zach Buchanan.
Alfredo Rodriguez will begin his Reds career in the Dominican Summer League. Could possibly be a Fall League guy.
— Zach Buchanan (@ZachENQ) July 4, 2016
The idea to send a 22-year-old to the Dominican Summer League is an interesting one. While it’s been nearly two years since Alfredo Rodriguez last played in a baseball game, the Dominican Summer League is a league full of raw teenagers who don’t exactly have much baseball skill at this point in their career and are relying more on athleticism and tools. The pitching at the level is going to be wildly inconsistent, both in terms of stuff and ability to throw it in the strikezone.
If this assignment is more about getting his feet wet for a few weeks before bringing him to the United States, then I can understand the assignment more. Rodriguez was likely already training in the Dominican Republic, so starting him out there makes things a bit easier. Still, if, as Buchanan notes, the Reds are considering him to be an Arizona Fall League guy, he’s probably going to want to see time against players that are much better than the ones he will see in the Dominican. The Arizona Fall League is going to be chock full of Double-A and Triple-A guys with a few A-ballers sprinkled in. The talent gap between the DSL and even Low-A, much less higher levels, is enormous.
At his age, Rodriguez should perform well in the Dominica Summer League, particularly if he stays around for a while and is able to shake of the rust of not facing live pitching for a while. Getting him stateside, even if it’s just to Arizona for August to face a mix of high school and college guys would be quite beneficial if the plan include the Arizona Fall League.