The Dominican Winter League held their annual player draft last night and the Cincinnati Reds had eight players selected.
Players selected rarely play in the same year in which they were drafted, though it does happen at times. Essentially though, the draft is for future services for the winter league team as the player gets closer to the big leagues and is ready to step into that level of play.
There were 149 players in total that were draft eligible this year for the six teams in the league to choose from. To be eligible for the draft a player must be Dominican and having reached full season minor league baseball for the first time.
The Cincinnati Reds had their first player taken in the 9th round and their final player selected in the 22nd round. Here’s the full list of players taken from the Reds organization, who selected them and what round that they were taken in.
Team | Round | Player | Pos |
Tigres del Licey | 9 | Sandy Lugo | P |
Escogido | 11 | Ariel Hernández | P |
Gigantes del Cibao | 15 | Jesús Reyes | P |
Escogido | 15 | José López | P |
Aguilas Cibaenas | 18 | Jacob Constante | P |
Gigantes del Cibao | 20 | Wendolyn Bautista | P |
Estrellas Orientales | 20 | Manuel Aybar | P |
Aguilas Cibaenas | 22 | Juan Martínez | P |
One thing that really stands out on the list is that all eight players are pitchers, and mostly they are relievers. Aguilas Cibaenas, Escogido and Gigantes del Cibao all took two Reds pitchers each, while it was just one play each for Estrellas Orientales and Tigres del Licey. Toros del Este lost out and didn’t select any of the Cincinnati Reds players.
Here are the stats from 2016 for each of the players:
Player | Level | IP | ERA | BB | K |
Sandy Lugo | A | 55.0 | 2.45 | 13 | 77 |
Ariel Hernandez | A/A+ | 62.0 | 2.18 | 39 | 74 |
Jesus Reyes | A | 93.2 | 2.40 | 37 | 68 |
Jose Lopez | A/A+ | 148.0 | 4.07 | 42 | 147 |
Jacob Constante | A | 108.0 | 4.50 | 51 | 68 |
Wendolyn Bautista | A/A+ | 79.0 | 2.51 | 24 | 44 |
Manuel Aybar | A | 58.0 | 4.19 | 43 | 75 |
Juan Martinez | A/A+ | 63.1 | 3.27 | 24 | 46 |