As LIDOM play rolls into its final weeks, I took some time to reflect on who the league’s biggest surprises have been thus far.
Joe Dunand, 3B (MIA)
Since his high school days, Joe Dunand was known as a kid that had tons of pop in his bat. This makes sense if you know who his uncle is...perhaps the mostly highly touted high school baseball player in history, Alex Rodriguez.
And Dunand is putting up A-Rod like numbers in LIDOM so far, mashing the ball at a .362 clip with nine extra base hits and 9 RBI in his first 17 games.
While he has struck out more than his fair share, Dunand is still able to find his way onto the basepaths. Presumably due to his knack for power, pitchers have been working very carefully around Dunand, which has allowed him to draw eight walks and maintain an OBP over .440 to go along with his aforementioned extra base hit tally.
For Dunand, the power is his carrying tool. Dunand has been one of my favorite players to watch in LIDOM action; he has a beautiful, right-center field swing, allowing him to have gap to gap power to all fields. While it has been noted by scouts that Dunand doesn’t have the traditional “monster power”, he’s still liable to flash pop at a moment’s notice. His high school record of eight straight home runs should attest to that.
The Marlins already have a bright and exciting young core and this kid is not even on anybody’s watch list yet...but he should be.
Now at age 25, I was hoping to see his bat to ball skills improve from where they were throughout his first few professional seasons. Unfortunately, the one thing that continues to hinder Dunand from being an elite prospect is his inescapable punch out rate that has been tied to him since high school. In almost 800 Double-A plate appearances he has about a 25 K%.
But with loads of power, an attitude referred to by his Class-A manager, Kevin Randel, as “professional”, soft hands, and an above average arm, there is no avoiding eventually catching the eyes of his big league manager, Don Mattingly.
From what I have seen from him, Dunand profiles more as a third baseman than a shortstop, and I truly believe that there is reason to believe that we will see him manning the hot corner in Miami in the near future.
Jeremy Pena, SS (HOU)
The Dominican Republic’s own, Jeremy Pena, has put on a show for the Estrellas Orientales.
After leaving the Dominican Republic at age 9, Pena played his high school ball at Classical High School in Providence, Rhode Island. After an impressive showing senior year where he hit .390, Pena was selected in the 39th round of the draft by the Atlanta Braves. Deciding to turn down the Braves offer, Pena played collegiate ball at the University of Maine where he put up stellar numbers both in conference and in the summer circuit, earning All-Star honors for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League.
After his junior year at University of Maine, Pena was selected in the third round of the Major League draft by the Houston Astros.
Now the Houston Astros’s second ranked dynasty prospect by our Top 500 Dynasty Prospects list (219th overall) , Pena has ascended to A ball and was again named an All-Star for the Quad Cities River Bandits.
Pena has continued forcing the hands of his org to expedite his path to the big leagues as the 23 year old has been one of the most steady hitters in LIDOM this winter. In 55 at-bats, Pena has used his 50 hit tool to amass 17 hits, including three for extra bases, while utilizing his 55 run tool to swipe two bags and score six runs. In addition to his .309 average, Pena has found his way on base at a .333 clip, as well.
Despite the Estrellas struggles thus far, Pena has definitely been shining in his home country.
Rangel Ravelo, 1B/OF (Free Agent)
The former Cardinal, Rangel Ravelo, has also been a pleasant surprise this winter. The slugging outfielder and first baseman has been driving the ball all over the yard for the second place Aguilas Cibaeñas.
Ravelo was born in Cuba, but attended high school in Florida before signing with the Chicago White Sox organization in 2011.
Ravelo bounced around the minor leagues for a few years, but ultimately landed in St Louis where he had his only stint as a major leaguer.
Ravelo is now a free agent, but is making a case for himself as he dominates winter ball. The 28 year old free agent is swinging the bat extremely well thus far, putting up a slash line of .309/.397/.426 in his 19 games in the Dominican Republic. The big right hander has used his 225-pound frame to smash six extra base hits in his 68 at bats.
Ravelo has also had a sturdy glove throughout his minor league career and is versatile enough to play multiple positions.
It will be interesting to see if a team takes a flier on Ravelo as the free agency frenzy comes to pass this winter.