The beginning of the LIDOM draft came as little surprise, more the finalization of a truth that people in the LIDOM stratosphere had seen coming for weeks. But when Welbyn Francesca was selected first overall by Toros Del Este Wednesday evening it marked a new chapter for the club had begun.
“We are grateful to select the best possible player available for this organization,” Toros’ General Manager, Jesús Mejía, said of drafting Francesca in Spanish. “He is a versatile player who can impact the game with his bat, speed, and defense. The shortstop position is covered in the future.”
The 18-year-old Francesca slashed .327/.402/.402 with 18 doubles, seven home runs, and 19 stolen bases over two levels in 2024.
Toros went 18-31 a year ago, missing the four-team round-robin playoffs.
Indeed, Francesca was far from the team’s last significant addition over its 16 draft selections. Pablo Guerrero — son of Vladimir — was selected in the second round. He showcased some of his father’s versatility, with an OPS of .776 while playing elite defense while finishing the season in single-A in the Rangers organization.
Providing additional contributions on the mound, reliever Yordin Chalas was selected in the fourth round. The right-hander totaled a 4.09 ERA during his time in the minor leagues this season, appearing in 23 games in High-A.
For Águilas Cibaeñas, their draft game plan was simple — select as many players at premium positions as possible.
Águilas selected a bevy of infielders with the class headlined by second-rounder Arturo Disla. The first-baseman blasted 19 home runs in the minors this season, including eight in 34 single-A games.
They also added a catcher, Christopher Suero (.236/.361/.730), in round five before selecting five straight pitchers toward the end of the draft.
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WBN LIDOM: https://worldbaseball.com/?s=LIDOM
Photo Credit: Dominican Republic’s Tigres de Licey celebrate. (Photo by Yuri CORTEZ / AFP) (Photo by YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
