(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Julian Guilarte
San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. made his debut for Estrellas Orientales this week in Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana in right field.
Tatis Jr. made his season debut on December 12 and has played three games in LIDOM.
He has two hits in nine at-bats, has hit a triple, and walked three times. Taits Jr. made his debut with Estrellas Orientales in 2017 and also played with them in the 2018 season. Tatis has four home runs, 11 RBI and an OPS of .816 in his LIDOM career.
Taits Jr. won the Gold Glove and Platinum glove for the Padres in right field last season. He hit 25 home runs, with 78 RBI, and an OPS of .771 last season for the Padres.
He was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2015.
He was traded to the San Diego Padres for starting pitcher James Shields in 2016. Tatis Jr. made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2019 and has played four seasons in MLB with the Padres. He’s played in one All-Star game and has won two Silver Slugger awards.
Gigantes del Cibao first baseman Edwin Espinal won the 2023 LIDOM Dia de Leyenda in Santiago, Dominican Republic on December 3.
He defeated Leones del Escogido outfielder Junior Caminero in the final round. Espinal hit 21 home runs and Caminero hit six in the final round. Espinal has not hit a home run for Gigantes del Cibao this winter. Espinal has seven RBI in 54 at-bats in LIDOM this winter.
Espinal signed a Minor League contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic. He was in their system for seven seasons and made it to their Triple-A affiliate the Indianapolis Indians in 2017.
He elected for free agency after the 2017 season and signed a Minor League deal with the Detroit Tigers. He played one season in the Tigers Triple-A affiliate the Toledo Mud Hens.
He elected for free agency after the 2018 season and hasn’t played Minor League ball since. His career Minor League numbers are 43 home runs, 365 RBI and an OPS of .704.
He’s played 10 seasons in LIDOM, making his debut with Aguilas Cibaenas in 2014. He switched to Leones del Escogido in 2019 and played two seasons for them. He made his debut with Gigantes del Cibao in the winter of 2021. His career numbers in LIDOM are 22 home runs, 162 RBI, and an OPS of .727.
Tigres del Licey infielder Ronny Mauricio suffered a knee injury on December 9 against Gigantes del Cibao. Mauricio tore his ACL and will undergo surgery.
Andy Martino of SNY reported the news on December 12. Mauricio played seven games for Tigres del Licey this winter and had one home run, four RBI, two stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.118.
Mauricio signed with the New York Mets as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2017.He made his MLB debut for the Mets last season. He had two home runs, nine RBI and seven stolen bases in 101 at-bats with the Mets.
His career Minor League numbers from 2018-2023 are 76 home runs, 296 RBI, 63 stolen bases, and an OPS of .745.
Toros del Este left-handed starter Raul Valdes pitched eight shutout innings, with eight strikeouts, and allowed just one hit against Leones del Escogido in an 8-0 win on December 12. It was his best outing of the Winter. He has 24 strikeouts in 37 innings with an ERA of 5.26 for Toros del Este this winter.
Valdes is of Cuban and Dominican descent from both sides of his family. He has pitched 17 seasons in LIDOM. He made his LIDOM debut in 2007 with Gigantes del Cibao in 2007. He pitched with Leones del Escogido in 2008 and has pitched with Toros del Este since 2010.
Valdes defected from Cuba in 2003 and signed with the Chicago Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 2004. Valdes was released by the Cubs in 2006. He signed a Minor League deal with the New York Mets in 2007 and made his MLB debut with them in 2010.
Valdes pitched in the MLB for five seasons from 2010-2014 with the Mets, St.Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Houston Astros.
His last MLB appearance was with the Houston Astros in 2014. His MLB career numbers are 140.1 innings, 147 strikeouts, and an ERA of 5.13.
Valdes signed with the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He pitched with them from 2015-2017 and was an All-Star in 2017. His numbers were 404.2 innings, 279 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.49.
Outfielder Juan Lagares has been hitting sixth for Aguilas Cibaenas this winter. Lagares made his debut with Aguilas Cibaenas and has played 10 seasons for them.Lagares has seven home runs, 96 RBI and 20 stolen bases in his LIDOM career.
Lagares was signed by the New York Mets as an undrafted free agent in 2006, out of the Dominican Republic. Lagares made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2013 and had four home runs, 34 RBI and six stolen bases that season.
Lagares won a Gold Glove with the Mets in 2014 and helped them reach the World Series in 2015. Lagres spent eight seasons with the Mets and signed a Minor League contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before the 2021 season.
Lagares played 112 games with the Angels in 2021 and had six home runs and 38 RBI. Lagares made his last MLB appearance with the Angels in 2022 and played 20 games. Lagares’ MLB career numbers are 31 home runs, 217 RBI, 45 stolen bases, and an OPS of .651.
Lagares signed a deal with the SGS Landers in the KBO on July 8, 2022. Lagares helped the SGS Landers win the Korean Series in 2022 and they defeated the Kiwoom Heros. Lagares had six home runs, 32 RBI, three stolen bases, and an OPS of .826 in 181 at-bats for the SGS Landers in 2022. Lagares is currently an MLB-free agent.
Infielder Erik Gonzales has been hitting second for Leones del Escogido this winter. Gonzalez has one home run, 24 RBI, seven stolen bases, and an OPS of .859 this winter. Gonzalez made his LIDOM debut in 2014 and has played 10 seasons for Leones del Escogido. His LIDOM career numbers are eight home runs, 105 RBI, 30 stolen bases, and an OPS of .676.
He signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent in 2008 out of the Dominican Republic. Gonzalez got the call-up to the Indians in 2016.
He had a .313 batting average in 16 at-bats with the Indians in 2016. In 2017, he played 60 games with the Indians and hit four home runs with 11 RBI. In 2018, he had one home run, 16 RBI, and three stolen bases in 136 at-bats with the Indians. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 2019 season.
In 2019, Gonzalez had one home run, six RBI, and four stolen bases in 142 at-bats with the Pirates.
He played three seasons with the Pirates and elected for free agency after the 2021 season. He signed a Minor League deal with the Miami Marlins going into the 2022 season.
In 2022, Gonzalez made his last MLB appearance with the Marlins and played 16 games. His MLB career numbers are 11 home runs, 77 RBI, 13 stolen bases, and an OPS of .615. Gonzalez is currently a free agent.
The last day of the LIDOM regular season is on December 23. The round robin playoffs begin on December 26 and will be played through the end of January, with all games streaming on MLB.TV website paid subscription service until the final out of the best-of-seven championship series. The winner will get to represent the Dominican Republic in the 2024 Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park in Miami.