With the Premier12 tournament kicking off tomorrow, the Dominican Republic has announced their roster. They will be led by manager Cesar Martin, along with several MLB veterans joining Martin on his coaching staff. Here is who will be suiting up with the Dominican Republic in just a few more days:
PITCHERS:
CATCHERS:
INFIELDERS:
OUTFIELDERS:
*-denotes MLB experience
Nine players on Dominican Republic’s roster have experience playing in the MLB. Diego Castillo, Hector Perez, Wily Peralta, Franklyn Kilome, Joely Rodriguez, Kelvin Gutierrez, Alen Henson, Jose Devers, and Arismendy Alcantara will look to provide valuable leadership for a team that is looking for better results than the previous two editions of the Premier12 tournament.
One name to keep an eye on in the bullpen for the Dominican Republic will be right-handed pitcher Robert Corniel. The 29-year-old reliever pitched in the Houston Astros organization from 2013-2018 before taking his talents to Japan, signing with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in 2020. This past season, Corniel dominated Nippon Professional Baseball, going 2-1, posting a 1.62 ERA in 33 appearances, striking out 38 batters in 33.1 innings of work, and collecting six saves. Corniel will look to provide valuable innings as a set-up man to Diego Castillo and Hector Perez.
Two hitters looking to provide a spark in the lineup for the Dominican Republic will be infielders Kelvin Gutierrez and Alen Hanson. Gutierrez, 30, made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals, where he played in the MLB until 2022 with the Baltimore Orioles. He played in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB) this past season, hitting 11 home runs and 70 RBIs while hitting for a .333 average.
As for Alen Hanson, he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016 and played with the White Sox, Giants, and Blue Jays until 2019. Since his departure from the MLB, Hanson has played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and one season in Japan. For 2024, he was teammates with Gutierrez with the Conspiradores de Querétaro in LMB. He had one of his best career years, playing in 80 games; he hit 16 home runs, 49 RBIs, stealing eight bases, and hitting for a .335 career average.
The Dominican Republic will begin the Premier12 on November 13, when it will face Cuba. The event will be played at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei City, Taiwan. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 AM EST.
