Dodgers Could Get Bargain With Jose Miguel Fernandez

Jose Miguel Fernandez, a 28-year-old second baseman who had been one of the best hitters in Cuba before he left the country, is finalizing a deal to sign a minor league contract with the Dodgers with a $200,000 signing bonus. The deal, first reported by Universo Deportivo, is exempt from the international bonus pools.

Given the cost, Fernandez could turn out to be a bargain for the Dodgers.

Fernandez stands out for his excellent strike-zone discipline and contact skills with a short lefthanded swing, which led to high OBPs playing in Cuba. During his final full season (2013-14) playing in Cuba, Fernandez ranked second in Serie Nacional in OBP by hitting .326/.482/.456 with 65 walks and 10 strikeouts in 314 plate appearances.

At that time, Fernandez was a major league ready player. However, it’s been more than two years since Fernandez last played in a competitive game in Cuba. He played during the start of the 2014-15 Serie Nacional season and hit .315/.415/.426 with only one strikeout in 65 plate appearances. Then in October 2014, Fernandez was suspended for attempting to leave Cuba. He missed the rest of the season and didn’t participate in any international tournaments, then left Cuba late in 2015 to pursue a contract with a major league team and has been a free agent since April. Most recently, Fernandez has played winter ball in the Dominican Republic for Aguilas, batting .286/.369/.286 in 18 games with more walks (8) than strikeouts (5) and no extra-base hits.

Fernandez’s layoff from competitive baseball and the fact that few teams expecting to contend in 2017 are in need of a second baseman hampered his market. Fernandez had been the second baseman on the Cuban national team, including at the 2013 World Baseball Classic where he hit .524/.545/.667 in 21 at-bats with no strikeouts.

At 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Fernandez doesn’t do anything flashy, relying on his ability to control the strike zone and put the ball in play with good plate coverage and below-average power. Fernandez’s swing isn’t the most conventional—his back foot will slide out from underneath him, costing him balance—but he has the bat control and hand-eye coordination to square up fastballs, is able to keep his hands back to adjust to breaking pitches and hangs in well against lefthanded pitching. Defense is a concern with Fernandez, a limited runner who lacks first-step quickness and doesn’t have much range at second base. Fernandez does have experience at third base (that’s where he mostly played this winter), but his arm is better suited for second.