12 More Prospects Who Stood Out In The Dominican Summer League
Image credit: Oliver Tejada
Earlier this summer, we highlighted 30 players in the Dominican Summer League who were generating buzz.
The top player on that list, Brewers shortstop, Jesus Made, is now a Top 100 prospect, while many of the other players listed have jumped into or climbed higher in their organization’s top 30 prospects list.
Now that the DSL season is complete, here are 12 more players who made noise this year as prospects to follow. Some of these players are on the same level as the prospects mentioned in our first story, while others are deeper projections with more red flags they will have to address as they move up to higher levels. Within those reports, I also threw in some bonus names to know on players with intriguing traits to follow who could move up prospect lists next year.
Jhonny Level, SS, Giants
The Giants signed Level this year out of Venezuela for $997,500, and he got off to a slow start, batting .191/.295/.397 through 18 games in June. From there on, he hit .307/.425/.555 in his final 37 games of the season, finishing at .275/.393/.517 with 10 home runs (tied four fourth in the league), 30 walks and 36 strikeouts. Level, 17, is a 5-foot-10 switch-hitter who drew praise from scouts in Venezuela for his hitting ability and instinctive, savvy play that showed up both at the plate and in the field. Over the past year or so, he has bulked up significantly, with that added strength translating to some of the best power numbers in the DSL, both in terms of the home runs he hit and the hard contact he was able to consistently generate, with balls up to 108 mph off the bat. Level can get too aggressive with his approach at times, but his short, quick swing and ability to manipulate the barrel gives him good bat-to-ball skills. He’s an above-average runner with a well above-average arm from shortstop.
Argenis Cayama, RHP, Giants
Two years ago, Cayama was an outfielder in Venezuela without an agreement. He moved to the mound and started to draw more interest for his athleticism and a fastball that reached 91 mph by the time he signed with the Giants for $147,500 in January. By the spring, his velocity cranked up to reach 96 mph, and he has held that velocity, pitching at 90-94 mph and scraping 96 on a fastball that has good arm-side run. He gets a lot of swing-and-miss on his low-80s slider with short, tight break. Cayama shows feel for a changeup that he doesn’t throw often but mirrors his fastball well, though it comes in firm in the mid-to-upper 80s. He’s 6-foot-1, 180 pounds and is coming off a strong DSL season in which he posted a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings with 29 strikeouts and nine walks.
Edward Florentino, OF/1B, Pirates
The Pirates were drawn to the lefthanded power stroke with Florentino when they signed the 6-foot-4, 200-pound slugger this year out of the Dominican Republic for $395,000. He showed some of the best raw power of any hitter in the DSL this year en route to hitting .260/.432/.459 with five home runs in 190 plate appearances. With exit velocities up to 110 mph, Florentino has flashed plus raw power now with the potential for that to become 70-grade. Florentino also drew more walks (38) than strikeouts (36) and showed better plate discipline than some scouts had expected, though he’s still primarily doing most of his damage against fastballs and will get tested more once he starts seeing higher-level offspeed stuff. Florentino did get some action in center field but spent most of his time at first base and the outfield corners, with those spots his most likely defensive home. His offensive game is what’s going to drive his value.
Jose Anderson, OF, Brewers
We mentioned Anderson in passing in our previous DSL update under the report for Brewers shortstop Luis Peña, but Anderson deserves deeper attention after what he did this season. Anderson signed for just $60,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January, but he has quickly looked like a bargain for the Brewers. A 6-foot, righthanded-hitting center fielder, Anderson batted .283/.403/.512 in 201 plate appearances, blasting eight home runs with 29 walks and 38 strikeouts as a 17-year-old. Anderson has an aggressive approach with good hand-eye coordination and bat speed, giving him a good blend of both contact and impact with the ability to hit balls into the mid-100s. Anderson played center field this year, and while he does have a plus arm, he doesn’t have typical center field speed, so a move to right field seems most likely.
Jirvin Morillo, C, Reds
Morillo is an offensive-oriented catcher the Reds signed out of Venezuela this year for $420,000. The 17-year-old switch-hitter batted .254/.442/.447 in 156 plate appearances with two home runs and nearly twice as many walks (40) as strikeouts (21). He’s a patient hitter who can get pull-heavy with his approach, but he regularly puts together quality at-bats by staying within the strike zone and showing a knack for finding the barrel. Both his his home runs came against leftfhanders, even though he took just 15 plate appearances against lefties. He drives the ball well, with exit velocities in the mid-100s now and the ability to go deep from center field over to his pull side during batting practice. Defensively, Morillo caught just 15% of runners and allowed eight passed balls in 28 games at catcher, so there are things he needs to clean up with his footwork and transfer. He has an average arm and his athleticism helps him behind the plate. He runs well for a catcher, too, so if he ever does have to switch positions, he moves well enough to go to an outfield corner.
Oliver Tejada, OF, Giants
Tejada, 17, signed with the Giants for $147,000 in January and the Dominican outfielder became one of the most dangerous hitters in the DSL. He batted .300/.405/.488 in 205 trips to the plate, slugging five home runs with 22 walks and 38 strikeouts. Tejada packs a lot of strength into his compact, stocky build at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds and has big bat speed for his age, hitting balls up to 107 mph off the bat with the potential to be a 25-plus home run hitter. He can ambush fastballs and does show feel for hitting from the right side of the plate, though he will have to tighten his selectivity and pitch recognition as he moves up the ladder and faces better offspeed stuff. Tejada played center field exclusively this summer but projects as a left fielder once he gets higher up the minor league ladder. Switch-hitting catcher Santiago Camacho doesn’t have the power of Tejada or Level, but he was another bright spot in the DSL for the Giants. Camacho is the most selective hitter of the three as he hit .363/.507/.549 with more walks (28) than strikeouts (21) in 31 games as a 17-year-old.
Arnaldo Lantigua, OF, Dodgers
Lantigua was repeating the DSL, but he’s a prospect worth monitoring. Lantigua signed for $697,500 in 2023, so the Dominican outfielder received one of the Dodgers’ biggest bonuses in their class that year. After hitting .222/.345/.475 in 29 games last year, Lantigua batted .301/.430/.575 in 49 games this season, with his 11 home runs tied for second in the league, as he drew 33 walks with 34 strikeouts. When Lantigua signed, his above-average raw power from the right side was the biggest draw from his strong 6-foot-2 frame. He showed that power in his debut and featured some of the best power in the DSL this season with some of the most consistent hard contact of any hitter in the league and exit velos up to 109 mph. Lantigua has long been a good fastball hitter for whom some scouts had questions about his ability to hit offspeed stuff, but he made strides with his ability to recognize and hit soft stuff this year, even homering a few times on breaking balls. An average runner, Lantigua spent most of his time in center field but projects better in a corner long term.
Francisco Vilorio, OF, Yankees
Vilorio signed with the Yankees this year out of the Dominican Republic for $1.75 million, making him their top signing for 2024. He has as much power as any hitter in the DSL, using the strength, bat speed and leverage in his righthanded swing from his 6-foot-4, 212-pound frame to launch deep blasts when he’s able to center the ball. The raw power is there for a hitter with 30-homer upside, though it’s a high-risk profile given his high swing-and-miss tendencies and aggressive approach, which limited him to a .196/.294/.345 line in 170 plate appearances with 16 walks (9%) and 56 strikeouts (33%). He’s a center fielder for now and runs well enough to continue developing there, though at his size he could end up in right field, where his well above-average arm would fit. Stiven Martinez (Orioles) and Robin Ortiz (Cubs) are two other big, physical specimen righthanded-hitting outfielders who can launch the ball a long way with a power-over-hit profile worth following.
Jesus Pinto, OF, Tigers
The Tigers signed Pinto for $897,500 in January, landing a 17-year-old Venezuelan outfielder who went on to bat .275/.403/.438 in 196 plate appearances with four home runs, 30 walks and 41 strikeouts. At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Pinto has a compact, physically-advanced build for his age with fast bat speed and the ability to drive the ball with impact from the right side. He hits the ball hard and out front, getting too pull-happy at times, which leaves him more susceptible to swing through breaking stuff, but he makes frequent hard contact with exit velocities up to 107 mph. With his first-step quickness, plus speed and strong arm, Pinto has the tools to stay in center field, though with his body type there’s a chance he could head to a corner if his speed backs up.
Robert Arias, OF, Guardians
Arias, who turned 18 last week, got $1.9 million in January, making him the top bonus recipient this year for the Guardians. A lefthanded outfielder from the Dominican Republic, Arias is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and had a reputation as one of the best contact hitters among 2024 international prospects. He lived up to that billing in the DSL, where he struck out in just eight percent of his 180 plate appearances, albeit without much extra-base damage, as he hit .247/.367/.347 with no home runs, 25 walks and 15 strikeouts. Arias is a selective hitter with good hand-eye coordination and contact-oriented approach from an unorthodox swing that enables him to slice line drives around the field. It’s mostly gap power for now that could tick up as he layers strength on to his wiry frame, though he will likely need a swing or approach adjustment to be able to do more damage on contact. He’s an above-average runner who stole 29 bases in 33 attempts and has the defensive instincts and plus arm to give him a good shot at staying in center field. Fellow Guardians outfielder Yeiferth Castillo had the fifth-lowest strikeout rate (7.8%) among qualified hitters in the DSL, where he hit .301/.389/.366 with 21 walks and 14 strikeouts in 180 plate appearances. He also has elite bat-to-ball skills from the left side of the plate, though he’s a 5-foot-9 likely corner outfielder with a question mark on how much power he will develop.
Yoel Roque, RHP, Twins
Roque signed for $27,500 in January out of the Dominican Republic and posted a 6.93 ERA in 24.2 innings with 33 strikeouts and 29 walks. Why is a pitcher who walked more than a batter per inning here? His stuff. The 17-year-old righthander is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, with a projectable build with a fast arm and the potential to add to what’s already a high-end heater for his age from a lower release height. He sits 92-95 mph and can reach 98 mph with a mix of four-seamers that have good carry with two-seamers that have more armside tail. Roque’s 82-86 mph slider is a lower-spin pitch, but it has good action and gets swing-and-miss at a high clip. The risk with Roque is obvious: He needs to learn to repeat his delivery to throw way more strikes. Righthander Frankie Montas walked 30 batters in 34.1 innings over two years in the DSL, so there’s precedent for a pitcher with big stuff and major control issues at this level becoming a major league starter, but it is a significant concern in his game.
Yander Maria, RHP, Cubs
Most of the players we’ve focused on so far have been hitters, so let’s close with a young pitching prospect who showed impressive stuff this season. Maria, 17, is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds and signed out of the Dominican Republic in January for $200,000. Even on signing day, that looked like a great value for the Cubs, as Maria had already gone from a pitcher who was in the upper-80s early in 2023 and came into signing day with a fastball that reached the mid-90s. He held that velocity in the DSL over starts of mostly 2-4 innings, pitching at 90-94 mph and reaching 96 mph, with the arm speed and physical projection to one day throw in the upper-90s. He complements a big fastball for his age with a low-to-mid 80s slider with tight spin (typically in the 2,500-2,800 rpm range) and tight lateral break across the zone that misses bats. Like most pitchers at this level, he hasn’t thrown much of a changeup yet, so that pitch will be a focus as he moves up the ladder. Maria posted a 3.98 ERA in 31.1 innings with 34 strikeouts and 24 walks, which included a few rocky outings early on, but he held down a 1.46 ERA over his final eight starts.
