Jose Miguel Fernandez, Norge Ruiz To Play Winter Ball In Dominican Republic

Aguilas Cibaenas games will have a bigger major league scouting contingent than usual this winter when the Dominican League season begins. Two of the top Cuban players no longer in Cuba—second baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez and righthander Norge Ruiz—will play for Aguilas this season.

Fernandez, 28, ranked as the No. 3 Cuban player in Baseball America’s April 2015 rankings of the Top 20 Cuban players still in Cuba. A lefthanded hitter, Fernandez stands out for his stellar bat control—he seldom swung and missed in Cuba—and excellent strike-zone discipline, batting .326/.482/.456 with 65 walks and 10 strikeouts in 314 plate appearances during his final full season (2013-14) in Cuba and ranked second in OBP.

However, while Fernandez has been training in the Dominican Republic, it’s been nearly two years since he played in competitive games, since he was suspended from playing in Cuba in October 2014 after he attempted to leave the country without government permission. Between his layoff, a lack of impact tools (his speed, power and fielding are all below-average) and few contending teams in need of an upgrade at second base, Fernandez has had a difficult market despite his high OBP potential and ability to step immediately into a major league lineup. He’s exempt from the international bonus pools.

Ruiz, 22, is another player who shines more in games than he does in workouts and should benefit from winter ball experience. The top-ranked pitcher in Cuba at the time he left (and No. 8 overall in BA’s Top 20 rankings), Ruiz has been training in the Bahamas and will be subject to the international bonus pools, but Major League Baseball still has not cleared him to sign. MLB has cleared high-profile players like the Gurriel brothers in suspiciously quick fashion while leaving players like Ruiz and many others languishing in limbo despite having submitted their papers to the league office sooner.

While the commissioner’s office has damaged the value of Ruiz and other Cuban players, Ruiz should get the opportunity to showcase his advanced feel for pitching against hitters with major league experience in the Dominican League. BA subscribers can read a more in-depth scouting report on both Ruiz and Fernandez here, with Ruiz likely ready for a Double-A assignment based on his present ability.