Prospect Report: Rockies’ De La Cruz Goes Deep Twice In DSL
Alessander De La Cruz, OF, Rockies: Colorado signed De La Cruz for $650,000 in the most recent international signing period. He was born in Berlin, Germany but signed from the Dominican Republic on the strength of big-time bat speed and the potential for commensurate raw power. That power showed up on Monday, when De La Cruz hit a pair of home runs in his team’s loss to one of the Yankees’ squads. The blasts were the 17-year-old De La Cruz’s third and fourth home runs of the year. He also threw out a runner at second base.
Daris Cordero, 3B, Mets: Cordero signed with New York this past January and had a big day on Monday. The 17-year-old infielder went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a triple and drove in seven of his team’s 18 runs. A great deal of that damage came in a wild eighth inning when the Mets scored a dozen times. In that frame, Cordero doubled twice and drove in five runs.
Aldalay Kolokie, OF, Rockies: Kolokie is one of the newest members of Colorado’s system. The Cuban outfielder signed with the Rockies on May 9 and played his first official game less than a month later. The 18-year-old had a big day against one of the Rangers’ affiliates, going 4-for-4 with a stolen base. His 13 steals are three off the league lead.
Jancory De La Cruz, OF, Marlins: De La Cruz signed with Miami out of the Dominican Republic this past January. As an amateur, he was lauded for explosive bat speed that was generated by a combination of power and athleticism. He went 2-for-3 on Monday with a home run and a pair of walks. Eleven of his 25 hits this season have gone for extra bases and he’s swiped six bags in eight attempts.
Mario Baez, SS, Braves: Baez inked with Atlanta in January on the strength of a skill set based around speed and contact from the right side and the defensive chops to potentially stick up the middle. The Dominican-born Baez reached base four times on Monday on three singles and a walk and stole four bases in as many tries. On the season, Baez has 14 steals and has been caught just twice.