Normally, most of this post is written by Friday night and then I add a couple things Saturday afternoon when the morning games are completed. This week, I had no clue what to write about the happenings in the Dominican this week. After all, there are less than 10 days to go in the season.

But after thinking about it during my after supper walk, I decided to jot down some players that have surprised me the most in the Dominican this summer. Surprises are not really an uncommon occurrence, because there are only a few big named players heading into any campaign that I expect to do well.

1. Joan Delgado – The youngster is one of the leaders in almost every statistical offensive category on the Cubs two teams in the DSL. In addition to average, RBI, HRs, wRC+, slugging, and OPS. Yeah, he’s getting it done. Delgado did not sign as an IFA until April of 2022 and hit only .250 in 2022. This year, things are much improved.

2. Ramon Eriandys’ story has been pretty fun to follow. The young Cuban has shown a penchant for getting on base. He’s played some SS, 2B, and 3B and is the leader in wRC+ for both of the Cubs’ two teams. His 16.3% walk rate is a key, but he also hits a lot of doubles and triples in his 24 games.

3. Francis Reynoso has a 33% K rate with 31 in 20.2 relief innings. That is the highest of the Cubs’ two teams. He also has a 3.05 ERA and is just 20 years old, having played two years with the Cardinals, one in the DSL, one in Florida which did not go so well as he was a first baseman then. It will be interesting to see how Reynoso does when he comes stateside because he is coming.

4. Adrian Santana has been one of my favorite follows this year. The lefty reliever has been outstanding this year in the DSL. What impresses me most is his batting average against, which is .191. He still has to work on the walks thing, but he is missing bats in the zone.

5. Emannoel Madeira is the only 16-year-old pitcher the Cubs have in the DSL. The young righty has held his own. In 24.1 innings, he’s struck out 29 and opponents are only hitting .222 against him. The issue, like most young pitchers, is walks. Still, he’s two years younger than any other pitcher on either Cubs team and he looks to be heading to Arizona next summer.

6. My last surprise, and maybe the biggest one, is that the two Cuban pitchers the Cubs signed back in the spring did not pitch at all. Neither Darian Rivero, who is just 17, and Brander Guevara, 20, pitched an inning this summer. Injuries, physicals, and just building them back up after leaving Cuba could have been one of the many reasons why. Still, following when they do will be interesting; especially considering how different their ages are.

This Week in the DSL

The Blue squad went winless going 0-6 while the Red team went 2-3. It was not a good week for most of the hitters as they struggled to put runs in the box score.

When all is said and done in a week, both teams will be right at 50+ games played. As usually happens, a lot of players do wear down that first full season and this year is no exception.

Next week, I will have my players of the year in the DSL – a hitter, a starting pitcher, and a reliever. And, yes, those awards will be given out two days before the season ends on the 22nd. And I might have a few other awards just for fun!