Quick Hit: The Venezuelan Summer League Has Officially Shut Down

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I am just that this week, especially if you are a fan of prospects and summer league baseball, specifically the Venezuelan Summer League. While much of the focus is on the Dominican Summer League there have been successes in the VSL until it began to die down over recent years. The VSL will no longer open its doors in 2016 after the league fell to just four teams in 2015.

The four teams that were left in the VSL when the announcement was made were the Cubs, Phillies, Rays and Tigers. The Cubs announced their decision to pull out of the Venezuelan Summer League leading the league to completely shut down. Whether the ultimate decision to close down the VSL came down to the safety of their players and the league or if it came down to political reasons (like the potential of a Cuban Summer League for example) we will probably never know but while the country is stocked full of MLB caliber talent it is also a country that is currently in turmoil.

The VSL was the beginning of the road for more than a few Major League players including Avisail Garcia, Eugenio Suarez, Dixon Machado, Bruce Rondon, Jose Ortega and Jose Altuve most notably. At this point ten seasons ago a whopping 11 organizations had a team in the VSL so it's not out of the realm of possibilities of MLB returning to the country but presumably a lot will have to change both politically and socially in the country before it does.

Could the Game Truly Go International?

Could Major League Baseball truly go international and have a team outside of the United States? This may be harder to answer than I make it out to be but truly I believe the game could with a little creativity and lots of security. Already Major League Baseball has a team in Canada and with the growing love for the game in South American countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico to name a few a team could end up there in the near future in my opinion.


Revenue in MLB rose to just under $9 billion during the 2014 season without tapping many potential markets outside of the United States and around the globe and it continued to soar sky high is 2015 as well. The move outside the United States would have to start slow and start small with a team right over the border in Mexico, Monterrey maybe or even Mexico City, and security would be a nightmare to begin with but if MLB could make this work then the sky is the limit for the league. With the popularity of baseball in countries like Japan, Korea, Cuba, Australia, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and even smaller countries like Curacao the game could explode internationally and truly set itself apart from the rest of the sports world.

It’s a dream now as we stand here in 2016 but this, in my opinion, is and should be the long term goal and vision for the game. Call me progressive and call me a dreamer but its coming ladies and gentleman so prepare yourselves for it.

Yankees Sign Outfielder Robert Hernandez

According to Baseball America's minor league transaction log the New York Yankees have signed outfielder Robert Hernandez. I won't pretend like I know who he is because he has been out of the game since the 2009 season and never reach above A Ball so I'll let Matt Eddy tell you about him below:

The Yankees signed 26-year-old Robert Hernandez as an outfielder after he hit .264/.350/.358 in 20 games for Zulia in his native Venezuela this winter. The outfielder bit is key because he worked as a pitcher in the Cubs system from 2006 through 2009, making it as far as low Class A Peoria as a starter, but he hasn’t played affiliated ball in any of the past five seasons. The obvious parallel for Hernandez is Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta, who flamed out as a Cardinals pitcher, took three years off, toiled as an outfielder for two and half years in independent ball, then got noticed by Arizona scouts in 2013. Now he’s a big leaguer coming off a successful rookie campaign in 2014.

Johan: The Next Great Gamble

So, with the news being so slow of late you cannot help but scrape for everything and anything. The coaching staff seems to be all wrapped up, but is the pitching staff? One time great, Johan Santana, is now back out there trying to regain his old form and help a team. Help them with what, I am not sure but to me it seems like by actually throwing from the mound. He is currently pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League, like we haven't heard that joke before, and hopes that teams desperate enough for his services will come calling. So right now we have a once great pitcher, lengthy injury history, and mid to late 30's. Qualifications that Brain Cashman loves to hear.

Johan would be a work in progress, has been ever since he left the Twins. The man was so smooth, no doubt about that. Yet, can he come back like Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, can he show he still has something left in the tank like those old heads that reclaimed their careers for a spell with the Yankees? All questions I hope we do not have to answer, ever. Santana is a great guy, and I would love for him to fight back and earn a job on some team, preferably in the NL West.

The Yankees are doing their "due diligence" by scouting him at the Winter Leagues and hoping that his stuff is still there. Last season the Yankees also were all about the game of love with Santana. Seeing him as another project for Rothschild and company; why not take a chance. Santana however decided to sign with the Orioles, and thus went out and tore his Achilles tendon in an extended spring training game before ever reaching the major league club that year effectively ruining a shot at a comeback. Santana however has worked his evil ways, and is back again looking for the Yankees to come calling with an opportunity to help the club. Do I see him being a better option than Chris Capuano, yes, but then again Babe Ruth is a better option than Capuano and I do not see us bringing him in anytime soon.

I do hope you are feeling better, Santana. Yet, I do not want to have to root for you to save our club and instead just save your career. I know it is a long shot, it is hard to come back from shoulder surgeries. In the end we can only pray that if Cashman is serious that he can bring you in cheaply and hopefully you work some black magic man. I would rather take a chance with Shields, but I know money is an issue there. Why not just buy low, expect the worst and hope for the best. I will root for you regardless Santana because honestly I love reclamation projects and you are too good of a person to not have a comeback. Good luck to you, and hopefully you catch on somewhere if not with us.

Quick Hit: Johan Santana Making Another Comeback Attempt

Johan Santana has went from being a nobody, to a Rule 5 Draft pick, to an All-Star, to traded to the Mets, to the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the history of the Mets, to being injured and out of the game since. Johan has had two torn shoulder capsules in his shoulder, and FYI one surgery is usually the end of a pitcher's career, and is now rehabbing a torn achilles muscle. Many would take their licks and go home but not Johan as he is once again attempting a comeback to the major leagues.

Santana has been pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League this winter and hopes to latch on with a MLB team on a minor league deal in 2015. Santana is still only 35 years old and was likely to break camp with the Orioles last season before the achilles tear ended his season. Santana is reportedly only throwing 86-89 MPH while showcasing for teams and has said, through his agent, that he wants to go out of the game on his terms. Good for him, maybe the Yankees are watching.

One Yankee Listed In Baseball America Top 20 Summer League Prospects List

One member of the New York Yankees was listed in a subscriber only article written by Ben Badler from Baseball America showcasing the Top 20 Summer League prospects. The summer leagues that are showcased are the big ones, the Dominican and Venezuelan Leagues, and the Yankee that made the list was Jorge Mateo. This is not as much of a ranking as much as it is just a list of names to watch this summer in short season baseball.

Mateo is an 18 year old shortstop coming off a season in which he hit .287/.378/.450 and a 145 wRC+. The right hander is expected to come stateside this summer to play with the Gulf Coast Yankees after signing in January of 2012 for the low, low price of $250 K. Here is a quote from Badler about Mateo who was ranked as an 80 in the running department on a scale of 20-80:

“He’s a premium athlete who should be able to stay at shortstop, where he shows very good range, quick feet and a plus arm … He should have good power for a shortstop, with 15-20 home runs a very realistic possibility. Mateo uses the whole field and did a solid job of managing the strike-zone in his debut, though he will have to make adjustments as he moves up the ladder and starts to see better breaking pitches.”

Quick Yankees Winter League Wrap Up

The winter leagues are wrapping up or wrapped up with the end of the year looming and I wanted to take this time to give a quick wrap up on the winter leagues. Here are a few quick blurbs from the bigger named and closer to the majors Yankees prospects that participated in various winter leagues this offseason:

Zoilo Almonte: .316/.343/.454 w/ 4 HR and 20 RBI in 43 Dominican League games

Gary Sanchez: .267/.330/.367 w/ 1 2B and 2 RBI in 12 Domincan League games

Ronnier Mustelier: .270/.386/.360 w/ 2 HR, 27 RBI, and 28 BB in 53 Mexican Pacific League games

Adonis Garcia: .325/.347/.502 w/ 15 2B, 8 HR, and 39 RBI in 53 Venezuelan League games

Jose Pirela: .335/.419/.510 w/ 25 XBH, 41 RBI, and 33 BB in 61 Venezuelan League games

Great winter numbers for Zoilo who could be the Yankees 5th outfielder if New York can move Ichiro Suzuki to the San Francisco Giants. Garcia and Pirela are considered to be fringe prospects at this point but after this Venezuelan League showing the Yankees may be looking at adding them to the 40 man roster as soon as next offseason if this is a sign of what's to come. Mustelier had a disappointing showing overall in my opinion, especially in the power department, as well as Sanchez but at the end of the day you cannot put too much stock into these numbers, for better or worse.

MLB &Players Reach Winter League Deals

A deal has been reached between the MLB and the players association that will allow major leaguers to head down to winter league ball and play this season. With the Venezuelan Winter League and the Mexican Pacific League ready to start up this week, the Dominican Winter League starting on Friday, and the Puerto Rican League opening November 1st this news comes right on time.

This does not necessarily mean that the Yankees can let a, for example, Robinson Cano to go down and play in the winter leagues but it does relax the rules just a tad. If pitchers who spent the majority of their time in AA and threw 140 innings or more they will not be eligible which is down from 155 innings pitched from last year. The max for AA relievers has been reduced as well from 55 appearances last year to a max of 45 appearances this year.

With major league positional players with up to 552 plate appearances which is up from 502 plate appearances last season. Also the "physical incapacity" rule will be more strict and followed through instead of the club just filing paperwork. Other minor changes include better equipment, facilities, bathrooms, clubhouses, and fields.

Obviously teams are worried about their players being overworked and all that but teams still control whether their players can play or not so I see no problems with these new welcomed additions.