Yankees Dominican Summer League Rosters

by: Ben Embry

The Dominican Summer League starts today.  Like previous years, the Yankees will be fielding two teams.  As you'll recall, New York invested over $30 million in several international free agents, (IFA for short), last July in an unprecedented spending spree.   By most accounts, New York signed 10 of the top 30 IFA, including highly touted prospects SS/3B Dermis Garcia, CF/RF Juan de Leon, and 3B Nelson Gomez.  Of the 10 elite prospects signed, all but Dermis Garcia and 18 year old Korean SS Hy-Joon Park are starting their summers in the Dominican, (see the rosters here: DSL Yankees 1 and DSL Yankees 2).  Here are the main prospects:

DSL Yankees 1
SS Diego Castillo
SS Wilkerman Garcia
3B Nelson Gomez

DSL Yankees 2
C Miguel Flames
RF Jonathan Amundaray
CF Antonio Arias
CF/RF Juan de Leon
RF/LF Brayan Emery

Honestly, I expected most of these players to begin their careers in the United States playing in the Gulf Coast League.  That season does not start for another 2-3 weeks, so I guess it's possible that they will play a handful of games here before coming up to the GCL.  However, most of  the times prospects play whole seasons in the Dominican and do not make that transition in the middle of a season.  If anything, I'm guessing anybody who comes up will do so in July or August.

There are a handful of other prospects on these rosters worth noting, including two prospects who made my Preseason top 30 lists for hitters and pitchers: #30 hitter SS Yonauris Rodriguez and #29 SP Orby Tavares.  The Yankees signed 8 other players last summer to 6 figure contracts that I will be tracking this summer: C Jason Lopez, CF Lisandro Blanco, RF Leobaldo Cabrera, RF/LF Frederick Cuevas, and CF Pablo Olivares on DSL Yankees 1 and SS/2B Griffin Garabito, SS Danienger Perez, and CF Raymundo Moreno on DSL Yankees 2.

Two More IFA's In The Fold For The Yankees

This seems like an hour by hour update as the New York Yankees continue to snatch up all the international minor league free agents they can. The Yankees have signed well over $10 million in talent already after being allotted a shade over $2 million in cap room and that number is only going up after two more signings, Venezuelan outfielder Jonathan Amundary and Dominican outfielder Antonio Arias.

The rumored signing bonus for Amundary is $1.5 million and Arias is rumored to receive right at $1 million to start their professional careers.

Yankees Interested In Venezuelan OF Antonio Arias

The New York Yankees are set to go ape crap crazy in this year's International signing period and have been linked to just about everyone in the market including Venezuelan outfielder Antonio Arias. Arias is currently 15 years old but will be 16 years old and eligible for signing when the new singing period opens up on July 2.

Arias is 6'2" and 170 lbs with plenty of time and room to grow physically. Arias is a good fielder who could stick in center field in the major leagues which makes him much more valuable. Arias is right handed and has not shown much power yet but with a mechanical fix or too he could absolutely begin to show some power.

No word on what kind of contract he would sign if he came to New York but as one of the youngest players in the field I wouldn't expect it to reach seven digits.