Dominican Summer League Rosters Announced

The Dominican Summer League kicks off play later this morning. For the kids on the roster of a Dominican Summer League team, this is their first stop as they chase their dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player.

All players are Dominican unless otherwise noted, and their dates of birth are also listed.

Asterisk = player bats or pitches left-handed
Bold Italics = player is making professional debut
Hashtag = player is a switch-hitter

BLUE

The Blue team will play in the 6-team Santo Domingo North division against the Indians, A's, Dodgers, Royals, and Rays. Their first game will take place at the Athletics' complex. The Blue team finished 35-34 in 2014, putting them in 4th place in the division. This year, they'll feature a couple of interesting infielders in Cristopher Luciano and the toolsy Wilson Amador, both returning players; Amador spent all of 2014 with the Orange team.

Coaching Staff

Manager: Charlie Romero
Hitting Coach: Luis Mateo
Pitching Coach: Erick Abreu

All three coaches were former Minor League players.

Romero is the new skipper, replacing Johan Maya. He played in the Blue Jays and the Angels organizations from 1985-90 as an outfielder. He was the longtime manager of the DSL Angels, a position that he first took in 1999.

Mateo, another former outfielder, played in the then-Devil Rays organization from 1999-2005.

Abreu last pitched in the Dominican Winter League for Gigantes in 2014. He was originally signed by the Yankees in 2003, but joined the Astros in 2008, spending the majority of his time at Corpus Christi.

Pitchers

Jorge Alcala (7/28/95)
Diogenes Almengo (6/2/95)
Dariel Aquino (1/30/96)
Joel Belboder (10/5/95)
Luis Castro (5/11/95)
Enrique Chavez (Mexico; 4/13/96)
Robert Corniel (6/23/95)
Yan De La Cruz (8/5/93); oldest player on either DSL squad
Michel Martinez (Cuba; 9/16/93)
Saul Martinez (6/21/95)
Cristofer Melendez (9/16/97)
Hansel Paulino (1/3/96)
Hector Perez (6/6/96)
Jose Rosario (2/15/95)
Felipe Tejada (2/27/98); youngest player on Blue roster
Luidin Toribio (2/13/96)
Framber Valdez* (11/19/93)
Edwin Villarroel* (Venezuela; 5/18/95)

Catchers

Oscar Campos (Venezuela; 12/8/96)
Jose Carrillo (Venezuela; 1/24/98)
Orlando Marquez (Venezuela; 3/12/96)
Oliver Toribio (6/7/96)

Infielders

Wilson Amador (12/14/96)
Reiny Beltre (7/16/96)
Ronny Jimenez (9/19/94)
Cristopher Luciano (5/31/96)
Juan Piñeda (Panama; 1/31/98)
Ozziel Sanchez-Galan (Panama; 10/30/97)

Outfielders

Jose Benjamin (12/16/95)
Angel De Leon (5/26/96)
Jose Hernandez (3/12/96)
Andy Piñeda (11/11/96)

ORANGE

In its 2nd season, the Orange team will feature the big signings from the previous July 2 international signing period; Ronny Rafael, Miguelangel Sierra, and Franklin Perez, the three million-dollar signees, will begin their road to the show with the Orange team.

The Orange team will play in the 11-team Boca Chica North division, the largest division in the DSL. They'll be matched up against the Angels, the Cubs, the Mariners 2, the Marlins, the Mets 2, the Phillies, the Pirates, two Rangers teams, and the Yankees 2. Last year, the Orange team finished 31-39, putting them in a tie for 6th with the Angels. They finished strong after languishing at the bottom of the division for most of the season.

The Orange team's first game is against the Nationals; they are the home team.

Coaching Staff

Manager: Neder Horta
Hitting Coach: René Rojas
Assistant Hitting Coach: Danny Ortega
Pitching Coach: Carlos Gonzalez
Coach/Outfield Specialist: Melvi Ortega

Neder Horta, a native of Colombia, was originally signed by the Yankees, but much of his minor league career was spent in the Astros system. The highest level he reached was Class A, with Asheville; he played there from 1986-88. He last managed in the DSL with the Cardinals, doing so in 2005 and 2006. Horta also served as the hitting coach of the GCL Cardinals in 2009 and served as a coach for the VSL Cardinals in 2010. Horta spent the last two years as a scout for the Astros.

A Panamanian, Carlos Gonzalez played 3 seasons in the Cardinals system and made it to the United States, where he topped out at Johnson City in the Appalachian League in 2008.

Pitchers

Bryan Abreu (4/22/97)
Juan Cuevas (5/4/94)
Harlen Florencio (9/24/95)
Jorge Guzman (1/28/96)
Ezequiel Madera (3/22/96)
Javier Navas* (2/3/98)
Franklin Perez (12/6/97)
Gabriel Pirela (5/1/94)
Yonatan Quintin (11/18/96)
Jose Ramos (Panama; 8/4/96)
Michael Richez (5/15/97)
Juan Robles (Mexico; 11/6/97)
Cesar Rosado (6/22/96)
Maikel Sepulveda* (12/31/96)
Josue Uribe (2/6/95)
Gabriel Valdez (Panama; 10/25/95)
Luis Vasquez (11/21/93)

Catchers

Brandon Benavente# (Venezuela; 9/3/97)
Carlos Canelon (Venezuela; 12/14/94)
Randy Vasquez (3/13/96)

Infielders

Marcos Almonte (3/28/96)
Felix Lucas (3/27/97)
Nicolas Miranda (Panama; 6/12/96)
Anardo Peralta# (5/11/96)
Anthony Rodriguez (7/23/96)
Miguelangel Sierra (Venezuela; 12/7/97)

Outfielders

Juan Fuentes# (11/8/93); oldest player on Orange roster
Carlos Machado (Venezuela; 6/5/98)
Hector Martinez (7/6/98); youngest player on either DSL squad
Ronny Rafael (10/14/97)
Angel Tejeda (1/22/97)