The Dominican Summer League roster will be comprised mostly of new international signees from the current signing period that officially opened on January 15th. While many of the primary performers from last year’s squad have advanced stateside to play in Arizona, there are still some holdovers from last year who will repeat in the Dominican Summer League. The White Sox open their season on Monday June 3rd at home against the DSL Blue Jays. The final scheduled day of the season falls on August 20th.
The Dominican Summer League is made up of six divisions and controlled by Major League Baseball. In regards to the playoffs, the six division winners earn automatic bids while two wild card teams also get the chance to participate. The White Sox play in the Baseball City Division. The rookie-level affiliate finished in third place last season with a record of 32-22. The club scored 366 runs (2nd most in the division) while giving up 320 runs. It was a pretty successful season for the DSL White Sox and the squad was led by some teenagers who put up big offensive numbers.
The White Sox’s affiliate plays at the club’s complex in Santo Domingo and they play in the Boca Chica Baseball Baseball City Division of the Dominican Summer League. The 2024 club is comprised of 16 pitchers, five catchers, 10 infielders and four outfielders. Out of 35 players on the roster, the majority are members of the most recent international class. Statistics shouldn’t be heavily relied upon but meaningful indicators of future performance can often be found. Age, loud tools and positional value are all factors that can help players stand out in the league.
The coaching staff will remain similar to 2023 with Anthony Nunez returning as manager. Julio Bruno will return as the hitting coach as well while Jose Brito will serve as pitching coach. Guillermo Reyes will be tasked with coaching the infielders and Angel Gonzalez will help as another assistant coach on the staff. Fran Bautista also returns as the performance coach.
In recent years, the White Sox have signed closer to the majors Cuban players as part of their international class. They haven’t done so in the past two classes however which has helped the affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. The rookie-level team is generally made up on recent signings and the entire class will be ready to go in the Dominican Republic.
Venezuelan third baseman Eduardo Herrera received a bonus of $1.8 million from the White Sox back in January and the figure is the highest that they gave out in this class. 17-year-old Curacaoan infielder Jurdrick Profar, and Venezuelans Jesus Premoli and Christian Gonzalez received significant bonuses in the most recent signing period as well. 16-year-old shortstop Jehancarlos Mendez was their top signing out of the Dominican Republic this year. A trio of heralded hurlers such as Orlando Suarez, Alexandre Valdiviezo and Yhoiker Fajardo will be part of the focus as well.
Infielders (DSL White Sox)
- Rafael Alvarez (19)
- Ryan Castillo (19)
- Eduardo Herrera (17)
- Jehancarlos Mendez (16)
- Jesus Premoli (17)
- Jurdrick Profar (17)
- Eyke Uguete (18)
- Juan Uribe (17)
- Juan Berroteran (17)
- Jhoangel Suarez (17)
In the recent international review at Baseball America, Ben Badler noted that Herrera is nicknamed “The Terminator” and he called the 17-year-old Venezuelan a “student of the game” who has earned praise for his “engaging, on-field leadership”. The White Sox signed Eduardo Herrera for $1.8 million in January and it’s the biggest bonus they’ve ever given to a non-Cuban in the international market. The infielder is 6-3, 210 pounds and he should be the primary the third baseman in the DSL. Herrera possesses plus power potential with a loose swing that allows for power to the pull side and right center field gap.
Herrera is one of the best power hitters from the most recent international class but there are some hit tool concerns and defensive questions as well. He should be fine at the hot corner but some feel that he’ll outgrew the position and end up at first base. “We liked his ability to compete and his polish,” said Marco Paddy. “I was attracted to his ability but our scouts spent 2-2.5 years tracking him and we decided to move him over to third base”, Paddy said. Paddy is the assistant to the general manager and he handles international operations for the White Sox. The veteran scout also noted that he’s a “very good competitor who loves working on his body” as he lauded the player’s strength and physical conditioning.
The organization was also impressed with Herrera’s extensive tournament experience and they saw him playing for the Venezuelan National Team as a 15-year-old in a Mexican Tournament where he played very well. Along with Herrera, Jurdrick Profar, Jesus Premoli, Jehancarlos Mendez, Juan Berroteran and Jhoangel Suarez signed in this current international period as well. There isn’t much information available about Berroteran and Suarez but they are both expected to receive some time in the infield.
Profar has obvious bloodlines as his brother Jurickson is still starring in the big leagues currently. Badler noted that the Curacaon possesses a “high baseball IQ and good internal clock” due to growing up around the game. The infielder moves his hands and feet well and he should stay at shortstop initially with a body composition that could lend itself to second or third eventually. The White Sox signed the younger Profar for $600K out of Curacao and Paddy compared him to a young Jonathan Schoop.
“He does it very easy. The approach is simple and easy and he can play all over the infield with excellent hands and feet,” Paddy said. Jesus Premoli is another Venezuelan with power as his carrying tool. The White Sox felt compelled to sign the 6-4, 225 pounder gore $550K and they swiftly moved him to first base. The former catcher has played some third base as well but his future looks to be at first. There are some questions about Premoli’s hit tool but but the White Sox believe that he possesses a “low-effort left-handed swing that projects to have plus power”.
One signing from the Dominican Republic is shortstop Jehancarlos Mendez and he’s one of the youngest players in the entire signing class. The 16-year-old is a cousin of former big league Eduardo Nuñez and the White Sox signed him for $260K. The 6-2, 180 pounder is a fundamentally sound fielder at shortstop and he “takes good angles with clean hands” according to Badler. He has been reported to be a below-average runner but his athletic frame should allow him to remain at shortstop. He has a chance to hit 10-15 homers annually with superb defense at his peak.
Rafael Alvarez is a 19-year-old Cuban who signed for $300K last year. He’s repeating the the DSL after posting a 136 wRC+ with a .461 OBP in 35 games last year. The third baseman is 6-2, 190 pounds. Eyke Uguete is an 18-year-old Venezuelan infielder who slashed .188/.350/.260 in 36 games last year. Juan Uribe returns as well after struggling at the plate in 22 games last year. Ryan Castillo should play some on the infield corners in his third season in the DSL. The 19-year-old left-handed hitter posted a 113 wRC+ with four homers last season.
Outfielders (DSL White Sox)
- Albert Alberto (18)
- Marcelo Alcala (18)
- Noel Severo (18)
- Christian Gonzalez (17)
Marco Paddy noted that Christian Gonzalez can “really run and play center field” and the White Sox signed the Venezuelan outfielder for $550K back in February. The 17-year-old left-handed hitter presents plus-plus speed in the 60 yard dash as well as from home to first base. Baseball America also noted that the profile is contact oriented with the bat and he’s a small ball type who doesn’t offer much extra base impact. The 5-11, 185 pounder could be a big time stolen base threat down the road however.
18-year-old Noel Severo also signed during the current period and he’s a United Sates’ born player who stands 6-5, 200 pounds. Albert Alberto and Marcelo Alcala will remain in the Dominican Republic for 2024 and repeat the level once again. Alberto is an 18-year-old Venezuelan who posted a 105 wRC+ in 32 games last year. The 6-3, 190 pounder slashed .205/.391/.313 overall. Alcala played in 42 games and posted a 130 wRC+ aided by a .417 OPS with two homers on the season.
Catchers (DSL White Sox)
- Elier Gil (18)
- Juan Oviedo (20)
- Elias Riera (18)
- Alvaro Rios (17)
- Renny Sillet (17)
This won’t be a surprise to anyone paying attention but four of the five catchers on this roster are from Venezuela. Alvaro Rios is a recent signing and Paddy compared the Panamanian to a young Benito Santiago so at least he has no immediate pressure on him. 17-year-old Venezuelan Renny Sillet is a recent signing as well. The other three catchers on the roster are returning to the Dominican Summer League for 2024. Rios is 6-1 and 170 pounds while Sillet stands 6-2 and weighs 176 pounds.
Elier Gil was signed in November so while the 5-11, 185 pounder isn’t a member of the current signing class, he’s still making his Dominican Summer League debut. Elias Riera is 6-2, 180 pounds and he posted a .574 OPS in 22 games last season. Juan Oviedo had more success in his 15 game sample in 2023. The Venezuelan will repeat the level after triple slashing .283/.441/.326 with a 127 wRC+ as a 5-10, 150 pound backstop.
Pitchers (DSL White Sox)
- Marco Barrios (18, RHP)
- Angel Bello (17, RHP)
- Carlos Bernal (18, RHP)
- Jeziel Boukhoudt (17, RHP)
- Yerardo Ciofani (18, LHP)
- Reudis Diaz (18, RHP)
- Yhoiker Fajardo (17, RHP)
- Ricardo Gomez (19, RHP)
- Jommy Hernandez (18, RHP)
- Oscar Hernandez (18, RHP)
- Jose Malave (18, RHP)
- Alexander Mateo (18, RHP)
- Emilio Rosario (19, RHP)
- Juan Ruiz (18, RHP)
- Manuel Rumbos (21, RHP)
- Orlando Suarez (17, RHP)
- Alexandre Valdiviezo (16, RHP)
- Fabian Ysalla (19, RHP)
The White Sox have multiple interesting pitchers slated to open their seasons in the Dominican Summer League. In the Baseball America write-up, Badler noted that there were multiple “arrow up arms” within this signing class. The main attractions seem to be Venezuelans Yhoiker Fajardo and Orlando Suarez. When Paddy met the assembled media earlier this year, the tenured executive called Suarez “one of the best arms I’ve seen in a long time” while noting that Fajardo was “polished and clean with spin”. The White Sox believe that the right hander should show high 90’s velocity in the future.
Fajardo signed for $400K and looks to be one of the top Venezuelan pitchers from the 2024 signing class. The 6-3, 185 pounder possesses starter traits and a frame that can add more size according to Badler. When the 17-year-old was originally scouted by clubs, he was throwing his fastball in the mid to upper 80’s but he’s been sitting in the low 90’s lately while touching 95 mph frequently. The righty throws a low 80’s slider with some feel for a changeup as well. Fajardo is a good athlete with a low effort delivery and a good arm action. He throws strikes and is willing to throw inside as well with a repeatable delivery.
Suarez signed for $375K and teams liked his size and smooth delivery. Badler notes that he now has “some of the best stuff” in the international class. The 17-year-old is strong and powerful with a 6-4, 215 pound frame. The Venezuelan has shown a 95 mph fastball with high spin rates and an extremely tight curveball that has displayed 3,000 RPM’s at times. The hurler also throws a sinker, splitter, changeup and slider but the curveball is his swing and miss offering. Suarez does struggle to command his repertoire but it’s a low-effort easy delivery.
Two additional sleepers listed by Badler were Venezuelan righties Alexandre Valdiviezo and Marco Barrios. Valdiviezo is really young and will turn 17 this week. He has a strong, compact frame and his fastball sits at 93 mph with a chance for more. He can spin a hard slider as well and also throws a changeup. The White Sox signed the righty for $100K and he’s drawn some Brusdar Graterol comparisons from scouts. Barrios was signed last October and the 6-3, 195 pounder throws lots of strikes with a 93 mph fastball and a slider and changeup to boot.
19-year-old right hander Fabian Ysalla threw 16.2 innings for the DSL White Sox last year after signing out of Venezuela. The 19-year-old posted a 3.24 ERA with 12 strikeouts and 11 walks and he stands 6-0, 160 pounds. Reudis Diaz, Ricardo Gomez, Oscar Hernandez, Jose Malave, Alexander Mateo and Emilio Rosario will all return to the league this year as well after struggling in 2023.
Venezuelans Angel Bello and Manuel Rumbos signed as members of the current international class as well while the club also inked 17-year-old righty Jeziel Boukhoudt out of Curacao. Joining them this season will be a host of pitchers who signed late last year. Carlos Bernal, Jommy Hernandez and Juan Ruiz signed in August while Yerardo Ciofani agreed to terms back in December. Ruiz signed out of Panama and Ciofani will serve as the only lefty on the entire pitching staff.