The Cuban Y’s get smacked around

Phil Gurnee ♦ April 19, 2017 ♦ 2 Comments

The Dodgers have poured millions into Cuban players and other than Puig have seen little return on investment. Yasiel Alvarez was supposed to change that dynamic and had such a great debut on the mainland last summer he sprang to the top of the Dodgers elite pitching prospects.

Alvarez was held back this spring at what they call extended spring training but was finally assigned to Rancho Cucamonga in the Cal League on Monday.  With great anticipation, he made his debut and hardly has a number one pitching prospect ever been hammered like Alvarez was hammered.  The twenty-one-year-old gave up a run for every out, giving up seven runs on nine hits while walking two. Even worse he failed to strike out anyone and his flagship velocity was nowhere to be seen.  Hopefully, we can just chalk this up to Lancaster which might be the most offensive minor league park in baseball and the velocity to the fact it was his first start. Hopefully.

That was on Monday, on Tuesday Yaisel Sierra came on in relief and couldn’t find the plate. Sierra got two outs, walked three, gave up one run and left with the bases loaded. He was bailed out of more damage Edward Parades who got him out of the bases loaded jam without allowing any inherited runners to score. Sierra had been pitching well with only one walk on the season prior to his implosion last night.  He had pitched and looked so good this spring you could even manage a scenario where he might help the big club this spring.

To top off a bad two days for the prospects, Mitchell White also got hammered in Lancaster last night ending his excellent start to the season.  White gave up his first runs of the year, getting only five outs before exiting.

I think we will just hang these games on Lancaster and not get hung up on them.