Heredia/Paz/Clementina make Pioneer League All-Star Team

Phil Gurnee ♦ July 25, 2017 ♦ Leave a comment

The Dodger Pioneer League affiliate the Ogden Raptors had a league leading three all-stars with Starling Heredia,  Hendrik Clementina , and Luis Paz  all named to the Pioneer League All-Star team.

Kind of weird to here about an all-star team on July 24th, but the short rookie league seasons have to have their day in the sun too.

Heredia …. Signed for $2.6 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, the 18-year-old outfielder has impressed in his first stateside season. He spent seven games in the AZL, going 12-for-28 (.429) with six extra-base hits, before moving up to Ogden on July 5 — and he hasn’t cooled off. The right-handed-hitting slugger owns a .422/.500/.766 line with four homers, one triple and eight doubles in 15 games since joining the Raptors.

Since I don’t pay much attention to the short season teams, this is the first time I’ve heard of Hendrik Clementina and Luiz Paz.

Clementina is a catcher from Curacao, which is where Kenley Jansen hails from. If you remember, Kenley Jansen was also a catcher for the Ogden Raptors back in 2007.  Two years later Jansen was converted to a pitcher and the rest is history.  Clementina split time in 2016 between 1st and catcher but seems to have settled in strictly as a catcher in 2017.

Luis Paz just turned 21 this month and is from Brazil. I didn’t even know the Dodgers had anyone in the system from Brazil. Paz leads the Pioneer league in home runs with ten and slug% at .768. I’m not sure what Paz is. In 2017 he has caught a little (4 games), played some 1st base (5 games), played some DH (6), and played the outfield (10 games).