Cuban second baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez will hold a showcase on May 3-4 in the Dominican Republic

[Chuck]

This is the guy we need. 

[Broad Street]

This is the guy we need. 

 

Someone was just asking about him in the other Cuban thread. Was that you? Let's go get them both. 

[Chuck]

Jose Miguel Fernandez, a second baseman who ranked as the No. 3 player still in Cuba in April, has left the country to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned.

 

As a 27-year-old with seven seasons of experience in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, Fernandez will be exempt from the international bonus pools, and the interest from major league teams should be high. Fernandez is a major league-ready infielder with a short, quick swing from the left side, excellent bat control and stellar plate discipline. During the 2013-14 season playing for Matanzas in Serie Nacional, Fernandez hit .326/.482/.456 with 65 walks and 10 strikeouts in 314 plate appearances, ranking second in the league in OBP.

 

The problem is that it’s been more than a year since Fernandez last played in Cuba. Fernandez played the first few weeks of the 2014-15 season and was off to a .315/.415/.426 start with only one strikeout in 65 plate appearances before he was suspended for attempting to leave the country in October 2014. He missed the rest of the season and hasn’t played at all this year in Cuba or in any international tournaments because of the suspension.

 

image: http://cdn.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/jose-fernandez-cuba-2013-abr-300x211.jpg

 

 

With his bat-to-ball skills and ability to manage the strike zone, Fernandez is a potential high OBP threat in the major leagues, although his power is below-average. Speed isn’t part of Fernandez’s game, and his thickening lower half (listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds) has hampered his range at second base, where he’s at best an adequate defender. Fernandez also spent time at third base during the 2013-14 season, though his arm strength is better suited at second.

 

Fernandez had been the second baseman on the Cuban national team, including an impressive performance at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, where he hit .524/.545/.667 in 21 at-bats with no strikeouts. Scouts have been able to see him several times since then, including the 2013 World Port Tournament in the Netherlands, the 2013 friendship series against in the United States against the U.S. college national team, the 2014 Caribbean Series in Venezuela and a small tournament in Colombia last year in August.

 

Fernandez will have to establish residence in another country and then be declared a free agent to be eligible to sign with a team. There’s never a certain timetable for that to happen, though based on the recent history of other Cuban players, it’s unlikely he would be ready to sign before Opening Day.

Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/jose-fernandez-leaves-cuba/#o3HvMYXEEfQCaWLL.99

[nando714]

Angels will show up on May 5th

[Taylor]

Angels will show up on May 5th

 

They'll be too busy celebrating Cinco de Cuatro in Newport Beach.

 

[Homebrewer]

Unless Arte's yacht is down in the DR, nobody from Anaheim is going down there.

[Docwaukee]

scouting via skype:  a new paradigm in major league baseball.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Angels will show up on May 5th

 

"We sent a guy to scout him, but there was nobody there."

[SlappyUtilityMIF]

27 years old? That's 43 to you and me...

[Vegas Halo Fan]

27 years old? That's 43 to you and me...

 

It may be 43 in reality.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Why do we need this guy? We have baldoquin...

[Blarg]

He hasn't played for a year and a half. That sounds like at least one year in the minors before he would be ready. High risk low reward player.

[Angel Oracle]

Sherman Johnson is hitting the ball well in AA.

Time to see if he is the future 2B?

[Blarg]

No.

[totdprods]

Sherman Johnson is hitting the ball well in AA.

Time to see if he is the future 2B?

It's only been a dozen or so games for him. If he can keep it up for half a season then maybe it can be looked at. I hope he gets a September call-up and then pushes for a job next ST. Likely he will be in SLC all year next year and be one of the first options up.

[Chuck]

Sherman Johnson is hitting the ball well in AA.

Time to see if he is the future 2B?

Agree.

If he continues to hit the ball well we could see a promotion to AAA.

Giavotella is not our future 2B IMO.

[Slegnaac]

Speed isn't part of his game... range at second base hampered...

I wouldn't break the bank on him.

[Chuck]

On 4/22/2016 at 2:17 PM, Chuckster70 said:

This is the guy we need. 

I agree.

As does Eppler.

[Warfarin]

On 4/22/2016 at 2:17 PM, Chuckster70 said:

This is the guy we need. 

If you have some lotto numbers to pass along to me, I would greatly appreciate it.  

[Chuck]

2 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

If you have some lotto numbers to pass along to me, I would greatly appreciate it.  

Ha. I also created a simliar thread about Rymer Liriano a year or two ago. Now he's on the Halos. 

[krAbs]

I mean, he's no Baldoquin, but hopefully he is worth something for us.

[eligrba]

On 4/22/2016 at 2:17 PM, Chuckster70 said:

This is the guy we need. 

 

1 hour ago, Chuckster70 said:

I agree.

As does Eppler.

Well, if all three of you agree, who am I to argue?

[Tank]

4 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Ha. I also created a simliar thread about Rymer Liriano a year or two ago. Now he's on the Halos. 

i think you need to create a thread about chris sale joining the angels.