2017 Winter Leagues Coverage | Participating Mets in La Liga de Beisbol Dominicano (Complete Edition)

The Dominican League is the cream of the crop when it comes to Winter Off-season Leagues. Teams generally have rosters full of AAA and MLB players including plenty of 40 man roster guys and even budding superstar talents. The Mets are no strangers to commitments to DR as generally upwards of 10 players make their way down to refine skills in preparation for the next MLB season. In addition, as opposed to other off-season leagues, you are more likely to see high caliber MLB prospects added to Dominican League rosters late in the season as part of their off-season training programs. The Mets have done this in the past with the likes of Amed Rosario, Wilmer Flores, and Juan Lagares.

Aguilas Cibaenas

• RHP Scarlyn Reyes- Despite being a Bayaguana resident, Reyes heads across to the other side of the island to play his 2nd season with the Aguilas. He spent most of his 1st season on the reserves roster but was activated in early December and made 2 late season appearances for the club. In his 2.2 IP, Reyes allowed 1 ER on 4 hits, but, also stuck out 4 in the process. With Al Alburquerque, Nefi Ogando, and Tony Pena not returning for 2017, Reyes could slot himself into a middle leverage, middle innings relief role.

• OF John Mora- Mora will be returning to the Aguilas for the 3rd time in his career. Although he has been a member of the team since 2015, Mora spends most of his time on the reserves roster. During his 1st two seasons, Mora has only made 1 appearance as a pinch runner. With both starting corner OF and the team's primary 4th OF from last seasons team returning and the addition of San Francisco OF Jarrett Parker, Mora is likely to once again struggle to obtain playing time. While he waits, he will likely continue to train in his home in San Juan de la Maguana.

Estrelles de Oriente

• SS Gustavo Nunez- After an eventful 2017 season that saw him released by the Tigers and picked up by the Mets on a minor league contract, Gustavo will return to a more "stable" environment with the Estrelles. 2017 will be Nunez's 5th season with the club and is expected to be his 4th as a starter with the team. That said, in 42 games last season, Nunez only hit .227 AVG with a paltry .568 OPS. Without a significant improvement, Nunez could find himself losing significant playing time to the team's newest addition, 18 year old San Diego top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. 

Gigantes del Cibao

• 3B Jhoan Urena- Can anyone say "breakout?" Urena enjoyed himself a career revelation in 2017 repeating the A+ level in Port St. Lucie for a 3rd time as a still young 22 years old. Urena will look to continue his resurgence in his 3rd season with the Gigantes. Over the past 2 seasons he has mostly spent time on the reserve squad, however, for 2017, he is currently the only 3B listed on the roster. That said, last year's starter, Utilityman Garabez Rosa, is returning for 2017 as well but could be used anywhere on the diamond if Urena can squeeze his way in the line-up.

Leones del Escogido

• RHP Luis Mateo- Lets not beat around the bush here....Mateo's career is on the line. A once highly regarded top prospect is now 27 years old and coming off the worst statistical season of his career. Mateo will return to the Leones for his 3rd season with the club as he tries to get his career back on track. While in the past he has mostly spent his time on the reserves squad, the Leones have lost 5 of their 8 top RPs, including their closer, from 2016. This should give Mateo plenty of opportunities to showcase himself as someone who still could have a future in baseball and convince the Mets, or another team, to sign him to a new minor league contract. 

Tigres del Licey

• OF Victor Cruzado- After 7 long seasons in the Mets minor league system, Cruzado has reached a point in his career where he can declare Rule 55 minor league free agency after the World Series. In conjunction, Cruzado will make his first foray into the foreign baseball for the Tigres del Licey. With all 3 starting OF from last season's championship team not returning, Cruzado should have a legitimate opportunity to grab the lions share of the starts in CF.