The Latest in Cuban Options
Dayron Varona
MLB’s Jesse Sanchez reports that yet another Cuban baseball star is ready to show off in front of team scouts:
Source: Cuban OF Dayron Varona will have showcase on 1/20 in Delray Beach FL. He has been granted free agency by MLB.
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) January 7, 2015
Full credit to obstructedview.net for the background information on Varona. Whether his name is spelled “Dayron” or “Dairon” (there’s a question about that just like there is for Yasmani/Yasmany Tomas), he was able to escape Cuba sometime between November and January.
Varona is a 5’9″170 lbs center fielder whose game seems to possess a strong arm and decent speed, though that doesn’t seem to translate into base-stealing speed. Varona is 25 years old and has sufficient experience in the Cuban league to make him exempt from international player signing restrictions. I can’t say how much interest the Braves might have in him, but there are a couple of hints that they might send a few folks down to Delray Beach for a look-see:
- He’s identified as a “contact hitter” – which seems to be in vogue this Winter
- Should be signable for something south of $1 million, which puts him in the “worth a look” category
ObstructedView included a stats comparison chart that helps us figure how Varona might fare. Yoenis Cespedes is included along with two others with stats for their age 22-24 years. Varona does not have a lot of power, but does get on base with decent regularity (.369, which was increasing with his age) and he hits for average (.373 in 2013 over 169 PAs – he OPS’d .950 during that series). Most likely, he would see some AA/AAA time before reaching the majors, and could be a candidate for multiple positions (for those of you thinking about Mallex Smith).
Yoan Moncada Update
Meanwhile, with the trade of Kyle Kubitza yesterday, there was a bit of twitter speculation about 3B Yoan Moncada. Clearly, he could fill the gap that this trade created, but at the same time, we should probably temper the enthusiasm a bit.
Yes. NYY & BOS are the heavy favorites. RT @NorbertoPaulino Have you heard anything on if the Red Sox are indeed in on Moncada?
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) January 8, 2015
While that’s undoubtedly true, there are also a couple of factors that will impact his signability:
- If Moncada becomes eligible after June 15th, then both the Yankees and Red Sox are out due to their wanton abuse of the international signing rules.
- Oh, and there are 30 teams that want him
So while Moncada is definitely the prize of the Cuban expatriates – and the Braves will very likely be in on him – I wouldn’t hold my breath yet.