by Michael Cutting

Created on: August 11, 2008

Baseball is life in the Dominican Republic. Many Dominican prospects, some as young as 16 years of age, head over to the United States and begin their trek through the levels of professional baseball, in hopes of one day reaching the major leagues. There are a few Dominican prospects under the age of 18 worth discussing. One of the hottest prospects of 2008 is Michael Almanzar, a third baseman in the Red Sox organization. Almanzar received a $1.5 million dollar signing bonus as a 16 year old in 2007, and he has lived up to the hype so far in his professional career. After hitting at an impressive .348 clip in 23 games in the rookie Gulf Coast League, Almanzar received a surprise promotion to Greenville in the South Atlantic League. In 17 games as a 17 year old in full-season ball, Almanzar has gotten off to a slow start, hitting .221 with a .562 OPS. The potential for Almanzar to start 2009 in the Carolina League exists, but the likely scenario is another half season in the SAL before reaching Salem next July.

Carlos Triunfel, a shortstop in the Mariners system, has received attention since the end of 2007, when he played 50 games in High-A High Desert as a 17 year old, hitting a respectable .288 in emergency duty. It looked like Triunfel was out of his element in High Desert early in 2008, hitting .233 before the All-Star break. He has been a man possessed in the second half of the season, hitting .348 with a .944 OPS. With a strong second half performance, Triunfel may finish the year in AA San Antonio.
Michael Inoa may be the most hyped Dominican product ever. Inoa, a 6 ft 7 inch right-handed pitcher, received a 4.25 million dollar bonus from the Oakland Athletics in the summer of 2008, making him the biggest bonus baby ever to come out of the Dominican Republic. Armed with a 94-mile per hour fastball, a polished curveball, a developing change up, and tons of project ability, Inoa will most likely begin his trail-blazing path to the major leagues for the Arizona Summer League Athletics in 2009. Look for Inoa to be aggressively pushed by Oakland, and do not be surprised to see him in an A's uniform before his 21st birthday.
20-year-old Yamaico Navarro might have risen the highest of any Dominican prospect in 2008. Navarro, an unheralded shortstop whom the Red Sox signed for a paltry $20,000 bonus in 2005, is making a strong argument as the best shortstop in the Red Sox system. Navarro has excelled as he has moved up the organizational ladder, and after being named a South Atlantic League All-Stat, has decimated California League pitching to the tune of a .385 average and .981 OPS in his first 104 at-bats. A late season jump to Double-A Portland is not out of the question, especially if Argenis Diaz is considered for a September call up to the big club. Look for Navarro to start 2009 as Portland's shortstop, and do not be surprised if Navarro becomes a hot commodity in trade talks over the winter.
These four prospects are household names to the cyber-geeks and saber metric geniuses, and will soon become household names to everyone. Look for these prospects to have an impact in the major leagues in the upcoming years.

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