Top 10 Prospects In The DSL

The names you need to know from the 2019 Dominican Summer League season

- Ben Badler

For most Latin American prospects, their first official games are played in the Dominican Summer League.

It’s a level that continues to become more heavily scouted, with clubs hoping to pick the pocket of another organization for a faraway prospect before he breaks through. Players are now getting traded out of the DSL and frequently come up in trade discussions and proposals, though most deals never come to fruition or become public knowledge.

To quality for this list, a hitter must have at least 70 plate appearances and a pitcher must have pitched at least 20 innings in the DSL. Older Cuban players who were in the league just to get a tuneup, like 22-year-old shortstop Yolbert Sanchez of the White Sox, weren’t included.

1. NOELVI MARTE, SS, MARINERS

Born: Oct. 16, 2001. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 181.

Signed: Dominican Republic, 2018.

After landing one of the premier international prospects in 2017—Julio Rodriguez—the Mariners did so again in 2018 with the signing of Marte for $1.55 million out of the Dominican Republic, and early returns have been fantastic. Marte showed an exciting combination of athleticism, hitting ability and power in the DSL in 2019.

He hits with good rhythm and balance, sequencing his swing well from his leg kick to his fluid, explosive swing. He has fast bat speed and plus raw power with a swing geared to hit the ball in the air and good strike-zone discipline, making him a threat to get on base at a high clip with the potential for 25-plus home runs. An above-average runner, Marte got bigger and stronger last year without losing his athleticism.