The Dominican Winter League completed its 2011 regular season on December 21st. Here’s a look at how pitchers in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization performed in the Dominican Republic.

Frankie De La Cruz

De La Cruz, a right hander, had an unforgettable Dominican season—unforgettably bad. In eight starts for Estrellas Orientales, De La Cruz was 0-7 with an ERA of 8.24. Opposing batters hit .331 against him. Last year, De La Cruz appeared in 11 games for the Brewers, all in relief, and had a 2.77 ERA. He spent much of the season at triple A Nashville and did reasonably well there, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.88 ERA in 25 games, including 23 starts. De La Cruz is on the Brewers’ 40 man roster, but won’t be for long if he puts up numbers in spring training similar to what he had in the Dominican Republic.

Santo Manzanillo

Manzanillo pitched in just one game for Tigres del Licey before spraining his pitching shoulder in an automobile accident. A right hander, he is on the Brewers’ 40 man roster, but it is uncertain if he will be sufficiently recovered to participate in spring training. In 2011, he was 1-1 with an ERA of 1.75 and 62 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings in relief at class A Brevard County and double A Huntsville (combined stats).

Roque Mercedes

Another right hander, Mercedes did well in limited action for Leones del Escogido, posting a 1.29 ERA in seven innings of work, with nine strikeouts. Mercedes is not on the Brewers’ roster and is at least a couple of years away. He was 2-2 with a 2.35 ERA in 28 innings in relief for Brevard County and earned a promotion to Huntsville. He struggled with the Stars, going 0-3 with a 6.95 ERA in 27 relief appearances.

Wily Peralta

Peralta is considered to be one of the top pitching prospects in the Brewers’ organization. He was mediocre in six games for Gigantes del Cibao. Peralta was 1-3 with a 4.68 ERA in four starts and two relief appearances. Last season, Peralta was 9-7 with a 3.46 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 119 2/3 inning as a starting pitcher for Huntsville. He was promoted to Nashville, and was 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in five starts for the Sounds. Peralta is on the Brewers roster and has a chance make the club at some point during the 2012 season.

Juan Perez

Perez was signed to a minor league contract in December after spending 2011 in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Perez is a left handed reliever, something that is a definite need for the Brewers. Perez put up some good numbers pitching for Gigantes del Cibao. He had an 0-1 record but a 1.93 ERA in 28 innings of relief with three saves. He also had 28 strikeouts in those 28 innings. In 2011, Perez was 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in eight appearances with the Phillies. He spent most of the season with triple A Lehigh Valley where he struggled, going 0-5 with a 5.70 ERA and four saves in 36 games. Perez has been invited to spring training as a non roster player.

A Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, Mark Hudziak has been a fan of the Brewers since they moved to Milwaukee in 1970.

Sources:

Baseball Reference.com

Caribbean Winter Leagues site at MLB.com

Milwaukee Brewers.com

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The Dominican Winter League in the Dominican Republic completed regular season play for 2011 on December 21st. Here’s a look at how the non pitchers in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization performed.

Erick Almonte

Almonte hit .276 with nine doubles, 22 RBIs, and an on base percentage of .380 for Gigantes del Cibao. In 2011, Almonte was a non roster invitee to spring training and made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster. He hit just .103 with one home run and three RBIs in 16 games before suffering a concussion. He finished the year at triple A Nashville where he hit .303 with six homers and 42 RBIs in 83 games. Almonte is not on the Brewers 40 man roster and is not currently a non roster invitee to spring training.

Mat Gamel

Gamel is often mentioned as the leading candidate to take over at first base in 2012 after Prince Fielder moves on via free agency. If he is the future of first base in Milwaukee, his Dominican League numbers are not very encouraging. In 20 games for Estrellas Orientales, Gamel was 11 for 64 (.172). He did make the most of those 11 hits with a double, two homers, and 11 RBIs. Gamel spent most of 2011 at Nashville, where he hit .310 with 28 homers and 96 RBIs. He’s been a good hitter throughout his minor league career, but has yet to prove he can consistently hit big league pitching. In 85 games with the Brewers, Gamel has hit .222 with five homers and 23 RBIs. He will be given every opportunity to show that he is not one of those players who peaks at the triple A level. If he makes the club and his numbers for Milwaukee are close to what he had at Nashville, it would go a long way towards replacing the run production lost when Fielder leaves.

Carlos Gomez

Gomez started the 2011 season as the Brewers’ center fielder and ended it as a platoon and defensive replacement due to lack of hitting (.225 average, 64 strikeouts and only 15 walks, .270 on base percentage in 94 games). Gomez’ hitting woes continued into the Dominican League. He hit .145 and had an on base percentage of just .212 in 23 games for Aguillas Cibaenas.

Mike Rivera

Rivera hit .228 with two homers and seven RBIs in 20 games for Aguillas Cibaenas. in 2011, he hit .238 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in 61 games for Nashville. He’s on the Sounds’ roster, but is a non roster invitee to the Brewers’ spring training. Rivera, a catcher, has had some brief stays with the Brewers in the past, and has a .261 batting average with 11 homers and 55 RBIs in 120 games with the Crew. Rivera has some pop in his bat, and with three catchers already on the 40 man roster, the Brewers may be showcasing the 35 year old for a possible trade.

Mark Hudziak is a Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. He has been a fan of the Brewers since they moved to Milwaukee in 1970.

Sources:

Baseball Reference.com

Caribbean Leagues site at MLB.com

Milwaukee Brewers Official Site at MLB.com

Nashville Sounds Official Website

More from this contributor:

Green Bay Packers Vs. Chicago Bears 12/25/2011: Fan’s Preview

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MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers have signed infielder Cesar Izturis and left-hander Juan Perez to minor-league contracts with invitations to spring training.

Izturis has played 11 seasons, including the past three in Baltimore. He played only 18 games for the Orioles last season, spending much of the year on the disabled list with nerve irritation in his right elbow. He also missed time with a strained groin.

Perez has 32 career appearances and was 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA for Philadelphia last season.

The Brewers also invited catcher Anderson De La Rosa, left-hander Jed Bradley and right-hander Taylor Jungmann to spring training.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have signed infielder Cesar Izturis and left-hander Juan Perez to minor-league contracts with invitations to spring training.

Izturis has played 11 seasons, including the past three in Baltimore. He played only 18 games for the Orioles last season, spending much of the year on the disabled list with nerve irritation in his right elbow. He also missed time with a strained groin.

Perez has 32 career appearances and was 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA for Philadelphia last season.
The Brewers also invited catcher Anderson De La Rosa, left-hander Jed Bradley and right-hander Taylor Jungmann to spring training.

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers have signed infielder Cesar Izturis and left-hander Juan Perez to minor-league contracts with invitations to spring training.

Izturis has played 11 seasons, including the past three in Baltimore. He played only 18 games for the Orioles last season, spending much of the year on the disabled list with nerve irritation in his right elbow. He also missed time with a strained groin.

Perez has 32 career appearances and was 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA for Philadelphia last season.

The Brewers also invited catcher Anderson De La Rosa, left-hander Jed Bradley and right-hander Taylor Jungmann to spring training.