Fall/Winter League Roundup: Lugo blasts three home runs, Rafaela swipes three bases

The action continued this week, with several prospects seeing playing ttime for their clubs. A power surge from Matthew Lugo (pictured) was the highlight in Puerto Rico, while Victor Santos returned to game action in the Dominican. Darwinzon Hernandez finally had a blemish in Venezuela, and Ceddanne Rafaela used his legs to contribute offensively. 

Dominican Professional Baseball League

Victor Santos had the flu and missed almost two weeks of action. He returned on Tuesday and allowed a solo home run to Starlin Castro while striking out three over two innings. He was roughed up in his second appearance, allowing two runs on four hits in one inning. He recorded one out in his third appearance while allowing a hit and a walk. Neither runner came in to score. Franklin German appeared in two games, allowing one run over two innings with one strikeout. His ERA sits at just 2.19 over 12 1/3 innings. 

Enmanuel Valdez went 1 for 12 with a walk, triple, and five strikeouts. While he did not appear in a game this week, Narciso Crook has been playing sparingly for Licey. He last appeared in a game on November 19 as a pinch runner. In all, he is hitting .143/.333/.143 in seven at-bats over five games. Crook was just signed as a minor league free agent on November 22. 

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Puerto Rico)

The story of the week was Matthew Lugo, who hit three home runs over two games early in the week. He cooled off after that but still went 5 for 20 with the three home runs and a double. He walked once and struck out six times. It was not a great week offensively for Ceddanne Rafaela, but he did show some improved patience at the plate. He went 4 for 22 with five walks and five strikeouts while stealing three bases. He had one double and added an outfield assist. 

Jeter Downs struggled again as his OPS dropped to .419. He went 3 for 17 with a double, walk, and five strikeouts. Christian Koss went 5 for 19 with four strikeouts, and Juan Montero went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

On the mound, Henry Núñez had his best week so far, firing 4 1/3 scoreless innings with a walk and three strikeouts over two appearances. Nate Tellier had a rough first outing but bounced back with a scoreless second appearance. For the week he allowed three runs on five hits over 3 2/3 with two walks and five strikeouts. 

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

Darwinzon Hernandez appeared in four games this week and finally gave up his first runs on Sunday. His ERA was still at 0.00 after his first three appearances this week, but on Sunday he allowed a three-run home run. He threw 3 1/3 innings this week and allowed four hits while striking out two and walking two. 

Colombia Professional Baseball League

Full stats for the week were not available at the time of publishing, but Ronaldo Hernandez continues to play for Cartagena. He hit a home run in Monday's game. Hernandez is also listed on the preliminary roster for Colombia for the World Baseball Classic, along with Jeter Downs and Rio Gomez. 

Photo Credit: Matthew Lugo by Kelly O'Connor

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