The Dominican Summer League is where teenage international signees often play before coming stateside. Every now and then, a Dominican Summer League player such as Yolmer Sanchez will successfully make the journey from being an international signee to a productive Major League player. Usually, a player even making it to MLB after beginning in the Dominican Summer League is a win in itself.
Generally, the players who excel in the Dominican Summer League are players we have at least heard of, most commonly when they signed. When a player most have not heard of comes out of nowhere and produces eye-popping numbers, even in a limited sample, we take notice. Benyamin Bailey is doing exactly that.
A 6’4, 215 pound outfielder from Panama, Bailey (through 16 games) is hitting .393/.493/.482 with a .975 OPS. Is this a small sample size? Absolutely. Is the .493 on base percentage coming in a league notorious for pitchers with poor control and high walk rates? Yes. But we would still be remiss to not at least note how well Bailey has been playing.
If you are like me, you probably want more information about Bailey. Where has he played in the past, is he a legitimate prospect or just a filler signing, what are his scouting grades, and so on. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to find any information on Bailey. In fact, all I could find was a random Reddit post where a user asked for any information and received a comment which, while admittedly could be completely fabricated, is literally the only information about him available on the internet:
He’s from Panama, and comes from a youth program that has placed several prospects in different organizations (including a few that have progressed very quickly). He’s very big, but lanky, and is known for his natural hitting and some raw pop. In his youth ball, he was the star hitter on his team, and played a combo of 1B and OF. He has the size and speed to stick in the OF and might be able to play in center. He will likely bulk up once stateside, and that power should be more evident.
Bailey may never amount to anything, but it is at least interesting to have a player dominating the Dominican Summer League early on. I wish I could provide more insight into his background, but it seems as if only some in the White Sox organization and those who know him personally can do so. For now, I will continue to check the league’s box scores daily, expecting Bailey to continue his dominance. I look forward to him making a potential stateside debut next year, or perhaps even this season if the White Sox believe he is too good for his current league.
Featured Photo: milb.com
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