Great Sun-Times 2-Page Spread on Alexei

[LVSoxFan]

Anybody catch it in today's Sun-Times? There's a nice spread all about the Sox and Ramirez. Buy it if you see it.

 

Here's a link that covers part of it:

 

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1426...eluca12.article

 

But in a section called "Best in Chicago" (as far as who do you want in that position), the Sox took like four out of five categories from the Cubs.

 

So who exactly is at 2nd this year?

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Anybody catch it in today's Sun-Times? There's a nice spread all about the Sox and Ramirez. Buy it if you see it.

 

Here's a link that covers part of it:

 

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1426...eluca12.article

 

But in a section called "Best in Chicago" (as far as who do you want in that position), the Sox took like four out of five categories from the Cubs.

 

So who exactly is at 2nd this year?

I fully expect Getz to win the job.

[Cubano]

Those are big words for the former super sub and 8th place hitter in the Cuban National team when he was in the line up.

 

This raise the expectations for him. I hope he does well which I think he will. He will also have some mental lapses while adapting to an everyday SS. He played SS in his first season with Pinar del Rio and began playing CF ever since. He played 2B for the Cuban National team in emergency basis.

Edited February 12, 2009 by Cubano

[ILMOU]

Those are big words for the former super sub and 8th place hitter in the Cuban National team when he was in the line up.

 

This raise the expectations for him. I hope he does well which I think he will. He will also have some mental lapses while adapting to an everyday SS. He played SS in his first season with Pinar del Rio and began playing CF ever since. He played 2B for the Cuban National team in emergency basis.

 

So you're saying he doesn't really have all that much experience at SS? That's a little disconcerting. Was the guy who replaced him a superstar?

 

Anyway, not too worried, cause the guy is smart, and he'll make the adjustments. I want to see him moved to the 2-hole, which will force a little patience on him, perhaps, if there's a base stealer at leadoff, especially.

 

That Cuban Nat'l team must have been pretty smokin'. Alexei strikes me as a guy who has been improving his game over the past few years, figuring things out and getting better. He raked in his last year with Pinar, no?

 

[Cubano]

So you're saying he doesn't really have all that much experience at SS? That's a little disconcerting. Was the guy who replaced him a superstar?

 

Anyway, not too worried, cause the guy is smart, and he'll make the adjustments. I want to see him moved to the 2-hole, which will force a little patience on him, perhaps, if there's a base stealer at leadoff, especially.

 

That Cuban Nat'l team must have been pretty smokin'. Alexei strikes me as a guy who has been improving his game over the past few years, figuring things out and getting better. He raked in his last year with Pinar, no?

 

 

Keep in mind that Cuban teams use players based on their needs obviously. I can not tell for sure who replaced him because in those years I was kind of busy and away from baseball. I also did not have Cuban TV in my home like I have now. I supposed that Pinar del Rio had a decent SS and there was not a good CF and they moved Alexei to CF. In Cuba, they usually value SS as a defense first and offense second like it used to be at the MLB level a few years back. I can find out for sure why he was moved to CF with a couple of friends form Miami that have had their Cuban TV prior than I have. My assumption is that he was not moved because he was bad or anything like that.

[Cubano]

So you're saying he doesn't really have all that much experience at SS? That's a little disconcerting. Was the guy who replaced him a superstar?

 

Anyway, not too worried, cause the guy is smart, and he'll make the adjustments. I want to see him moved to the 2-hole, which will force a little patience on him, perhaps, if there's a base stealer at leadoff, especially.

 

That Cuban Nat'l team must have been pretty smokin'. Alexei strikes me as a guy who has been improving his game over the past few years, figuring things out and getting better. He raked in his last year with Pinar, no?

 

 

Alexei debuted in 2000. I do not have the Cuban Baseball Guide for that year. I have the 2001. In that year, he was a part- time player. The Cuban season consists of 90 games in addition to the playoffs. He played in 17 games during the regular season. He played 56.2 innings in SS/2B. He made 2 errors in 39 lances for a 949 fielding percentage. He intervined in 5 DP. There was another guy named Onel Olivera playing SS until last year. I do not what hapened to Olivera, but he is still young. He was good defensively, but not great with the bat.

 

Alexei batted 421 (19 AB 8 H 1 2B 1 3B 0 HR 1 RBI 1 K 1 BB).

 

Actually, this is Onel Olivera in action. If you go to 3:08 time in the first video clip, Olivera is in SS with the number 1.

http://cubanballplayers.blogspot.com/2009/...is-gavilan.html

 

The two new guys that replaced Olivera this year are David Castillo (good hands but questionable hitting) and Osniel Madera, son of another Pinar del Rio great Lazaro Madera. Madera was like Vlad Guerrero who swings at everything but somehow makes good contact. I have seen Osniel play at SS this season and I like what I saw. He is a good hitter too. If he comes to the States before it is too late for MLB, he may have a chance to play in the Majors. Somehow Castillo started as the regular though and Osniel began to play once Castillo got injured.

 

The players from Pinar del Rio, Industriales/Metropolitanos (Havana City), Cowboys (Havana province) and Villa Clara have been defecting the most. It is always good to keep an eye on these teams.

 

 

[BearSox]

I think he'll hit a sophomore wall next year, but a lot of players do. He might not have as much of an impact people are expecting of him this year, but I really love his future with this team.