Editorials

Hector Olivera Impresses In Front Of Dodgers, Others

Hector Olivera

With Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada looking to soon sign with a team so he can participate in Spring Training, fellow countryman Hector Olivera may not be too far behind.



While Olivera, 29, hasn’t garnered as much attention as Moncada, he’s on the radar of multiple MLB teams and impressed in an open showcase last week. The Los Angeles Dodgers were among those who attended the showcase and according to Ben Badler of Baseball America, had a contingent on hand Wednesday to get another look at Olivera:

As he did in last week’s event, Olivera again impressed, reaching safely in all five of his plate appearances:

In portions of 10 seasons playing for Santiago de Cuba, Olivera is a career .323/.407/.505 with 96 home runs and 433 RBIs. At age 29 and having played in a Cuban professional league for more than five seasons, team’s aren’t bound by the same international signing guidelines that come with pursuing the younger Moncada.

The Dodgers found success in signing Yasiel Puig to a seven-year, $42 million contract in 2012, which at the time many believed to be preposterous deal for an unproven talent. Since then, the franchise hasn’t had as much luck with the signings of Erisbel Arruebarrena and Alex Guerrero.

While Moncada may be considered a safer bet, albeit a more costly one, he and Olivera conceivably could snap the Dodgers’ streak of spending big on Cuban prospects that have failed to completely pan out.

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Dodgers 2015 FanFest

Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

One Comment

  1. As stated on other blogs, it is only money which they have plenty of and we, the fans, have paid for because we cannot watch the Dodgers play on TV! So whenever possible I think they should spend money to pick up more players. The Dodgers have a streak of 27 Years without a title. Win it damn it.

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