White Sox land Dayan Viciendo

[Cubbies622]

Per Rotoworld:

"Sources told the Chicago Tribune that the White Sox and Cuban defector Dayan Viciedo have agreed to terms.

Phil Rogers reports that Viciedo will get a major league deal worth about $11 million. The 19-year-old doesn't figure to be any sort of an immediately solution to the White Sox's problems at third base, but he could start off in the high minors if he impresses during spring training."

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&id=5588

 

I wonder how good he will end up being.

[Cubbies622]

Oh and in case anyone is wondering who he is, he has been said to be a baseball "prodigy" and is often compared to Omar Linares

who is said to be the best Cuban baseball player of all time.

He has also been said to likely have been a 1st round pick if he was eligible for the amateur draft.

[UMFan83]

Oh and in case anyone is wondering who he is, he has been said to be a baseball "prodigy" and is often compared to Omar Linares

who is said to be the best Cuban baseball player of all time.

He has also been said to likely have been a 1st round pick if he was eligible for the amateur draft.

 

Isn't that like the exact same thing they said about Alexi Ramirez last year?

[Guest]

He likely would have been a first rounder though a big league contract is pretty ridiculous and there are some red flags up there (his conditioning and weight and his potential need to move from third to first base are all compared to Miguel Cabrera in a negative light). The White Sox had to be the front runners for him considering the Cubans they already had on the team.

[questionmarkgrace]

Isn't that like the exact same thing they said about Alexi Ramirez last year?

 

uh, no. he wasnt heralded as much of anything thats why he got a 2 year 4 million dollar deal. But he ended up being really good. This kid is 19 and just got a major league contract for 11 mill. Thats pretty rare for a 19 year old.

[BCVM22]

uh, no. he wasnt heralded as much of anything thats why he got a 2 year 4 million dollar deal.

 

Chicago's other A. Ramirez got 4 years/$4.75 mil.

[SweetZombieJesus]

Oh and in case anyone is wondering who he is, he has been said to be a baseball "prodigy" and is often compared to Omar Linares

who is said to be the best Cuban baseball player of all time.

He has also been said to likely have been a 1st round pick if he was eligible for the amateur draft.

 

Isn't that like the exact same thing they said about Alexi Ramirez last year?

 

No, Ramirez was supposedly one of the elite hitters in cuba but he was not touted as highly as viciedo.Ramirez wasn't even the best player on the Cuban WBC team that was Yuniesky Gourriel.

 

You might be thinking for Kendry Morales who made the jump at 21 or 22. He's been less successful but Viecedo was more touted than him.

[Guest]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=1789

 

Born in March 1989, Viciedo is listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, but reports are that he was bigger than that last year at the World Junior Championship in Mexico. Viciedo has excellent power and hitting ability, however, with one scout comparing him to Giants prospect Angel Villalona. He slugged over .500 two of the last three seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, its top-level league, hitting 14 homers in 2005-2006—as a 16-year-old—in his best season.

 

"His body could go the same route as Livan Hernandez, and when I saw him in Mexico, he wasn’t very good at third base anymore," one international scouting director said. "But he can really hit; in fact, I think he’s probably a better hitter than Villalona."

 

Another scout who had seen Viciedo was less enthused about him as a player, pegging him as a first baseman-only hitter with a bad body. "You know everybody liked Kendry Morales," the scout said, referring to the Angels’ Cuban DH/first baseman, "and he had some other tools. But his body’s gone south and he’s pretty much just a DH. So I think it’s premature to get too excited about this guy."

 

Viciedo burst on the scene as a 15-year-old, when he was MVP of the World Junior Championships. In Serie Nacional in 2005-2006, he made the all-star team while playing for Villa Clara. His Villa Clara manager, former national team star Victor Mesa, told Cuba’s Granma news in 2006 that Viciedo has “a good arm and tremendous power. He’s got excellent technique, but at the same time is surprisingly calm for his young age and very secure in defense.”

 

There are major question marks about him. I certainly wouldn't have given him a big league contract (of course, I wouldn't have given Jeff Samardzija one either).

[Mephistopheles]

Dayan has been around seemingly forever now. Just 19. Jesus. Given that Dayan was a free agent, it's not a surprise that he got a major league contract. I'd say 10-15 first rounders each season would be given one if there was no draft. He's a front half first round talent no doubt. Probably top 2 or 3 pick talent.

[JonnyRed]

I just love the reaction of Sox fans...A year ago, they were all throwing Crede out with the garbage predicting how Fields was going to mash 30 HRs...now they are giddy about this kid replacing Fields and are comparing him to the next Cabrera....LOL.

[Mephistopheles]

Laugh it up, it's a legitimate comparison