In the Dominican from Saturday night, Gregory Polanco went 1-for-3 with a double, run scored, walk and RBI in his team’s 8-2 loss. Polanco has reached base 54 times in 27 games and been on base at least once in all but one game. He now has 25 RBIs this Winter. Starling Marte is practicing with the Escogido team, but is not 100% healed from his hand injury. He has what is being called by the team, a finger injury. The team hopes to have him in action soon.
Polanco is the biggest name among Pirates players in the Dominican, but on Saturday he was overshadowed by Carlos Paulino, who was his teammate during the season at Altoona and Indianapolis. Catching against Polanco’s team, he had a big night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and an RBI. Paulino is 9-for-33 this season in 12 games.
Felix Pie was let go by the Pirates at the beginning of the month and remains a free agent. In eight games this Winter, he is hitting .407 with a 1.204 OPS.
In Venezuela, Andrew Lambo went 1-for-4 with a walk, RBI and run scored. He had two strikeouts, giving him eight Ks in 16 at-bats.
Elvis Escobar played his third game, coming in as a pinch-runner in the sixth inning. He stayed in the game and played center field, but didn’t get an at-bat. He is 0-for-2 with two strikeouts on the season. At age 19, Escobar is one of the youngest players in the league.
Elias Diaz went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. He was pinch-hit for in the ninth inning. Diaz is 4-for-22 with six walks in ten games. The RBI was his first of the season.
In Puerto Rico, Jerry Sands went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his team’s 5-3 loss. Sands is hitting .288 with three homers and seven RBIs in 16 games.
Ivan De Jesus Jr. went 2-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and a walk. He is hitting .317 through 17 games.
In Mexico, Jay Jackson made his first appearance since signing with the Pirates. He continued his Winter domination, retiring all four batters he faced for his eighth save. Jackson has thrown 17.2 scoreless innings this Winter.
In Colombia, Yhonathan Barrios made his fourth appearance out of the bullpen. He came in during the eighth inning and ended up pitching one full inning before being removed. Barrios gave up a hit, two walks and hit a batter, but did not give up a run.
Harold Ramirez and Tito Polo have been helping their team to a 10-2 record this year, the best in the Colombian League. On Saturday, Polo was the big bat, hitting lead-off, he went 3-for-4 with a double, walk, two runs scored and three RBIs. Harold Ramirez went 1-for-5 with a run scored. Polo is hitting .348 in eight games, with a .988 OPS. Ramirez in hitting .341 in 41 ABs.
If you missed the late afternoon update of yesterday’s Winter league article, Harold Ramirez went 4-for-5, with three runs and three RBIs in the Colombian League on Friday. Through ten games, he is hitting .361 and leads the league with five stolen bases.
In Australia from Sunday, Sam Kennelly finished his week with an 0-for-4 game in his team’s 5-2 loss. After playing his first two games this weekend at first base, Kennelly moved over to second base. He is hitting .200 this year in 25 at-bats. As a 16-year-old in the ABL last year, he batted just 32 times all season.
Finally, one player won’t be part of the Winter updates anymore. Ali Solis has signed with the Tampa Bay Rays. He missed most of the 2013 regular season with a back injury, but he was making up for lost time in Mexico. Through Friday, Solis was hitting .308 with an .863 OPS in 29 games.
