Chosen is reinforced: Peña celebrates Weigel, Yan and more’s selection in the Draft

SANTO DOMINGO. – Carlos Peña, general manager of the Leones del Escogido, expressed his satisfaction after the Re-entry Draft of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). Peña believes that the new additions strengthen the team in its quest to revalidate the title obtained. The scarlet team added Patrick Weigel and Jefry Yan as relievers, Radhamés Liz as a starter, Raimel Tapia in the outfield, Jorge Mateo in the infield, and Michael de la Cruz as a catcher.

“Weigel is a man who closes the door and is very aggressive in the zone. We love Yan’s energy, while Liz gives us stability as a power pitcher, with numbers that speak for themselves. Tapia is a tremendous hitter who makes a difference on any team,”

Carlos Peña

Peña also highlighted Mateo’s return to the team.

“Mateo is a great player. When we made the change in the regular season, it was a managerial decision seeking to restructure the team. Now he returns home and that talent cannot be overlooked. De la Cruz gives us depth in the receiving position and has good experience”,

Carlos Peña

During the regular season, Patrick Weigel was one of the most outstanding relievers, with an ERA of 1.19, a WHIP of 0.66, 34 strikeouts in 30.1 innings, four saves, and a batting average against of .144. In his last 20 relief appearances, he only allowed one earned run in 28.2 innings (0.31 ERA). Jefry Yan, for his part, recorded an effectiveness of 3.13 in 23.0 innings, with 28 strikeouts, a WHIP of 0.96 and a batting average against of .169. Radhamés Liz had six appearances, with an ERA of 2.95 in 21.1 innings, 21 strikeouts, and a batting average of .205 for his opponents. In the offensive, Raimel Tapia led the league with 73 hits, being the third time a player reached 70 or more hits in a 50-game season. His offensive line was .356/.398/.459, with two home runs, 24 RBIs, 12 doubles and 30 runs scored. Jorge Mateo hit a home run, three doubles, drove in 10 runs, scored 15 and stole nine bases in 33 games. With the Estrellas Orientales he batted .298 in 15 games, with a .794 OPS. Michael de la Cruz, a switch hitter, participated in 28 games, hit five doubles and a triple, drove in nine runs, and recorded a .648 OPS. Defensively, he retired seven of 17 runners attempting to steal (41%). In his 10 seasons in LIDOM, he has caught 31% of runners. In the draft process, the Lions’ operations table was also made up of José Miguel Bonetti, a member of the Board of Directors; Ángel “Aroboy” Santana, special assistant to the general manager; and José Gómez Frías, sports vice president. The Leones del Escogido will start the Round Robin on Saturday, December 27, at 5:00 in the afternoon, against the Águilas Cibaeñas at the Cibao Stadium.