Draft Re-entry LIDOM: Águilas, Toros, Gigantes and Escogido define reinforcements

Cibao Eagles lead the LIDOM Re-entry Draft

The Águilas Cibaeñas, current leaders of the regular season, initiated the Re-entry Draft of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM) by selecting Cristhian Adames, an infielder belonging to the Tigres del Licey, as their first pick. In contrast, the Toros del Este focused their efforts on strengthening their pitching staff, especially the bullpen, choosing Jean Carlos Mejía, also from Licey, in the first round. The draft, organized by LIDOM, took place at noon and consisted of six rounds for the four semifinalist teams, who will compete in the round robin starting next Saturday, seeking a place in the Final Series of the tournament dedicated to Juan Marichal. In the first selections, the Eagles bet on the experience and batting of Adames, while the Bulls prioritized strengthening their bullpen. The Gigantes del Cibao chose catcher Francisco Mejía (Licey), and the Leones del Escogido closed the first round by selecting reliever Patrick Weigl (Estrellas Orientales). According to the regulations, each team had the opportunity to select six players, with a minimum of three native players.

“It was a draft with a lot of talent”, expressed Jean Guzmán, operations manager of the Águilas Cibaeñas. “In our case, the plans went as we had them in mind, both with the selection of Adames and with the strengthening of the bullpen and pitching in general, which were priorities for this round robin”.
Jean Guzmán

Jesús Mejía, manager of the Toros del Este, indicated that the process was clear and direct.

“Our offense has always been a strength, as has starting pitching, but the bullpen has been a weakness and that’s what we’re focusing on.”
Jesús Mejía

The Gigantes del Cibao described their selection as a “balanced draft,” according to Jeylon Pimentel, from the operations management, who highlighted the defensive and offensive impact of Francisco Mejía, in addition to the incorporations of Gustavo Núñez and Ismael Munguía, along with the reinforcement of the pitching staff. Carlos Peña, manager of the Leones del Escogido, considered the process as a “very dynamic draft”, highlighting the acquisition of pitchers Patrick Weigl, Radhamés Liz and Jefry Yan, as well as offensive players such as Raimel Tapia, Jorge Mateo and Michael de la Cruz.