Detroit – From March to September, Tom Moore, the Tigers’ director of foreign operations, was closed, as the top player in the baseball industry.
Instead of his scouts looking for teens in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Australia, and the Far East, he stayed at his job site in Lakeland doing skill-building trainings with his staff and browsing through all the videos and reports. you can receive. of your contacts around the world.
And now it is two months before the era of foreign firms, delayed from July 2 to January 15.
“We’ve stayed in touch with some players, our target players, the players we’re interested in,” Moore said in an interview with Zoom on Thursday. “We were going to get educational videos and once they opened up, we pointed directly at the players we were looking to see and how we were going to watch them. “
Of course, the pandemic continues to sweep. The Tigers were unable to open their academy in the Dominican Republic, in Venezuela there is fuel shortages, restrictions and a radical quarantine every two weeks, scouts in Japan, China and Australia are suspended for now.
But just because headhunters haven’t been to see them in the eye doesn’t mean there are no clues that can replace the franchise waiting to be signed.
“The coaches (trainers/handlers) of those players were in a position for their players to sign in Or after July 2,” Moore said. “So they just bit the piece to get their players out and sign. so that their players would start over with education, they worked.
“So even before we can detect them, we may keep an eye on them all the time. “
The Tigers have returned to the group of foreign prospects in a giant component in recent years. Currently, five of its 25 most sensitive customers (by MLBPipeline) are foreign signatories, not counting those acquired from other franchises.
Baseball America, before closing, had prepared the Tigers to recruit two other Dominican-born players: shortshoote Cristian Santana (for nearly $3 million) and right pitcher Rainer Castillo.
Last year, they hired 16-year-old gardener Roberto Campos (no. 20) for a record $2. 8 million, they hired gardener José De La Cruz (No. 25) for $1. 8 million and Adinso Reyes shortscreed (No. 23) for $1. 8 million. $1. 45 million.
Campos, who is 17 years old, has not yet been able to go to the United States.
“He’s running through the systems that our player progression team has put in position and they’re watching him closely,” Moore said. “We still can’t take our boys to the paintings at our academy, yet our player progression managers work tirelessly with all of our players, making sure they have the things they want to exercise and that they stick to the exercise plan. “
Moore also said the Tigers are hoping to host a league-style educational camp in the Dominican Republic next month. This would be similar to the choice settings the Tigers had in Toledo, with all the COVID tests and protocols in place.
If that happens, it will be the first time Campos has participated in organized team education since the Dominican Summer League closed in February.
“Roberto was able to paint on his body and more powerful,” Moore said. “That’s the smart thing for a lot of those players. They were able to paint on strength, conditioning and improve their bodies. He was already a physical child. ” We just hope it gets bigger and more powerful as it matures.
De La Cruz, who is 18, and Reyes, 19, have had the merit of a season in the Dominican Summer League, and both have been impressive in the last six weeks competing in the educational league in Lakeland.
When the Tigers signed it, it weighed 6-1, 195 pounds. Talking to him via Zoom on Thursday, after spending six months in the Dominican Republic educating with a trainer, he weighs up to 214 pounds, with 14% body fat.
“I worked with my coach and also to get a better diet,” Tigers performer Carlos Guillén said. “Sometimes I broke the law with food (laughs) but they set me back on course. “
Before closing, he had put on the Tigers radar by cutting Array307/. 375/. 5 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in games in the Dominican Summer League in 2019.
“From La Cruz comes from a bigger program (in Santo Domingo), ” said Moore. “He’s just a physical kid who has five teams and can do anything. But it can actually have an effect on a baseball. Few” young people their age can do this.
De La Cruz said he had no rust disorders when he returned to Lakeland last month. He said he plays unstructured van games 4 to five times a week, does drilling training and practices daily batting in a box near his home and trains. with his coach every day.
“No one expected this (a stop), ” he said. I was able to play before and once COVID arrived, I just tried to take credit and check the progress to be in a position for this season, each and every time I got here.
De La Cruz, the baby’s face, a little shy in front of the camera, is 18 years old; Reyes, with the hairline already receding and his voice sound like an old night DJ, seems several years older than the age of 19. . because he had spent two full weeks fighting the coronavirus, tested after returning to Lakeland last month.
“It was difficult, ” he said, back through the interpreter of Guillén. “I spent six months in the Dominican Republic, then stayed in Lakeland for only 4 or five days and tested positive. I spent two weeks in quarantine, without leaving the room, not going out to see the sun, nothing.
He lost weight and strength. He’s been involved in the last two weeks.
“It’s from the Santiago region of the Dominican Republic, so it’s not as well-seen as the Santo Domingo region, yet it’s on the radar of all the teams,” Moore said. “He’s a guy who stood out with the bat. “
He was also inspired by his first summer league action in 2019, beating 0. 331/0. 379/0. 508 with seven home runs and 48 RBIs in 62 games. His short-field defense remains in progress, and there are those in the organization who plan, as he continues to grow as he continues to grow within 6-1, he will be moved to a corner of the painting.
“I know I have my defense, ” he said. ” My hit, I feel like it’s a gift to me. I can hit. But I want to line up the balls on the ground. I catch them, I avoid ” them, but I have to get bigger and put my feet in position when the ball comes towards me.
The last short film to prevent the Tigers from signing at Santiago Willy Adames, who only helped the Rays enter the World Series, was an emotion for Moore and Reyes.
“I would have liked to see him do that in a Tiger uniform,” Moore said. “But it was exciting for Willy to have this delight at such a young age. This will only help you for the rest of your career. “
Adames, a component of the industry package that brought David Price to the Tigers, is six years older than Reyes.
“It’s wonderful to see him play in the World Series,” Reyes said. “He’s a wonderful guy. We met when I was already playing with the Rays. We have intelligent communication. “
Twitter @cmccosky