Dominican deserves MLB love

Major League Baseball deserves credit for bringing its product to non-traditional markets, but there is one location that has yet to make the cut: the Dominican Republic. It’s time for that to change.

In the past decade, MLBhosted regular-season games in Japan, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom. The Dominican Republic, despite producing more big leaguers than any country outside of the United States, has yet to receive that same opportunity.

Commissioner Rob Manfred previously announced that the Caribbean nation will host spring training games next year, but that’s not going far enough. Not when markets without even close to the same level of passion for the sport have bypassed meaningless exhibition games and instead opened their doors for the real thing.

MLB targeted Australia and England because they are untapped markets which offer potential for growth. The same can’t be said about the Dominican, where the sport’s popularity has never been in question, but with games in foreign markets becoming more of a priority the country should be rewarded for its deep baseball history.

In the last collective agreement, MLB and the MLB Players’ Association allocated $40 million (all dollar figures U.S.) for games abroad.

Last year, Puerto Rico hosted a pair of regular-season games between the Indians and Twins.

This year, Monterrey, Mexico and London, England got in on the action as well.

CHISHOLM continued on S2

The Dominican, which previously hosted four exhibition games, is still waiting for its turn.

Security undoubtedly is one of the top concerns, especially after former Red Sox star David Ortiz was shot in one of the country’s nightclubs earlier this year. But if MLB has determined the conditions are safe enough for its athletes in the spring, then there is no reason why it shouldn’t be suitable for the regular season as well.

Proper facilities also shouldn’t be a major roadblock. The Pirates and Cubs took part in the Little League Classic on Sunday night and played a regular-season game in front of approximately 2,500 people in Williamsport, Pa. By comparison, the Dominican Republic has stadiums which can hold upwards of 18,000. The capacity is there to make a short series work.

Renovations to one of the ballparks might be required before MLB sets foot on the ground, but that’s where money allocated for use in foreign markets could be used. After all, this is a league which reportedly spent upwards of $5 million to build a temporary stadium in Fort Bragg, N.C. for a 2016 game between the Marlins and Braves. Adding the Dominican as a host country for the World Baseball Classic would provide even more bang for the buck.

If MLB decides to bring a regular-season game to the Dominican, the Blue Jays should be one of the top teams under consideration. The organization has enjoyed close ties to the region since its inception in 1977 thanks in large part to the work of longtime scout Epy Guerrero, who helped sign the likes of Tony Fernandez, Damaso Garcia and Alfredo Griffin while also being a driving force behind taking George Bell in the Rule 5 draft.

More recently the Jays set a record by fielding a starting lineup with six Dominican players during the 2014 season. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, both from the Dominican, were two of Toronto’s biggest stars over the last couple of decades and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is arguably on the verge of stepping into Ortiz’s shoes as the country’s most prominent athlete.

According to Baseball Reference, the Dominican has produced 755 big-league players since the start of the modern era in 1901, the most of any country outside the U.S. Venezuela is a distant second at 405, while Canada sits third at 254. It’s time to reward that history with a regular-season game and the Jays are an obvious choice to make it happen.

á WAITING ON VLADDY: The Jays clearly manipulated Guerrero’s service time by keeping him in the minor leagues longer than he deserved, but that doesn’t mean the organization was lying when it continuously stated the areas of Guerrero’s game that needed improvement.

Guerrero is more than three months into his big-league career and the initial causes for concern are still very much present. The defence at third base has been questionable at best for most of the year, as evidenced by a minus-4 in defensive runs saved per FanGraphs. His arm is fine, his hands maybe not so much, and his ability to charge slow grounders remains a glaring weakness.

Then there’s the ongoing issue surrounding Guerrero’s level of fitness. The Jays have been trying for years to have Guerrero take his off-season training more seriously and those challenges are still present today. He carries a heavy load and a recurring knee issue should serve as a warning that some changes need to be made in order to avoid bigger problems down the road.

With that in mind, should the Jays move Guerrero off third base entirely? Not necessarily, at least not yet. Guerrero isn’t blocking anyone at third, and there’s no harm in taking another year to assess his development during a time when the club is rebuilding.

If by the end of 2020 there hasn’t been much progress with the glove, then a shift across the diamond becomes the obvious move.

There’s a very real chance this scenario will turn into Miguel Cabrera all over again. Cabrera began his illustrious career as an outfielder/third baseman but eventually had to shift to first base and designated hitter because of mobility concerns. That limited Cabrera’s overall upside, but he turned into such an elite hitter that it almost didn’t even matter. Guerrero might be on a similar path, because while the glove remains a question mark, nobody doubts the bat.

AUCOIN’S BATTLE: Former Expos right-hander and current TVA analyst Derek Aucoin revealed on Monday morning that he has been diagnosed with Glioblastoma multiforme, a rapidly growing tumour which typically spreads in brain tissue.

Aucoin released a statement saying he underwent surgery earlier this summer to have a tumour removed from his brain. The recovery was going well until Aug. 13, when the latest condition was discovered.

“I will fight to the end to win this game and I will devote all my energies,” Aucoin said in a statement translated from French. “My family and I want to live this event in private and we will not make any other comments. Be assured, however, that my silence in the coming weeks will be synonymous with my fight against the disease. I will give everything I have and keep my head up.”

THE NEW DIGS: The Jays will officially open their renovated Dunedin Stadium when the Grapefruit League season opens against the Braves on Feb. 24. The stadium is still under construction and has been closed for the 2019 season, but it is expected to be ready for the spring.

Toronto released its full home spring schedule on Monday afternoon. It features two games against the Yankees, one against the Red Sox and three against crosstown rival Philadelphia. The final home game is scheduled for March 21, and while the Jays are not scheduled to return to Montreal next year it’s not immediately clear if an alternate location will be chosen for a late-spring exhibition game.