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October 24:



We finished our monthly private practice with many young international amateur free agents, whom we hope will help our team in the future. It was great to meet the players face-to-face and get to know them better, and Jason McLeod was able to improve his scouting judgments on all invitees. In fact, some of the players showed higher potential than he had initially expected, and he listed them for me in an email.

Victor Cruz, 16-year-old 2B out of the Dominican Republic



Lean and athletic, Victor Cruz hails from San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic. His power potential is rated highly. He has a quick swing that handles most fastballs well, but off-speed pitches can challenge him. Expect a batting average around .270. He should be effective at working the counts. If Cruz keeps improving, he'll be on the short list for the best second baseman in the league.

Mike Gago, 16-year-old CF out of Venezuela



Lean and athletic, Mike Gago hails from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He has a great stroke and projects to hit for a high average. He has above-average speed. He has a good sense of the zone. Gago has the potential to develop into a big league regular for most of his career.

However, a few invitees disappointed me because they did not match my previous assessment, although they might still become future stars. We will continue to evaluate them in next month's practice to determine if they are worth additional scouting resources.
Santos Jaramillo, 15-year-old LF out of Mexico
Jose Higareda, 16-year-old 1B out of Venezuela

And other players that I was able to assess further were:
Diego Talavera, 17-year-old RF out of Panama
Juan Garcia, 16-year-old RHP out of the Dominican Republic
Robert Garcia, 16-year-old RHP out of the Dominican Republic
Juan Gomez, 16-year-old C out of the Dominican Republic
Humberto Jaime, 16-year-old RHP out of the Dominican Republic
Victor Torres, 16-year-old RHP out of Venezuela

October 25:
Released C Austin Nola since we picked up C Dillon Dingler.
Game 3 of WS – St. Louis Cardinals defeat Minnesota Twins 2-0.

October 26:
Game 4 of WS – St. Louis Cardinals defeat Minnesota Twins 5-2.

October 27:
Game 5 of WS – St. Louis Cardinals defeat Minnesota Twins 1-0.

October 28:
Jason McLeod returned from his excursion to England, where he sized up prospects for the organization. He happened across starting pitcher Mulroney Dumont quite by accident, but is rather pleased that the 17-year-old caught his eye.



English starting pitcher Mulroney Dumont was born in Norton. His repertoire should feature a very slow fastball that reaches about 88 MPH, along with two lesser pitches when he is at his best. His secondary pitches aren't great, but he somehow manages to throw them all for strikes on nearly any count. Dumont is probably miscast at the major league level but has been assigned to our international complex for further assessment.

October 29:
Game 6 of WS – Minnesota Twins defeat St. Louis Cardinals 4-2.

October 30:
Whether Andrea Maccioni has a role to play in this club remains to be seen, but Jason McLeod seems convinced that he has possibilities.



The Venezuelan starting pitcher, Andrea Maccioni, was born in Mérida. His most reliable pitch currently is a decent curveball, which he combines with a decent changeup. He lacks consistent command to go with his average stuff, but he could serve as an emergency call-up, although his talent might not be enough to make the rotation in that case. At the very least, Andrea Maccioni has been assigned to our international complex for further assessment.

Finally, Game 7 of the World Series will be played tonight to determine the MLB Champion between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins.