An interesting article on how the Nats, partly out of necessity, targeted 17 and 18 year old players out of the Dominican for several years and apparently discovered a market inefficiency.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2017/03/08/nationals-savvy-interest-in-older-dominican-players-is-beginning-to-pay-off/?utm_term=.cca1668e433dAmong the signees were Difo, Reynaldo Lopez, Severino, Rafael Bautista, Jose Marmalejos, and the player traded for Enny Romero.
After the Smiley scandal, the Lerners were reluctant to invest heavy in the DR until Dipuglia built some credibility with them. The international scouting team targeted older pitchers and up the middle players. Several of them fit the profile of being relatively late to pick up baseball, like Bautista. Some were from rural areas who moved to Santo Domingo as teenagers. The Nats were able to sign these guys for minimal bonuses. Several were quite athletic and developed pretty quickly. Some switched positions, too, like Lopez, who was signed as a catcher. The team now spends more on top prospects as they turn 16, but still pursues these value signings to round out their program.
I'm starting a general topic on scouting and development that I hope will be less focused on particular players and more on the system and staff.
