15 Phillies connections in the 2022 Caribbean Series

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The MLB lockout hasn’t stopped all baseball, with the recent Caribbean Series featuring 15 players connected to the Philadelphia Phillies

For Philadelphia Phillies fans looking for a baseball fix during the ongoing MLB lockout, the 2022 Caribbean Series featured some Phillies connections.

The annual event saw winter league champions from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, and Puerto Rico play each other once in round-robin action, where the teams with the best four records advanced to the semi-finals.

This year’s Caribbean Series was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and featured notable former and active MLBers, such as Robinson Canó, Marcell Ozuna, Pablo Sandoval, Roberto Osuna, and Sandy León.

Fourteen former members of the Phillies organization and a current Phillies minor-leaguer took part. Here’s a breakdown of how they did.

Christian Bethancourt

Catcher, outfielder, and pitcher Christian Bethancourt suited up for Panama. He hit well for average, going 7-for-20 (.350 BA), but only had one double and one RBI. His RBI came in the team’s first game, against Puerto Rico, which gave Panama a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. They won the game 3-2 but lost their remaining four contests.

Bethancourt signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies prior to the 2020 season, where he went 4-for-15, with three HR and five RBI, during the shortened spring training.

He didn’t see any further action that year, with no minor-league season, and returned as a non-roster invitee in 2021, where he went 1-for-12 during spring training and was released prior to the season.

Niuman Romero

Infielder Niuman Romero played for Venezuela, going 6-for-22 (.273 BA), with six walks and an RBI. He went 3-for-5 in a loss to the Dominican Republic, where he drove in Venezuela’s first run of the game. Venezuela had a 3-2 record, before losing to Colombia in a semi-final.

The Phillies acquired Romero from the Toronto Blue Jays in May 2011 but released him that July. He slashed .239/.312/.266, with three doubles and 11 RBI, in 34 games with Double-A Reading, while also appearing in one game for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Severino González

Right-hander Severino González pitched for Panama, giving up a run, off of two hits and a walk, in 3 1/3 innings, across two games. He hasn’t played professionally outside of the winter leagues since 2018.

González signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2011. His only major league appearances came with the team, starting seven games in 2015 and making 27 relief outings in 2016. He struggled to a 6.68 ERA in those 34 games, though he did improve his minor-league results over previous seasons by posting a 2.93 ERA in 21 games in 2016.

González was traded to the Miami Marlins prior to the 2017 season.

Danny Ortiz

Outfielder Danny Ortiz played for Puerto Rico, going 1-for-7, with an RBI double against the Dominican Republic. He was removed from the game before his next at-bat, two innings later, and did not appear again for Puerto Rico, which lost its first four games before beating Colombia.

Ortiz signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies in 2018, slashing .232/.270/.398, with 15 HR and 61 RBI, in 118 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. This was his most recent season in an MLB organization, having played professionally in both Mexico and Puerto Rico since 2018.

Henderson Alvarez III

Right-hander Henderson Alvarez III pitched for Venezuela, giving up two runs (one earned), off of eight hits and a walk, in five innings of relief. He went three innings and picked up the win against Panama, but struggled in the team’s semi-final loss to Colombia, surrendering three hits and a run in 2/3 inning.

Alvarez III signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies in late-August 2017, giving up seven runs (six earned) in 19 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He started three games for the Phillies, giving up seven runs in 14 2/3 innings.

Those three starts with the Phillies were his only MLB appearances since 2015. He had a 2.65 ERA in 30 starts for the Miami Marlins in 2014, being named to the All-Star Game, but had his 2015 season end early for surgery on his right shoulder.

Jun 5, 2021; TBD, Florida, USA; Dominica starting pitcher Raul Valdes (31) delivers a pitch in the 1st inning against Canada in the Super Round of the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier series game at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Raúl Valdés

Left-hander Raúl Valdés pitched for the Dominican Republic. He picked up the win in a start against Puerto Rico, giving up a run, while striking out five, in 5 2/3 innings.

His next start was the championship game against Colombia, where he surrendered four runs in eight innings. Most of his damage came in the second frame, where he gave up three of his four runs and five of his six hits. Columbia won the championship game by a 4-1 score.

Valdés signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies prior to 2012, starting the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, before joining the major-league squad in May. He had a 2.70 ERA and 0.933 WHIP in 16 relief appearances at Triple-A, with a 3-2 record, 2.90 ERA, and 0.742 WHIP in 27 MLB games, including one start.

He remained with the team in 2013, pitching to a 2.86 ERA in 14 Triple-A starts, but struggled to a 7.46 ERA in 17 major-league appearances. While it was only his fourth MLB season, Valdés was 35-years-old when the Houston Astros selected him off waivers at season’s end. He was 44-years-old when he pitched in this year’s Caribbean Series.

T.J. Rivera

Infielder T.J. Rivera played for Puerto Rico, going 0-for-6 across three games.

Rivera got off to a good start with the New York Mets in 2017, where he slashed .290/.330/.430, with five HR and 27 RBI, in 73 games before being sidelined with an elbow injury, which ultimately led to Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since but spent two stints with the Phillies organization.

Rivera signed a minor-league deal with Philadelphia prior to 2020, where he was released in May. He returned to the Phillies in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates last August, slashing .314/.364/.512, with four HR and 24 RBI, in 31 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He elected free agency after the season.

Lisalverto Bonilla

Right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla pitched for the Dominican Republic, appearing in just one game. He started in a round-robin game against Colombia, giving up two runs (one earned), off of four hits and two walks, while striking out five, in 4 1/3 innings, picking up the loss.

Bonilla signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent prior to 2009. He pitched at Low-A Lakewood in 2011, with a 2.80 ERA in 26 games (15 starts), before posting a 1.55 ERA and 1.122 WHIP in 31 relief appearances between High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading in 2012.

Bonilla was traded with pitcher Josh Lindblom to the Texas Rangers in December 2012 for seven-time All-Star infielder Michael Young and cash.

Willians Astudillo

Catcher and infielder Willians Astudillo played for Venezuela, going 6-for-23 (.261 BA), with a double, two RBI, and five walks. His RBIs came on two singles against the Dominican Republic, where he also had a pair of walks.

Astudillo signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent prior to 2009 and stayed with the club until being granted free agency in 2015. He started out with the Phillies’ Venezuelan Summer League and Gulf Coast League affiliates before hitting .324, with seven HR and 110 RBI, in 224 games between Low-A Lakewood and High-A Clearwater.

Astudillo most recently appeared in 167 games for the Minnesota Twins over the last four seasons, slashing .270/.295/.406, with 15 HR and 66 RBI.

César Jiménez

Left-hander César Jiménez pitched for Venezuela, starting a game against Puerto Rico, where he gave up two runs, off of two hits and four walks, in 2 2/3 innings.

Jiménez signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies prior to the 2013 season, where he had a 3.12 ERA in 36 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He was called up that August, posting a 3.71 ERA in 19 MLB games. He became a free agent in the off-season but returned to the Phillies on another minor-league deal, once again rotating between Triple-A and the majors.

Jiménez had an impressive 1.45 ERA for Lehigh Valley in 2014 but was not as effective the following year. He was designated for assignment in August 2015 and claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. Overall, he had a 2.48 ERA and 1.266 WHIP in 38 games with the major-league Phillies.

Joey Meneses

Infielder and outfielder Joey Meneses played for Mexico, going 3-for-19, with a lone RBI, in five games. The RBI came on a single in the team’s first game of the series, a 3-2 loss to the Dominican Republic. Mexico went 3-2 in the round-robin, before losing to the Dominican Republic in their semi-final game.

Meneses spent a single season in the Phillies organization, where he had a great year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He joined the team as a free agent in 2018 and slashed .311/.360/.510, with 23 HR and 82 RBI, in 130 games, winning the International League’s MVP award. He was also a three-time Player of the Week for the league.

Despite the success, he was released by the Phillies that October, so he could pursue an opportunity with the Orix Buffaloes in the Japan Pacific League.

Tyler Alexander

Left-hander Tyler Alexander pitched for the Dominican Republic. He started the team’s opening game against Mexico, giving up two runs, off of five hits, in three innings. He did much better in their semi-final rematch, giving up just a single run and hit, while striking out five, in eight innings, to help the team advance to the championship game.

Alexander signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies in July 2021, after starting the year with a 2.23 ERA in five starts for the Sussex County Miners, in the independent Frontier League. He had a 4.44 ERA and 1.443 WHIP in nine games (four starts) with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before being released in late September.

Elniery Garcia

Left-hander Elniery Garcia pitched for Colombia, making just one appearance, a start in the team’s semi-final win over Venezuela. He gave up a hit and four walks in 6 2/3 scoreless innings of the 8-1 victory. Colombia went 3-2 in round-robin action, before winning the championship over the Dominican Republic.

Garcia signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies in 2012, remaining in the team’s farm system until July 2018, when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for future considerations. He had a 28-28 record, 3.56 ERA, and 1.360 WHIP in 100 career minor-league games, all but 14 of which were with the Phillies organization.

He had a 12-4 record and 2.68 ERA with High-A Clearwater in 2016, being named a MiLB.com Organizational All-Star, but appeared in only seven minor-league games the following year, due to an 80-game suspension and a shoulder injury.

Harold Arauz

Right-hander Harold Arauz pitched for Panama, starting the team’s opening game against Puerto Rico, where he gave up one run, off of two hits and two walks, in six innings.

Arauz was acquired by the Phillies in December 2015 as part of the Vince Velasquez package from the Houston Astros, where the Phillies sent closer Ken Giles and shortstop Jonathan Arauz to Houston. Despite having the same last name and both being born in Panama, Ken Rosenthal reported that there was no relation between the two Arauz’s.

Told that Jonathan Arauz and Harold Arauz, two of the players exchanged in the Giles trade, are NOT related.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 12, 2015

Harold Arauz spent three seasons in the Phillies organization before electing free agency. He had a 3.54 ERA in 77 games (54 starts) during those three years, across all levels between rookie ball and Triple-A. A notable achievement came in July 2017 with High-A Clearwater, when he pitched a seven-inning no-hitter, issuing just one walk while recording 10 strikeouts.

Carlos Francisco

Right-hander Carlos Francisco pitched for Puerto Rico, making two relief appearances. He gave up two unearned runs, off of two hits, in 1 1/3 innings against the Dominican Republic, before surrendering one run, off of three hits, in 2/3 inning against Mexico.

Francisco is the only current member of the Phillies organization to take part in this year’s Caribbean Series. He was drafted in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, pitching in 14 Gulf Coast League games that year, with a 3-2 record and 3.68 ERA.

Francisco spent last season between rookie ball, Low-A Clearwater, and High-A Jersey Shore, recording a 5.08 ERA and 1.376 WHIP in 26 games. His best results came with Clearwater, where he had a 2.84 ERA, one win, and three saves in 14 games.

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