Yanks Interested in Cuban 3B

From George A. King III:

OAKLAND - The Yankees haven't had much success with the Cuban third basemen they've signed, but the club isn't shying away from Dayan Viciedo.

"We will certainly take a look at it," minor-league head Mark Newman said of the 18-year-old Viciedo, who defected from Cuba in May and is believed to be staying in Miami while waiting to establish residency in another country so he won't be subject to MLB's draft.

"He is a young guy who can swing the bat."

Since Viciedo, who began playing in Cuba's major leagues when he was 15, is represented by Jaime Torres, Viciedo is expected to land in the Dominican Republic, but Yankee eyes in the DR haven't seen him yet.

The Yankees invested $4.5 million in Andy Morales in 2001, and he lasted 48 games in Double-A before being released because he hit .231 and there were questions about his age. The Yanks gave Cuban third baseman Yobal Duenas $60,000 in 2004.

MLB Trade Rumors had this to say about Viciedo a few days ago:

Viciedo is 6'2", 202 lbs capable of playing SS, 3B, and OF. According to the Havana Journal, at 16 he was the youngest Cuban All Star in history. At 18, he was chosen to play in the World Baseball Classic in the U.S. and is often compared to Omar Linares, one of the greatest Cuban players of all time.

And this from John Manuel of Baseball America:

Viciedo, born in March 1989, is listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, but reports are that he was bigger than that last year at the World Junior Championship in Mexico. Viciedo has excellent power and hitting ability, however, with one scout comparing him to Giants prospect Angel Villalona. He slugged over .500 two of the last three seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, its top-level league, hitting 14 homers in 2005-2006—as a 16-year-old—in his best season.

"His body could go the same route as Livan Hernandez, and when I saw him in Mexico, he wasn’t very good at third base anymore," one international scouting director said. "But he can really hit; in fact, I think he’s probably a better hitter than Villalona."

Villolona received a $2.1 million bonus from the Giants in 2006 and is currently playing for low Class A Augusta.

Another scout who had seen Viciedo was less enthused about him as a player, pegging him as a first baseman-only hitter with a bad body. "You know everybody liked Kendry Morales," the scout said, referring to the Angels’ Cuban DH/first baseman, "and he had some other tools. But his body’s gone south and he’s pretty much just a DH. So I think it’s premature to get too excited about this guy."

I don't see any problem with the Yanks taking a chance on this guy, even with the risks involved. Maybe he turns into something great, maybe he doesn't, but for a few million bucks the Yanks can afford taking a shot.