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Jose Miguel Fernandez Signs With Mexican League’s Saraperos De Saltillo

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The Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League announced this afternoon they’ve signed infielder José Miguel Fernández for the 2023 season. The left-handed hitter heads to Mexico after four seasons in South Korea.

Fernández, a native of Cuba, was a high-profile player in the Serie Nacional throughout his 20’s. He eventually defected and signed with the Dodgers, topping out at Triple-A. After being released by the Dodgers, he signed with the Angels going into the 2018 season. The left-handed hitter played well in Triple-A and earned an MLB call midseason, where he hit .267/.309/.388 over 36 games.

After that season, the Halos designated Fernández for assignment. He cleared waivers and then turned his attention overseas, signing with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Doosan Bears. That proved a fruitful signing for the Bears, as Fernández broke in with a .344/.409/.483 showing. He’d return to the Bears on a series of one-year deals in each of the ensuing three offseasons.

Fernández reached base at a .391 clip or better in each of his first three years, walking more often than he struck out in each season. He connected on at least 15 home runs in those seasons. The 2022 campaign was more of a struggle, though. Fernández hit only six homers. He still batted above .300 but his .353 on-base percentage was the lowest of his time in the KBO, as was his .400 slugging mark.

All told, Fernández hit .328/.391/.457 over four KBO seasons. He’ll now make the jump to the Mexican League for his age-35 campaign, his 15th year of professional baseball.

Recapping The KBO League’s International Player Signings

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With the lockout slowing MLB-related transactions to a crawl of minor league deals, transactions involving Korean Baseball Organization teams have taken more of a spotlight on MLBTR’s pages since the start of December.  These moves have included the signings of several names familiar to North American baseball fans, as the KBO League’s clubs have looked to address their allocated three roster spots for non-Korean players.  International-born players can only sign contracts worth a maximum of $1MM in total salary, and players new to the KBO League can sign only one-year pacts.

Though the Doosan Bears have one signing that still isn’t yet official, the other 29 slots have been filled.  It is still possible this list could be adjusted in the coming weeks due to a number of factors — injuries, players returning to North America (for personal reasons or a deal with an MLB team), issues related to the pandemic, or teams just changing their minds after seeing the players in training camp.  Here is the rundown of this winter’s international signings for the 10 KBO League franchises….

Doosan Bears
Jose Miguel Fernandez (deal not yet finalized), Ariel Miranda, Robert Stock

NC Dinos
Nick Martini, Wes Parsons, Drew Rucinski

Hanwha Eagles
Ryan Carpenter, Nick Kingham, Mike Tauchman

Lotte Giants
Charlie Barnes, DJ Peters, Glenn Sparkman

Kiwoom Heroes
Tyler Eppler, Eric Jokisch, Yasiel Puig

SSG Landers
Kevin Cron, Wilmer Font, Ivan Nova

Samsung Lions
David Buchanan, Jose Pirela, Albert Suarez

Kia Tigers
Socrates Brito, Sean Nolin, Ronnie Williams

LG Twins
Casey Kelly, Adam Plutko, Rio Ruiz

KT Wiz
William Cuevas, Odrisamer Despaigne, Henry Ramos

KBO’s Doosan Bears Close To Re-Signing Jose Miguel Fernandez

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The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization are close to re-signing Jose Miguel Fernandez, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. This would be the fourth season with the Bears for Fernandez, who turns 34 in April.

Fernandez was a high-profile signing of the Dodgers in 2017, after defecting from his native Cuba in 2015. In 2017, he played 90 games in Double-A and three in Triple-A, producing an overall slash line of .306/.367/.496. Despite that solid production, the Dodgers released him at the end of the year. He was signed by the Angels and spent most of 2018 in Triple-A, hitting an excellent .333/.396/.535. That was enough to get him selected to the big league club, playing 36 games and hitting .267/.309/.388. That small sample is the only MLB experience on his resume, as he signed with the Bears after that season.

Fernandez has had three straight excellent campaigns for the Bears, with at least 141 games played and 15 home runs in each of them. His overall line from 2019 to 2021 is .334/.403/.476, walking more than he struck out in that time, 184 to 131. Now it appears he will be suiting up for the Bears for a fourth straight season in 2022, his age-34 campaign.

As noted by Yoo, each KBO team except for the Bears has filled their three slots for foreign players. The Bears have used two so far, on Ariel Miranda and Robert Stock. If the signing of Fernandez is completed, that would mean all the league’s roster spots for non-Korean players are spoken for.

Doosan Bears Re-Sign Jose Miguel Fernandez, Sign Ariel Miranda

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The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they’ve re-signed first baseman/designated hitter Jose Miguel Fernandez and signed left-hander Ariel Miranda (link via Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency).

Fernandez, who’ll be returning for a third season with the Bears, never got much of a look in the Majors despite a considerable track record in the Cuban National Series, but he’s broken out as a star-level hitter in the KBO. The 32-year-old hasn’t missed a game since originally signing with the Bears and has delivered a combined .342/.407/.490 batting line with 36 homers, 63 doubles and more walks (119) than strikeouts (just 96) through 1313 plate appearances. Fernandez’s deal comes with $800K worth of guarantees and an additional $300K available via incentives.

Miranda, 32 in January, will now somewhat remarkably have pitched in virtually every top professional league in the world. The Cuban-born southpaw got his start in the Cuban National Series back in 2007 and has since pitched in the Majors (with the Orioles and Mariners), Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (SoftBank Hawks) and most recently in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CTBC Brothers).

This past season in Taiwan, Miranda tallied 156 1/3 innings of 3.80 ERA ball with 9.8 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9. That came on the heels of a two-year NPB run that saw him post a 3.37 ERA in 133 2/3 frames. Miranda logged a 4.72 ERA in 221 big league frames between Baltimore and Seattle, tallying a career-high 160 innings with the Mariners back in 2017. He’ll be guaranteed $700K in his new deal with the Bears and can make another $100K via incentives.

The KBO limits each team to three foreign professionals, so assuming right-hander Walker Lockett passes the physical to complete his already agreed-upon deal, they’ll be at capacity.

Jose Miguel Fernandez Re-Signs With KBO’s Doosan Bears

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Former big league Infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez has signed on for another season with Korea’s Doosan Bears, per a team announcement (via Yonhap News; h/t to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO). It’s said to be a $450K deal with the potential to double the value via incentives.

Fernandez was among the notable players we highlighted earlier in the offseason in a series checking in on previous affiliated performers who moved to Asia’s top leagues. He had raked at Triple-A and hit well enough in a brief MLB debut in 2018, but evidently didn’t generate much interest on this side of the Pacific last winter.

Now 31 years of age, Fernandez was slow in reaching the professional ranks. He had a harder-than-usual time in navigating the geopolitical minefield facing all Cuban ballplayers. Despite defecting in the fall of 2014, he didn’t sign with the Dodgers until early 2017.

Fernandez is the quintessential professional hitter. He has some power but stands out most for his combination of exceptional plate discipline and ability to hit for average. He led the Korea Baseball Organization last year in hits while recording more walks (61) than strikeouts (54). Fernandez ended his first season in Korea’s top league with an excellent .344/.413/.483 batting line and 15 home runs over 645 plate appearances.

KBO’s Doosan Bears Sign Infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez

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The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization announced this week that they’ve signed former Angels infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez to a one-year contract (link via the Yonhap News Agency). He’ll receive a $50K signing bonus, a $300K base salary and another $350K worth of incentives, giving him the opportunity to earn up to a total of $700K on the deal.

Fernandez, 30, made his big league debut with the Halos this past season and posted a .267/.309/.388 batting line with a pair of home runs and eight doubles through 123 trips to the plate. Those numbers are hardly inspiring, but Fernandez is also a veteran of the Cuban National Series who’s previously served as the second baseman on Cuba’s World Baseball Classic team. He hit .315 or better in six of his eight pro seasons in Cuba and turned in a terrific .332/.397/.531 line through 406 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level between the Dodgers and Angels organizations. Fernandez also walked nearly as many times (34) as he struck out (35) in that time in Triple-A — a trait which a Bears spokesperson highlighted as particularly intriguing when announcing the move.

By going to South Korea, Fernandez will secure a greater payday than he would have bouncing back and forth between the Majors and minors, and a strong showing for a year or two in Asia could create greater intrigue among Major League clubs than he’d have otherwise received. Heading overseas also creates the potential to return as a free agent who can command a more substantial than he’d have otherwise commanded as a pre-arbitration player through at least the 2021 season.

Hernandez is the second former Angels infielder to sign with an Asian team in the past week; Jefry Marte inked a one-year deal with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last week.

Angels Release Alex Meyer, Jose Miguel Fernandez

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NOVEMBER 26: Meyer has been placed on unconditional release waivers, the club announced, while Fernandez has become a free agent after clearing waivers himself.

NOVEMBER 21: The Angels announced that they’ve designated right-hander Alex Meyer for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for newly acquired left-hander Dillon Peters. The Halos have also requested unconditional release waivers on infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez, who was designated for assignment yesterday.

Meyer, 29 in January, was once a first-round pick of the Nationals (2011) and, for years, was regarded as one of the game’s elite pitching prospects. However, a series of shoulder injuries throughout his time with the Nationals, Twins and Angels has derailed that promising career. The former Kentucky standout underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in that problematic right shoulder last September and was said by the team to have suffered a setback in his recovery earlier this month.

Meyer, acquired by the Angels along with Ricky Nolasco in a trade that sent Hector Santiago and Alan Busenitz to Minnesota, has thrown just 95 1/3 big league innings. He’s posted a 4.63 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 5.9 BB/9. He’s also notched a 3.52 ERA in parts of nine minor league seasons while averaging better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

Angels Designate Jose Miguel Fernandez, Parker Bridwell

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The Angels have designated infielder Jose Fernandez and righty Parker Bridwell for assignment, per a club announcement. Those moves helped to open roster space so the team could select the contracts of lefty Jose Suarez, infielder Luis Rengifo, and righty Luis Madero.

Fernandez, 30, has had an unusual career path. His attempted transition to the majors from Cuba took years, then he finally landed with the Dodgers in 2017. Fernandez has done nothing but hit in the upper minors, with an enticing blend of power (.202 ISO at Triple-A in 2018) and plate discipline (8.6% strikeout rate with 8.4% walk rate).

Still, Fernandez was dumped by the Dodgers. Then, in a lost season for the Halos, Fernandez received only limited opportunity. To be fair, he was not able to bring the power with him to the game’s highest level. But Fernandez posted a respectable 94 wRC+. He was deployed only sparingly at second and third base in the big leagues, but spent plenty of time there at Triple-A.

It’ll also be interesting to see how much interest Bridwell draws. It was only a year back, after all, that he was coming off of a 121-inning, 3.64 ERA campaign. Of course, there were flashing red signs suggesting that was unlikely to be sustained. And Bridwell has since endured an injury-plagued campaign in which he was knocked around when on the mound.

Angels Select Contract Of Jose Miguel Fernandez

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The Angels have selected the contract of infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Fernandez will take the active roster spot vacated by Shohei Ohtani, who’s heading to the disabled list with a UCL sprain.

The organization also announced another roster tweak. Infielder Nolan Fontana was recalled to join the active roster. He’ll take the place of Kaleb Cowart, who’s headed to the DL with an ankle sprain.

Fernandez, a former Cuban star who’s now thirty years of age, will come up to the majors for the first time in his career. He spent most of last year playing at Double-A with the Dodgers organization and landed with the Halos on a minor-league pact after being released.

Long known for his plate discipline — in his last full season in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, way back in 2013-14, he drew 65 walks and struck out only ten times — Fernandez has been a force at the plate in the upper minors. This year, he’s slashing .345/.412/.562 with ten home runs and a 19:20 K/BB ratio over 226 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Fernandez will get the start at first base tonight in his debut. He has split his time evenly between first, second, and third at Salt Lake, so he’ll be another option around the diamond. Fontana is an even more versatile infielder, as he can also play shortstop. He’s carrying a .282/.436/.493 batting line with twenty walks against 18 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances this year at the Halos’ top affiliate.

Angels To Sign Eric Young, Jose Miguel Fernandez

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The Angels have agreed to a minor-league deal with outfielder Eric Young, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Likewise, the Halos struck a minors pact with infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets.

Young may be aging — he’ll turn 33 in May — but he has rarely been as useful as he was for the Angels in 2017. In 125 trips to the plate, the switch hitter compiled a .264/.336/.418 batting line with four home runs and a dozen steals. He also had a strong run during his time at Triple-A. As things stand, he’ll enter camp with a chance to earn his way onto the roster as a reserve.

Over parts of nine MLB campaigns, Young has compiled a lifetime .248/.316/.334 slash across 1,809 trips to the plate. His father, Eric Young Sr., made it through fifteen major league seasons before hanging up his spikes in 2006 — not long before his namesake debuted in 2009.

Meanwhile, Fernandez will come from the cross-town Dodgers, who released him after just one season in the organization. A star in his native Cuba, where he displayed unbelievable plate discipline, Fernandez had not played much competitive ball of late while trying to make his way stateside.

Fernandez ended up slashing a healthy .306/.366/.498 with 16 home runs and 24 walks against 33 strikeouts over 369 Double-A plate appearances. Evidently, though, the Dodgers did not see enough to warrant a longer look. While the Angels appear to have a fully loaded infield mix at present, Fernandez will presumably take up a spot on the depth chart.

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