By Adry Torres

New York - Add Texas Rangers third baseman Mike Olt to the list of top prospects that the Tigres del Licey will stroll out when the club opens up the Dominican winter league season in October.

Fellow Rangers prospect and shortstop Jurickson Profar had already been given permission to join Licey this winter in the Dominican Republic along with a trio of Atlanta Braves prospects - pitchers Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado and catcher Christian Bentancourt.

Olt recently told Fox Deportes while the Rangers were in New York that he can’t wait to get down there to play where he will spend a month and perhaps more before he returns home to work out.

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Mets’ Valdespin is good in a pinch

By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For FOX Deportes

Pinch-hitting is one of the most difficult assignments in baseball. A guy who’s been watching the game for at least a few innings from the dugout is called upon to grab a bat, get up there and make something happen.

Jordany Valdespin of the New York Mets is making the whole ordeal look sort of easy.

The 24-year-old rookie utility man from the Dominican Republic entered Friday’s action as the major-league leader in pinch-hit home runs with five. He also led in RBIs as a pinch-hitter with 10.

Consider this: Valdespin, who of the many positions he can play (mainly outfield for now) prefers second base, was 6-for-24 as a pinch-hitter going into Thursday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Five of those hits were home runs.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For FOX Deportes

Elian Herrera had a lot to smile about when I approached him after his Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 on July 5.

The Dominican Republic native hit his first major-league home run, and was so excited he practically sprinted around the bases at Phoenix’s Chase Field. When the game was over, Herrera stood by his locker in the visiting clubhouse, beaming.

I’d spoken with Herrera before the game. I asked him where the ball from the home run was. He showed it to me. I asked him how he was able to get it from the fan in the first row of left-field seats who came up with the ball after it flew out of the reach of Diamondbacks left fielder Jason Kubel’s glove. He told me he’d traded a signed bat for the ball.

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