On February 3rd, the RailCats signed outfielder Romer Cuadrado, who is 27 years old and is 6’4″, 185 lbs. Bats/Throws Right and is from Maturín, Venezuela.

He was signed by the LA Dodgers in 2014. He played 6 years in the Dodgers Organization from 2015-2021. He played 81 games in Double-A, 205 games in Single-A, and 121 in Rookie Ball. In those 6 seasons, Cuadrado played in 469 games, had 1,739 At-Bats, scored 230 runs, made 426 Hits, had 73 Doubles, 13 Triples, 39 Home runs, 227 RBI, 36 Stolen Bases, 21 Caught Stealing, 190 Walks, 555 Strikeouts, with a Batting Average of .245 and an On-Base Percentage.

After being released from affiliate ball, he played 2 seasons in the Japan Eastern League, where Romer participated in 60 games, had 191 at-bats, scored 23 runs, hit 8 doubles, 6 home runs, and 28 RBIs, was caught stealing once, drew 13 walks, and struck out 65 times. He had a batting average of .230, an on-base percentage of .275, a slugging percentage of .367, and an OPS of .642.

During Cuadrado’s offseason, he would play winter ball in the Venezuelan League, where he started in 2020 and just finished up his 5th season. He played in 186 games, had 106 at-bats, scored 92 runs, achieved 182 hits, 34 doubles, 3 triples, 23 home runs, 113 RBI, 9 stolen bases, 8 caught stealing, drew 14 walks, while striking out 198 times. He slashed a .287/.365/.458 and had an OPS of .823.

He also played in the Mexican League last season, playing 35 games, had 106 at-bats, 13 runs scored, 25 hits, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 18 RBI, 14 walks, struck out 39 times, and slashed a .236, .325, .443 with an OPS of .768.

In his career, Romer has played over 2,600 games, slashing a .254/.332/.393 and an OPS of .725. Looking at some of his early film with the Ogden Raptors, who were once affiliated with the Dodgers, Romer seemed to be maybe a little too patient at the plate, which put him in pitcher-friendly counts, and he would swing at the junk. He would also pull his head a little early and swing off his front foot, which could be a cause of swinging at junk balls. Out of the 5-minute video of clips, he made either solid contact or weak groundballs. Again, early on in his career, seeing clips now, he is a much different player; he has strength and a professional swing to himself.

Cuadrado has been playing in the top-end leagues outside of Affiliate ranks, so I’m interested in whether this will be the big signing that we are missing and a player that can provide leadership ability in the clubhouse, as well as a potential player who could get another MLB shot.

WELCOME TO THE SOUTHSHORE!!