In what was a bit of a surprising move, the Los Angeles Dodgers released Cuban prospect Jose Miguel Fernandez from the organization earlier this offseason.
The Dodgers signed Fernandez to a Minor League contract last January, after he defected from Cuba in 2015, giving him a $200,000 signing bonus.
The reasoning behind the Dodgers releasing him is unknown, although Fernandez suffered an injury in late July that cost him the rest of the season, so that could have played a factor.
It looks like the infielder has found a new home, though, as according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation, Fernandez signed a Minor League contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:
Source: Angels in agreement with infielder Jose Miguel Fernandez on a minor-league contract. 29-year-old was released by Dodgers in Nov. after strong year at AA.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 4, 2018
Fernandez turns 30 years old at the end of April, so he had plenty of professional experience playing in Cuba before coming over to the states. He had a productive career while playing on the island, batting .319/.403/.423 in eight seasons in Cuba’s top professional league, Serie Nacional.
Fernandez spent this past season with Double-A Tulsa in the Dodgers organization, where he hit .306/.366/.498 with 16 home runs and 64 RBIs in 90 games. Fernandez earned a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City and had three hits and an RBI in 10 at-bats.
Fernandez’s primary position is second base, although he can play pretty much anywhere on the infield so he will provide the Angels some organizational depth that they have greatly lacked the past few seasons.
Earlier this offseason the Angels acquired Ian Kinsler from the Detroit Tigers to be their everyday second baseman.
