Moises Sierra Slugging in the Dominican

The Dominican Winter League season is off and running in the Caribbean.  A handful of former Fisher Cats are donning uniforms in the baseball-mad country this offseason, including outfielder Moises Sierra.

Sierra was with the Fisher Cats during the 2011 championship season, and a year later he made his MLB debut after spending most of the season with Triple-A Las Vegas. He repeated the Triple-A-to-Majors jump again in 2013, but there was a noted improvement in his performance.

In his first go-round with Toronto, Sierra appeared in 49 games, hitting .224 with a total of six home runs. Over this last summer, as a late-season call-up, he managed just one home run but raised his overall average nearly 70 points. Combined with an improved approach at the plate, his .369 on-base percentage would have been the highest among Blue Jays outfielders if parlayed over a full season.

Back home in his native Dominican, Sierra is off to a solid start with Gigantes in the DWL. The 25-year old has played in seven games and has already smacked two homers while driving in six runs. His most recent blast on Friday night helped Gigantes rout Toros - and fellow Blue Jays farm hand Ricardo Nanita - 12-3.

The Dominican regular season carries through December 22. The six teams in the DWL then spend the month of January fighting to represent the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series next February in Venezuela.