Nine days before the LIDOM 2026-27 season tips off, data analyst @wilberdata posted a projected Tigres del Licey lineup that immediately lit up Dominican baseball Twitter. Jesús Madé batting leadoff, Kevin Alcántara hitting second, Maikel Franco as the DH. On October 16, when Licey visits the Leones del Escogido at Quisqueya, we’ll find out whether this roster delivers on what it promises on paper.
What Makes This Lineup Different
The full projected order, as posted by @wilberdata:
- 1. Jesús Madé — SS
- 2. Kevin Alcántara — RF
- 3. Gustavo Núñez — 2B
- 4. Ramón Hernández — 1B
- 5. Francisco Mejía — C
- 6. Mel Rojas Jr. — LF
- 7. Maikel Franco — DH
- 8. Cristhian Adames — 3B
- 9. Estevan Florial — CF
Licey arrives at this season with three additions who weren’t on last year’s roster. Jesús Madé as the leadoff shortstop is the most eye-catching piece: he’s one of the most talked-about prospects in any MLB system right now, and the fact that he’s already training at the Blue Jays‘ complex in Baseball City, Boca Chica, signals that this isn’t a casual commitment.
Hitting second is Kevin Alcántara, the Chicago Cubs outfielder who in Triple-A posted his first season with at least 20 home runs, drove in 58 runs in 82 games and put up a .350 OBP. A .350 OBP means he reaches base more than one out of every three plate appearances — that moves runners, stretches innings and takes the pressure off the hitters behind him.
Slotting in seventh as the designated hitter is Maikel Franco: nine big-league seasons, 130 home runs, 163 doubles and 467 RBI across 923 MLB games. He’s already proven he can handle LIDOM — 32 extra-base hits in 107 regular-season games with the Gigantes del Cibao, 53 RBI and a .344 OBP. Last summer in Mexico he hit .274 with 19 home runs, 58 RBI and an .826 OPS in 87 games across three teams.
The Veterans Who Already Know How to Win in Blue
Behind the three headliners comes a core of returnees who wore Licey blue last season. Gustavo Núñez (.292 AVG in 2025-26) at second base, Francisco Mejía behind the plate, Mel Rojas Jr. in left, and Cristhian Adames — the team’s best hitter last year at .308 AVG — at third. Four bats with continuity, guys who know the system and understand how winter pitching works. Ramón Hernández at first and Estevan Florial in center round out the projection.
One important note on Florial: his name appears in @wilberdata’s projected lineup, but as of publication he has not been officially confirmed by Licey. If that spot changes, the offensive profile of the lineup shifts with it.
Context Matters
Licey did not win the title last season — the defending champions are the Leones del Escogido, who will also be the hosts on opening night, October 16 at 7:15 p.m. The Licey organization identified situational hitting as one of its biggest weaknesses in 2025-26, and this lineup reads like a direct answer to that diagnosis.
On paper, Licey has built the most versatile attack they’ve had in years: speed and contact at the top with Madé, power in the middle with Alcántara, experience and run production with Franco, and a veteran backbone that already knows what it takes to win in LIDOM. It’s the kind of lineup that can score in multiple ways — and that’s exactly what opposing pitching coaches lose sleep over.
The problem is that winter baseball isn’t won with a paper lineup. Licey also flagged their starting rotation as a weakness, and that question still hasn’t been answered. If the pitching holds up the offense, the debate about whether this is the best roster in the league gets settled on the field. The regular season runs 50 games per team through December 22 — plenty of time for the numbers to do the talking.
