Juan Lagares

Lagares grew up in a cool, mountainous area in Constanza, Dominican Republic. There were few baseball facilities or teams in the area so Lagares grew up playing softball. He has credited his arm strength to his background in throwing the larger, heavier softball. Lagares did not transition to playing baseball until he was already a teenager. After only seven or eight months practicing at a baseball academy, he was signed as a shortstop by the New York Mets.\n', '

Lagares was signed by the New York Mets as a non-drafted free agent on May 5, 2006. Lagares was moved from shortstop to the outfield in 2009. He was assigned to the DSL Mets in 2006, where in 57 games, he hit .255/.339/.412 with 18 XBH, 33 RBI and 12 SB. Lagares was promoted to Single-A Savannah for 2007, where in 83 games, he hit .210/.262/.317 with 20 XBH, 16 RBI and 11 SB. After an arm issue occurred, his 2008 debut, with Sa…