 He hit .348 with 33 stolen bases for the Expos Dominican League team in before being brought to the states and placed in the Expos rookie ball team in .Against more experienced U.S. pitchers he struggled slightly, hitting only .239 for the Gulf Coast Expos that season, though he still stole 13 bases.With the Cape Fear Crocs in and , he improved his average (.224, .287) each year and continued to steal bases at an amazing rate, swiping 64 bases in 2000.