Loaded Talent in the International Signing Pool, and Potential Twins Targets

Honorable Mentions:

Juan Meza, RHP, Venezuela–Meza has the stuff for a very nice MLB career. His fastball has been clocked as high as 93 mph, and his slider and change up have the potential to be plus pitches. Some scouts think Meza could end up as the best pitcher of the bunch. The Blue Jays seem likely to make a run at him

Huascar Ynoa, RHP, Dominican Republic–Ynoa’s fastball sits in the low 90’s, but recently it was clocked at 94 mph. He has arguably the best stuff out of all the pitchers in the signing pool, though he needs to become more consistent if he wants any kind of Major League career. He has a wide variety of offerings that includes a cutter, a curveball, a change up, and a splitter. It seems likely that MLB teams would want him to keep one of those in his pocket. Our beloved Twins are the current front runners to sign Ynoa. Again, I hope to one day watch Bert try to pronounce that name.

Ronny Rafael, OF, Dominican Republic–Rafael is a pure athlete who has the potential to play all three outfield positions. He’s smooth in the field and has a good arm. My favorite thing about Rafael is his swing. It’s short and powerful, which means he’s able to consistently drive the ball to the gaps as well as over the fence. The short swing also means he should be able to adjust more easily to junk. The Astros have been tied to Rafael.

There is certainly a lot of talent available in this year’s international signing pool. It’s not very surprising that the bulk of the top players come from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, both places with long histories of successful Major Leaguers. We know that the Twins front office views the international signing period as a great way to stock the system with talent and to supplement the rule 4 draft. Certainly, there is no shortage of options this year.