Loaded Talent in the International Signing Pool, and Potential Twins Targets
With less than a week until MLB teams are able to begin signing international prospects (July 2nd, to be precise), I thought it would be beneficial to take a look at some of the top names available on this year’s market, as well as some possible sleepers.
The Twins have had some success on the international market in the very recent past. Felix Jorge, Lewis Thorpe, Jorge Polanco, and, oh yeah, Miguel Sano are all guys who entered the system via international signings. This year, the Twins have some money to play with. Their bonus pool is $3.686 million, which is the fifth-highest of all MLB teams.
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MLB.com has put together a really great list of the so-called top 30, complete with scouting reports and video. This is where I did the bulk of my research, though I also looked up additional video where I thought it was necessary/fun to watch. For this article, I’ve decided to keep my list to the top 10, plus three honorable mentions. Most of the players on the top 10 list haven’t been connected to the Twins, but the honorable mentions are guys I think could conceivably enter Minnesota’s system.
1. Dermis Garcia, SS, Dominican Republic
This kid looks intimidating just standing on a baseball field. He’s huge, for one thing, measuring 6′ 2″ and 182 lbs. How big were you at 16? He has appropriately drawn comparisons to a teenage A-Rod because of his size and his powerful, easy going swing. He does a good job keeping his hands inside the baseball, and scouts rave about his bat speed. His approach at the plate is considered an asset, and it’s expected to further improve once he signs with a MLB team. The only knock against him that I can see is that his footwork can be a little inconsistent in the field, but really, he isn’t number one on this list because of his defense. The kid can flat out rake. Word around the campfire is the Yankees are the favorites to land Garcia. Of course.
2. Nelson Gomez, 3B, Dominican Republic
A thick-bodied third baseman with the best natural hitting ability in his signing class? Count me in. Gomez resembles a guy we Twins fans are a little too familiar with: Miguel Cabrera. He’s a guy that should hit for high average with a lot of power. He can drive the ball to all fields, and his approach is already quite mature. I don’t want to say he looks incompetent with a glove on his hand, but he has quite a bit of work to do if he wants to play anything but first base or DH. He has a tendency to stab at the ball, and his footwork is, shall we say, complex. Like Garcia, however, it’s his bat that makes Gomez attractive to MLB teams. Guess which team has been tied to Gomez? I’ll give you a hint: they’re in New York, and they’re not the Mets.
3. Adrian Rondon, SS, Dominican Republic
Rondon is another power hitting shortstop from the Island of Hispaniola. Don’t confuse him with a poor man’s Dermis Garcia, though. For months, Rondon was considered the top talent in the entire signing class, and some scouts still view him that way. He’s lanky with an incredibly easy swing, and his defensive abilities project to keep him at shortstop once he reaches the Major League level. He doesn’t have as much home run power as other top international prospects, but he can consistently drive the ball to both gaps. The dingers should come as his frame fills out. The Mariners, thank goodness, have been linked to Rondon.
4. Gilbert Lara, SS, Dominican Republic
Are you noticing a trend? This year’s signing pool is stacked with Dominican shortstops. Maybe it’s millennial narcissism that makes young players want to be the QB of the baseball field? Kids these days. No one wants to play first base. I guess if you’re a player like Gilbert Lara, why would you? He’s the biggest of the bunch so far, standing 6′ 3″ and weighing 203 lbs. His trademark is his power. He’s a natural home run hitter with an extremely smooth swing. He has pretty soft hands in the field, but while I watched video of him take ground balls, I kept thinking of the word “choppy.” A move to one of the corner infield positions seems likely. We may get to see Lara several times each year, as the Brewers are considered the favorites to land him.
5. Juan DeLeon, OF, Dominican Republic
I think DeLeon could be the best signing of this year’s pool. The consensus among scouts is that he could likely develop into a five-tool player. Indeed, he already hits for both average and power, and his defensive abilities are good enough that he could play all three outfield positions. At 6′ 1″ and 175 lbs., he has an athletic frame that isn’t finished maturing. He keeps his hands in the hitting zone when he swings, and he’s really quite graceful in the field. Given the dearth of outfield talent in the Twins system (except for Byron Buxton, of course), I would love to see the Twins make a run at DeLeon. I haven’t seen them connected to him in any way, but then again, no one predicted the Kendrys Morales signing, either. The Yankees have been identified as the leading candidates to land DeLeon. We’ll see how this one plays out.
6. Christopher Acosta, RHP, Dominican Republic
Acosta is a tall, lean right hander that projects well into a MLB rotation. Scouts love his easy arm action, and he has several pitches that project to be average or better at the Major League level. His fastball, which he throws with good command, sits between 88-92 mph and has some tail that will give right handed hitters some trouble. His curve ball has a lot of bend, and he can throw it for strikes. His best offering is his change up. Lots of movement and a pretty significant drop in velocity. His delivery needs some work, however, as he doesn’t always follow through and tends to remain upright throughout his pitching motion. Some scouts are turned off by his tendency to appear “disinterested,” whatever that means. It’s a stupid criticism when you assume what’s going on inside another person’s head. My opinion is that these scouts don’t see the typical “fieryness” in Acosta that they like to impose on Latin ballplayers. Whatever. The Red Sox are the front runners for his services.
7. Jonathan Amundaray, OF, Venezuela
Amundaray is the first player to technically make this list international. He’s the top ranked non-Dominican player, and for good reason. He hits for a ton of power, and his throwing arm is unquestionably elite. He has a very athletic build, measuring in at 6′ 2″ and 175 lbs. He just turned 16 last month, so he’ll absolutely add more muscle in the coming years. He projects as a corner outfielder in the bigs. Amundaray is another guy I’d love to see the Twins go after, both for his abilities on the field, and to watch Bert try to pronounce his last name.The Yankees are the favorites to sign Amundaray. The Yankees are always the favorites.
8. Brayan Hernandez, OF, Venezuela
Like his countryman Amundaray, Brayan Hernandez is a lanky, athletic outfielder who projects to play a corner outfield position. His hit tool is his best tool, though his defense shouldn’t be far behind. He displays great footwork in the outfield, as well as a top notch throwing arm. He’s a switch hitter with a smooth swing from each side of the plate, though he tends to get a little long from the right side. Of course, this is something that should be easily fixed once he gets into a team’s system. He’s more of a gap hitter than a home run hitter, though at 6’1″, 170 lbs., the 17 year old should add a bit more home run power as his career progresses. The Mariners have been linked to Hernandez.
9. Antonio Arias, OF, Venezuela
Arias is another guy who should add power as his frame fill out. He’s tall and stringy, standing 6’2″ and weighing 180 lbs. He’s an athletic runner who projects to play center field in the pros. There are things to like about his swing. He keeps his hands level and squares up nicely on the baseball. He does need to shorten his swing, however, if he wants to hit well at the higher levels. Scouts also comment on the difficulty Arias has hitting breaking balls and off speed pitches. The hope is that his pitch recognition will improve as he matures, but this is not always a safe bet, in my opinion. His older brother, Jesus, is a pitcher in the Cubs’ system. The Yankees are the front runners to sign Arias.
10. Anderson Espinoza, RHP, Venezuela
I’m a big Espinoza fan. He’s small in stature compared to the other players on this list, standing 5’10” and weighing a mere 150 lbs. At 16 years old, his mechanics are very mature. He throws with extremely fluid arm action. His fastball hovers between 91-93 mph and comes blistering out of his hand with lots of tail. His lower body is heavily involved in his delivery, as he bends his back into a full follow through that leaves him square with the plate. Scouts love his change up, which has quite a bit of sink to it. The popular thing is to compare Espinoza to Pedro Martinez because of his size and his stuff. It’s an apt comparison, in my opinion, and one that makes me salivate as a baseball fan. I wouldn’t be upset if the Twins blew their entire spending pool on this kid. The Red Sox are the favorites to sign him, however.
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.