2008 International Free Agent Market

[craig]

Wrong thread, but didn't want to start a new one and wasn't sure where to pop this in.

 

I have been pretty critical of the Cubs effectiveness in Latin America. Other than Mateo, who's turned out a bust, Wellington Castillo is about the first Latin prospect that we've signed ourselves (as opposed to acquiring in trade, Ceda) that has been a meaningful prospect beyond A-ball in years. Cedeno, Marmol, Guzman, Pinto, those dudes were signed before the turn of the century, and Pie many years ago. So since Pie in 2000 or 2001, it's been my complaint that we've failed to sign/develop hardly any meaningful Latin prospects that have been meaningful even into full-season ball. And it's been my view that the involvement in Asia may be a reflection of the ineffectiveness of our Latin program. I know there have been Latin guys that Raisin and I have been hopeful about: Robert Hernandez, and Cabrera. But neither of them is looking too good now.

 

All that negativity said, I'm somewhat encouraged that there are some new candidates who may turn the corner on this. Obviously they are at very low levels, and may be injured or flop a quickly as Hernandez and Cabrera have. But, maybe they'll be good.

 

Mesa has six (at least) prospects of variable interest, and some of them I think have a chance to become pretty significant.

*1 Suarez. He was a dollar signee, has already had arm issues, and has had attitude questions as well (Az Phil). But, he's pitched pretty well this year in very limited innings (1.11 WHIP). And he's still big, and young, and apparently reasonably fast.

*2 Yohan Gonzalez. Three more clean innings yesterday. Big, fast, scouts liked him, he'll still be 18 when camp opens next spring, he's got a 1.11 WHIP in limited innings, and has been pretty consistent since his lousy first appearance (and some poor outings in XST). He was a dollar signee, too, so seems to have some things going for him.

*3 Jeff Antigua. Barely 18, 2.90 ERA, he's been inconsistent, but when he's been good he's been quite effective. Decent arm and some interesting offspeed stuff, he's got a chance to be a pitcher. If his velocity grows, he could possibly become a very good prospect.

*4 Starlin Castro. Hitting over .300 as an 18-year-old SS, that's interesting. At 6'1", he's perhaps not restricted to a tiny contact hitter, and I'm hoping that he has the size to develop into a good hitter. His power is up this year, although still limited: 29% of his hits this year for XB, last year it was only 15% in DSL. Was a DSL all-star last year (that's a deep league, so I thought the fact that he was selected was interesting last year.) Has played mostly SS, and doesn't have lots of errors. Plate discipline isn't good, but K/BB aren't real bad either, might end up being fine.

*5 "Neifi" Perez. Already 20, and he's been slumping lately. But still, he's hitting .300, has shown serious power, and observers always report major power and a major outfield arm. So he's got at least some big-league tools. His K-rate is scary, but it's improved a lot. His BB-rate is scary, but that has improved also. I recall that he had only one walk until he was at or almost at 100 AB. Now his BB's are up to 8, so he's taken 7 walks in his last 60 AB or so. Maybe he's working on it. (Maybe at the expense of his slugging, I don't know.) Probably won't go anywhere, but he's got some tools, and if he does improve, he could emerge as a prospect.

*6 Junior lake. Big arm, attitude problems, discipline problems, zillions of errors. But he's 18, 6'3" infielder, and has a big arm. Not likely, but it's possible that if he improves, he could turn into a prospect.

 

Perez at Boise is not a total non-prospect. Some of the DSL guys may have some interest, probably Morelli and some of the pitchers.

 

Wellington Castillo is obviously a significant guy. Carillo, not sure if he's really got big-league stuff, but he's probably the furthest-along Latin signee since Pie in that he's being used sometimes as a starter in AA.

 

Caridad isn't really a normal Latin signee in that he was signed at 23 or 24 rather than 17. But he's got a good arm, and he's been very competitive since moving from A to AA. He's improved, and has been something of an innings eater. He's had more games with some K's recently, so I'm hopeful that his breaking ball is starting to be there a little more often than back in April and May. I wouldn't be surprised if he got buzzed up rather favorably when BA does their team top-30.

 

Hopefully Caridad, Castillo, and perhaps even Carillo will turn into real prospects. Hopefully some of the Mesa guys will turn into serious prospects, top-10 type guys. And hopefully some of the DSL guys will have big-league talent and will emerge as genuine prospects down the line.

[Guest]

*6 Junior lake. Big arm, attitude problems, discipline problems, zillions of errors. But he's 18, 6'3" infielder, and has a big arm. Not likely, but it's possible that if he improves, he could turn into a prospect.

 

Craig, I wasn't aware of attitude and discipline problems for Lake. Do you know what happened?

 

From what I've read and gathered, Lake is considered the best Latin American position talent on Mesa based on present talent and tools (over Castro; and it depends on your opinion of Nelson Perez...I have to think he'll be Ryan Harvey Part 2 unless he can make major adjustments). The question is his position, he's probably going to be too big and slow for SS.

 

One other very interesting Mesa guy:

 

RHP Julio Pena - 6'3 185 lb righty, 19 years old, 2.83 ERA, .206 BAA, 25 K/7 BB in 35 innings. His stuff isn't fringy though I don't think he throws as hard as Yohan Gonzalez or Larry Suarez.

[craig]

Craig, I wasn't aware of attitude and discipline problems for Lake. Do you know what happened?

 

I think I phrased that badly.

 

By discipline, I meant plate discipline. Lake's K/BB ratio has been quite a bit worse than Castro's both this year and last. Last year especially, this year Castro's has deteriorated so that it's somewhat comparably bad to Lake's.

 

On attitude, Phil has made several comments that I thought hinted at Lake being a hotdog and somewhat lazy. I recall a comment suggesting that Lake hadn't run hard on a batted ball; and that he acts like he holds the ball in the field so that he can show off his arm on defense. My recall may be off on this. But I got the distinct inference that Phil wasn't real impressed with Lake's attitude. I may be wrong or have overread. Even if it's true, that doesn't necessarily mean he might not be good; sometimes being talented enough to be cocky, or just being cocky in itself, can be a good thing for a player.

 

I certainly am not aware of Lake pulling anything that evoked disciplinary action by the Cubs.

[Guest]

Oh, got it.

 

The aforementioned AZ Phil comment. He says some interesting things about Lake's patience which haven't manifested themselves in the box score:

 

Arizona Phil | TCR[/url]"]Junior Lake is tall and lanky, with above-average speed. He has a longish-stride.

 

Lake has a plus-arm (plenty enough for SS), but he also has an annoying tendency to want to show it off by double-clutching and daring the runner to beat the throw instead of just throwing it. He's kind of cocky.

 

Lake's ball-handling skills at shortstop need some work (he's still raw), but he has excellent range. He has played some 3B at EXST, and although he looks even better there, he will advance MUCH more quickly if he stays at SS. In fact, I would say Lake is probably the Cubs #1 shortstop prospect right now (although that's only because the Cubs organization has a "Black Hole" at SS). He just needs to mature a bit, and then he could be something special.

 

His 2007 DSL numbers might show otherwise, but Lake is probably the most disciplined and patient hitter among the Latin players at EXST. He looks the ball into the catchers glove, and isn't afraid to go deep into the count. He'll take a walk, but he also gets called out on strikes more than the other players do.

 

As a hitter, he has excellent bat speed and really puts a hammer on the ball. If and when he learns to turn on the ball and elevate his swing a bit, he could develop 20+ HR power.

 

If you told me only one position player now at EXST (not including Josh Vitters) will play in the big leagues, I would say it's most-likely either Lake or Carlos Perez, with Lake the one most-likely to make it as an "everyday" MLB player (but that's only if he remains at SS).

 

2. Starlin Castro is a very good defensive middle-infielder (good ball-handling skills, with above-average range and a plus-arm). He has good speed and is a decent hitter, although he doesn't have the power potential of Lake. I would compare Castro to Jonathan Mota. (BTW, I like Gian Guzman more than Castro, because Guzman has more potential as a hitter).

 

I think BA's top 20 AZL prospects will be telling because a few of the Cubs Latin guys might make their writeup.

[Guest]

The Reds ink the last of the big name Latin American free agents - outfielder Yorman Rodriguez - on Friday (his 16th birthday). While BA doesn't have official confirmation, the word going around is that Rodriguez signed for a $2.7 million bonus. The Reds also dropped $2 million on 16-year old outfielder Juan Duran earlier in the year. The Reds biggest competition for Yorman was St. Louis and the Yankees.

 

Baseball America[/url]"]"Yorman is one of the premier position players in Latin America," Reds scouting director Chris Buckley said in a press release. "In Rodriguez and Juan Duran, we’ve signed two of the top players available in that market and consider both to be first-round draft picks. This organization has made great progress in international scouting."

 

Yorman Rodriguez's $2.7 million bonus would be the second biggest non-Cuban amateur IFA bonus of all time, besting Rafael Rodriguez who signed with the Giants earlier in the month. Also, Yorman's bonus is the biggest to a Venezuelan of all time.

 

That's a lot of money to a guy who's "hit tool lags behind."

[Guest]

According to rookiecmon, the Cubs also signed 18-year old Korean righty Jung Soo Min: link.

 

6'1, 90 mph FB.

 

http://www.donga.com/photo/news/200803/200803210375.jpg

[Guest]

Taiwan Baseball Blog[/url]"]Cubs Sign Pitcher from Taiwan.....

The Cubs inked their third kid from Taiwan: RHP Hsin-Hong Tsai from Chiayi County's Tong-Shi HS. He follows his predecessors: Hong-Wen Chen and Chih-Hsiang Wen (has since been released). Tsai stands 6'0'' & is listed at 177 pounds (may be closer to ~150 pounds). His pitching repertoire includes a FB that tops out at 90 (sits around 86-89), below avg breaking stuff, below avg command, decent arm action, - he has some projectability. The Cubs beat out the Twins by signing him for $130k.

 

The kid has himself listed at 186 cm (6'1") and 70 kg (154 pounds). He's 18 (DOB: 4/24/1990).

 

Doesn't look to be 154 lbs in the pic:

 

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/1911/hhtsaiat2.jpg

 

They are very reliable; they were the first to post the signings of Hung-Wen Chen and Dae-Eun Rhee last year and were one of the first to mention the signing of Hak-Ju Lee this year.

 

Tsai failed his physical and the Cubs have voided his contract:

 

Taiwan Baseball Blogspot[/url]"]Hsin-Hong Tsai, the RHP signed earlier this summer by the Chicago Cubs had his contract voided after failing his physical. Although the exact reason for why he failed his physical is unclear (bone spurs?),Tsai in his blog, stated that he is pitching without discomfort and still hopes to fulfill his dreams of playing in the US. In order for that to happen he'll need a second opinion from an ortho MD.

[Guest]

Mike: (Chicago, IL): How come the Cubs have been quiet on the international stage, I haven't heard much about them?

 

Ben Badler: (2:22 PM ET ) They've spent money in the Pacific Rim, obviously dumping a bunch of money on Fukudome but also getting younger guys like Dae-Eun Rhee and Hak Ju Lee.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/majors/espn-chat/2008/266846.html

[Guest]

1908, how is Junichi Tazawa able to forgo playing professionally in Japan?

 

Anyways, he's supposedly a free agent looking to come to major league baseball. While the linked article says he throws in the mid-90s FB, he's apparently more commonly in the low 90s. Also throws a forkball and slider and is age 22. Red Sox, Braves and Mets are the leading suitors.

 

ETA: Looks like he is able to forgo NPB because he was an in an amateur minor league and has yet to be drafted.

[RammyFanny]

MLBTR mentions the Cubs with Tazawa, but with no link so it's probably just an assumption since we are more active over there like with Kosuke.

[Guest]

MLBTR mentions the Cubs with Tazawa, but with no link so it's probably just an assumption since we are more active over there like with Kosuke.

 

I've seen a few mentions that the Cubs are one of the more active teams scouting and pursuing Tazawa since my last post. Here's one:

 

NPB Tracker[/url]"]By now it’s common knowledge among baseball fans that Junichi Tazawa has elected to forego a career in Nippon Pro Baseball and jump right in to an MLB organization. The Red Sox, Pirates, Braves, Mariners and Cubs have been publicly linked with Tazawa, with Boston considered the front runner to land him. Based on the hype he’s getting I’d expect him to get a contract in the first round draft pick range.

 

I've also seen metions of the Dodgers, Tigers, Giants, Yankees and Mets having some sort of interest.

 

It will be interesting to see how NPB and MLB handle this.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxRKY_Xg5tQ

 

http://i37.tinypic.com/10pumpy.gif

[Rob]

Low 90's FB, Mid 70's CB

 

Doesn't look to have much more body to build off of...

 

Kinda looks like Gallagher to me... though I haven't seen his other secondary stuff.

[1908]

1908, how is Junichi Tazawa able to forgo playing professionally in Japan?

There's a gentleman's agreement between MLB and NPB teams not to go after players that have been drafted by a team in either league. Tazawa hasn't been drafted yet, and even if he were drafted by an NPB team, I don't think there's any official rule in place that would prevent him from signing with an MLB team instead of the team that drafted him.

[Guest]

Thanks, 1908.

 

Q: Alex from Atlanta asks:

There were rumblings of a DSL/VSL top 20/10 list last year. Are we ever gonna see something like that?

 

A: Ben Badler: Ah, international questions, the one way to get me to stray from Pioneer League questions... The rumblings are growing louder this year. I just finished cranking out our Pioneer and Southern League Top 20 lists. Give me a good night's sleep and then I'm going to get going on a review of this year's international signing class, a review of last year's and then I hope to do something on players in the DSL and VSL this season. If not a top 20 list like we normally do, then at least a Beta version that takes a look at some of the top prospects from those leagues who could leap to the radar next year in the US.

[Guest]

Now that BA has completed the top 20 prospects in all the rookie and short season leagues, I thought it'd be interesting to compile a list of Latin American UDFA who made these lists. Obviously a few names are still in Latin American leagues or didn't make the top 20 lists because of eligibility (Julio Teheran didn't make the GCL list because of IP) but this gives us an opportunity to look at how some of the guys signed in the last few years have done thus far. I should probably look at last year's rankings too for a comparison, especially for guys who were in full season ball in 2008 (Villalona, Jesus Montero, Truinfel, etc).

 

AZL:

 

3. Jharmidy De Jesus, 3b, Mariners - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007, bonus of $1 million bonus

4. Ehire Adrianza, ss, Giants - Venezuela, signed in 2006

5. Manuarys Correa, rhp, Angels - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007

9. Jose Casilla, rhp, Giants - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006

10. Yowill Espinal, sb/ss, Royals - Dominican Republic, signed in 2008, bonus of $250,000 bonus

13. Jose Bonilla, c, Royals - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006

14. Starlin Castro, 2b/ss, Cubs - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006

15. Junior Lake, ss, Cubs - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007

 

GCL:

 

3. Jefry Marte, 3b, Mets - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007, bonus of $550,000

5. Michael Almanzar, 3b, Red Sox - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007, bonus of $1.5 million

7. Sebastian Valle, c, Phillies - Mexico, signed in 2006, bonus of $38,000

10. Abner Abreu, 3b, Indians - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006, bonus of $75,000

11. Arodys Vizcaino, rhp, Yankees - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007, bonus of $800,000

12. Cesar Puello, of, Mets - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007, bonus of $400,000

14. Esmailyn Gonzalez, ss, Nationals - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006, bonus of $1.4 million

 

Appy League:

 

2. Wilmer Flores, ss, Kingsport Mets - Venezuela, signed in 2007, bonus of $700,000

4. Gabriel Noriega, ss, Pulaski Mariners - Venezuela, signed in 2007, bonus of $800,000

5. Mario Martinez, 3b, Pulaski Mariners - Venezuela, signed in 2006, bonus of $600,000

6. Randall Delgado, rhp, Danville Braves - Panama, signed in 2006

9. Albert Suarez, rhp, Princeton Devil Rays - Venezuela, signed in 2006

10. Kelvin Herrera, rhp, Burlington Royals - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006

16. Gregory Infante, rhp, Bristol Sox - Venezuela, signed in 2006

18. Federico Hernandez, c, Greeneville Astros - Venezuela, signed in 2006

19. Juan Silverio, ss, Bristol Sox - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007, bonus of $600,000

 

Pioneer League:

 

1. Wilin Rosario, c, Casper (Rockies) - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006

5. Luis Jimenez, 3b, Orem (Angels) - Dominican Republic, signed in 2005

11. Pedro Baez, 3b, Ogden (Dodgers) - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007

12. Jose Perez, rhp, Orem (Angels) - Venezuela, signed in 2006

14. Rossmel Perez, c, Missoula (Diamondbacks) - Venezuela, signed in 2006, bonus of $150,000

15. Angel Castillo, of, Orem (Angels) - Venezuela, signed in 2005

16. Wily Peralta, rhp, Helena (Brewers) - Dominican Republic, signed in 2005, bonus of $450,000

 

NYPL Top 20:

 

9. Jenrry Mejia, Brooklyn (Mets) - Dominican Republic, signed in 2007

 

NWL Top 20:

 

2. Martin Perez, lhp, Spokane (Rangers) - Venezuela, signed in 2007 - bonus of $560,000

6. Wilfredo Boscan, rhp, Spokane (Rangers) - Venezuela, signed in 2006

9. Jharmidy DeJesus, 3b, Everett (Mariners)- Dominican Republic, signed in 2007, bonus of $1 million

14. Simon Castro, rhp, Eugene (Padres) - Dominican Republic, signed in 2006

 

Mets: 4 (all in 2007)

Angels: 3 (1 in 2007, 1 in 2006, 1 in 2005)

Mariners: 4 (2 in 2007, 1 in 2006 [Jharmidy De Jesus was ranked in 2 leagues])

Royals: 3 (1 in 2008, 2 in 2006)

Cubs: 2 (1 in 2007, 1 in 2006)

Giants: 2 (both 2006)

Rangers 2 (1 in 2007, 1 in 2006)

White Sox: 2 (1 in 2007, 1 in 2006)

Astros: 1 (2006)

Braves: 1 (2006)

Brewers: 1 (2005)

Diamondbacks: 1 (2006)

Dodgers: 1 (2007)

Indians: 1 (2006)

Nationals: 1 (2006)

Padres: 1 (2006)

Philles: 1 (2006)

Rays: 1 (2006)

Rockies: 1 (2006)

Red Sox: 1 (2007)

Yankees: 1 (2007)

[Mephistopheles]

Regarding the signing of Japanese players. If Tazawa isn't signed by the NPB draft (some time in November, don't know the exact date), then Tazawa can sign with a MLB team. He is free to sign with a MLB team before then. Technically he could sign with a MLB team after the draft, but there's an unwritten agreement not to. I'd be akin to drafting someone with the first overall pick and then seeing a NPB sign him. An unwritten rule, that the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox probably won't give a damn about.

 

Honestly, he's come out and said he's coming here. NPB teams know not to worry about him then. He's not going to be the first player to go this route, he's going to be the first potential first round pick to do so. Kazuhito Tadano came here because no one drafted him because of the "video" he shot. He would have been a high pick in Japan.

 

This also isn't the first time that a high profile Japanese amateur prospect was linked to major league teams before the draft. Last year Sho Nakata was linked to MLB teams as was Yoshinori Satoh, the top two high school prospects, Nakata being arguably the best Japanese high school prospect ever. Neither Nakata or Sato ever came out and said they weren't interested in NPB like Tazawa.

 

Either way I think if even Tazawa wasn't interested the ball was going to be dropped when Yuki Saito graduates in a couple years. He would have been the top pick in the HS draft, but head his eyes set on Waseda instead of NPB. There were some rumblings that he was also positioning himself to go the US after 4 years of development instead of 9 as the main reason.

 

The problem is Japanese teams can't spend like we can. My solution. Let MLB allow this, but require any Japanese players who want to come over here go through a clearing house or something and wait until the June draft. Make them go in the draft. This will make sure overbidding doesn't happen. The Japanese school year runs like the actual year (ending at the end of the year, not in the summer) so there's disincentive to go into the MLB draft there as well.

[1908]

What are you trying to resolve with your proposed solution?

[Guest]

Top 20 bonuses handed out this year for players signed after 7/2 (Hak-Ju Lee signed before 7/2, otherwise he'd have made this list): link.

 

Break down:

 

Yankees: 4

Padres: 3

Giants: 2

Indians: 2

Mariners: 2

A's: 1

Blue Jays: 1

Braves: 1

Cardinals: 1

Mets: 1

Red Sox: 1

Reds: 1 (not counting Duran who signed before 7/2)

[Mephistopheles]

What are you trying to resolve with your proposed solution?

 

 

If they go into the draft then their services won't go through a bidding process. In other words, it'll keep their potential earnings from jumping straight to the US down. There would be less financial incentives for them to come over before playing in Japan. Does it completely block the stream? No, but it keeps from too many coming over. Only the uber elite prospects who would be top five round material would come over. Honestly, that's one or two players a year. NPB draft has a cap of like 150k. 150k slot is 5th to 6th round. Couple this with an agreement by NPB to raise the maximum signing bonus to between 200k and 250k, then we're looking only at top three round material.

[1908]

What are you trying to resolve with your proposed solution?

If they go into the draft then their services won't go through a bidding process. In other words, it'll keep their potential earnings from jumping straight to the US down. There would be less financial incentives for them to come over before playing in Japan. Does it completely block the stream? No, but it keeps from too many coming over. Only the uber elite prospects who would be top five round material would come over. Honestly, that's one or two players a year. NPB draft has a cap of like 150k. 150k slot is 5th to 6th round. Couple this with an agreement by NPB to raise the maximum signing bonus to between 200k and 250k, then we're looking only at top three round material.

Ah, so you're trying to figure out a way to stem the potential tide of Japanese talent bypassing NPB in favor of MLB. You're not the only one.

 

NPB calls for rule change to stop outflows of amateur talent

TOKYO, Sept. 26 (22:16) Kyodo

 

Nippon Professional Baseball officials have demanded a review of scouting rules in written requests submitted to amateur baseball bodies Friday in an attempt to prevent outflows of promising talent from the country.

 

Sources said NPB, feeling a sense of crisis after highly touted pitcher Junichi Tazawa declared earlier this month to launch a bid to play in North America, has insisted that the current rules regarding contact between major league scouts and Japanese amateur players be reconsidered.

 

Representatives from the Japan Amateur Baseball Association and the All-Japan University Baseball Federation received the requests from NPB, which also include creating regulations on Japanese players hoping to rejoin their home leagues after an overseas stint, the sources said.

 

The move by NPB was prompted by Tazawa's announcement on Sept. 11 that the 22-year-old ace of the Nippon Oil team has opted to pursue a career in the major leagues by dodging Japan's amateur draft scheduled for Oct. 30.

 

The fastballer has reportedly drawn the interest of at least a handful of major league clubs, including the Boston Red Sox.

 

Only two players, Kazuhito Tadano and Mac Suzuki, have made their major league debuts without having professional careers in Japan.

 

Tazawa, however, is the first to make impact to a degree where NPB is seriously concerned about the future of Japan's pro baseball and a possible decline in its popularity and prosperity.

 

Professionals raised in Japan's leagues normally need to become free agents or use the posting system for opportunities to play in the majors. But Japanese amateurs can sign with any major league club through free competition without having to enter the amateur draft on either side of the Pacific Ocean.

http://www.japanball.com/news.phtml?id=13140

[Guest]

Details on the White Sox and Yankees part in the bonus skimming scandal down in the Dominican Republic: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=3609833

 

One MLB source with knowledge of the probe says he expects as many as six teams and 20 employees to be implicated in the end. But another MLB official says those numbers might be low, reiterating that "the more time you spend down there, the more you uncover."

 

That official also says the probe won't have the same kind of closure the Mitchell report provided. Rather, baseball will make ongoing efforts to tamp down the problem. Four of MLB's investigators were back in the Dominican last week, signaling the probe is ongoing.

 

"We're probably not going to stop it, but we can put a dent in it, impact it in a big way," says the official. "But there is so much money to be made. I have no confidence that even if I said we were finished, we wouldn't be back in a year or two. People are creative."

 

So far, we know of the Nationals, Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees are four of those teams in trouble.

 

On one thing, Marcano and DuPuy agree: The solution to some of the financial improprieties in Latin America is a worldwide draft covering players in the Dominican and Venezuela. Right now, the free-agent system with player salaries exploding and team scouts making nominal salaries is a "recipe for disaster," says Marcano.

 

A draft, though, would limit the power yielded by buscons and scouts, in much the way the American amateur draft sets the market for players. DuPuy says ownership previously was against the idea of a worldwide draft, but has shifted its position over the past five years.

 

"There's almost total unanimity from the clubs' standpoint that a worldwide draft would be a good thing," he says, acknowledging owners haven't always agreed on the issue.

 

A worldwide draft would need to be negotiated into the Basic Agreement between owners and players. The union's general counsel, Michael Weiner, says the players are open to considering an international draft "if it's important to management."

[Guest]

Also, the Cubs were amongst 9 teams at a big amateur tournament in Taiwan over the weekend. The big star there is the biggest Taiwanese amateur free agent - RHP Wen-Hao Cheng. WH Cheng apparently has high bonus demands and has seen his FB velocity drop but over the weekend, he was back into the 90s (topping out at 93). The Cubs have been linked to him before.

[Guest]

The Giants voided the contract of Luis Mateo ($650k bonus) after finding bone chips in his elbow.

 

Many teams have worked him out since.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=1721

[craig]

...A worldwide draft would need to be negotiated into the Basic Agreement between owners and players. The union's general counsel, Michael Weiner, says the players are open to considering an international draft "if it's important to management."

 

In other words, the players will obstruct an international draft. Standard negotiating tactic. They will obstruct it unless mlb makes some concession to them. As always, and as is negotiations-logical, their necessary approval means that they have veto power over anything mlb wants to do. So they can use their approval as a bargaining chip, and certainly will withhold approval unless they get something back in exchange for granting it. Weiiner says the players will consider it "if it's important to management" is code for "if it's important enough to management to give us something we want in order to buy our approval". You want approval for a world-wide draft? How about raising the minimum wage by $100K? How about affording minor league free agency after 5 years instead of 6? How about raising the luxury-tax cutoff by 20%? How about raising the percentage of players with at least two but less than three full years of service time who are arbitration eligible (Super Twos) by 20%? How about expanding the rosters from 25 to 26?

 

Anytime management wants to change anything, it's always an opportunity for the union to leverage a better contract for themselves. So the union will always obstruct anything, as a matter of general principle/opportunity, even if they could otherwise care less what happens.

 

This is in part why minor changes are so very difficult. If the change is not that big, it won't be important enough to management to motivate them making a sufficient concession to buy off the union.

 

I don't expect anything to change in the forseeable future. This just isn't that high of a priority for management, not enough to justify giving the kind of concession that the union would require in order to agree.

[Guest]

Mulling over some articles in Venezuelan papers, it appears LHP Ismael Guillon got the biggest amateur bonus for a lefty from Latin America (topping Francisco Liriano's $900,000 bonus). He signed with the Tigers for $1.2 million.

 

In regards to the Cubs, I found this on a Venezuelan blog: http://beisbolaadelzulia.blogspot.com/2008/08/ricardo-rojas-prospecto-guariqueo-que.html

 

And here's one of those crappy online translations to English: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&u=http://beisbolaadelzulia.blogspot.com/2008/08/ricardo-rojas-prospecto-guariqueo-que.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3DWilmer-Flores%26start%3D70%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN

 

It sounds like Ricardo Parra - a 17 year old catcher from San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela - was signed early this summer and sent to the DSL where he put up a .494 OPS in 60 at bats.