2009 Int'l FA Market: Cubs Sign 6 For $250,000+ Bonuses

[Guest]

Peoria Journal-Star[/url]"]Starting on July 2 through Aug. 31 major league organizations can sign international players 16 years of age or older. So far reports say the Cubs have signed four players.

 

At first I read this and assumed that since the context was July 2, i.e. Latin operations, that the "Cubs have signed four players" alluded to four Latin players. And I was already wondering who the other three Latins other than Contreras were. Were they good? How much did we pay? Etc..

 

But most likely the writer of a Peoria article doesn't really know or write that well. And the other three are Kim, Chen, and Wang, even if the July 2 window had no impact on them.

 

Yeah, I wasn't sure about that but was leaning your way that he's referring to Contreras, Kim, Chen and Wang.

 

I'm sure we'd have heard from other media outlets if the Cubs signed even moderate international prospects from Latin America. And they have to have signed more than 4 no-name guys since July 2 (just check out the DSL rosters where a few guys have been added in recent weeks).

[Guest]

Also, Kiley McDaniel (BP)'s Twitter on the other big Cuban lefty who defected:

 

just spoke with someone that saw cuban LHP noel arguelles throw. hit 95, in shape, impressive breaking ball, should kill iglesias' $8 mill.

[Guest]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/07/16/yankees.signing/index.html

 

Damian Arredondo (Yankees - $850,000 bonus) is not 16 nor is he Damian Arredondo. Contract voided, he's been suspended a year. Ben Badler of BA says more suspensions from the DR are likely.

[biittner77]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/07/16/yankees.signing/index.html

 

Damian Arredondo (Yankees - $850,000 bonus) is not 16 nor is he Damian Arredondo. Contract voided, he's been suspended a year. Ben Badler of BA says more suspensions from the DR are likely.

 

Gives new meaning to the phrase "He's not the player we thought he was"

[Guest]

More age-related irregularities:

 

Baseball America[/url]"]This year, MLB has already suspended Dominican righthander Rafael DePaula and Dominican outfielder Eladio Moronta for one year for misrepresenting themselves. Some teams are still trying to find a way to sign DePaula, as his low- to mid-90s fastball is a plus pitch for any age. Shortstop Paul Carlixte, outfielder Alfredo Ramos and Junior Monteliz all had their investigations come back irregular prior to July 2, while a Sports Illustrated report last week said that Dominican shortstop Damian Arredondo, who signed with the Yankees on July 2, also misrepresented his age.

 

Ben Badler's Twitter: Yankees signed SS Jorge Alcantara, OF Daniel Lopez and RHP Jose Pena. The Indians signed SS Jairo Kelly.

 

Jorge Arangure says the Giants signed Colombian OF Leonardo Fuentes to a $280,000 bonus. Also, he says Cuban defector LHP Noel Arguelles will have a showcase next week in the DR.

[Wrigley Rat]

Cubs sign their second Wang:

According to Taiwan Baseball, The Chicago Cubs have signed their third player in Taiwan this year, inking 6′5 Sanhsin HS righty Wang Tsu-an to a minor league deal with a signing bonus reportedly exceeding 300,000. Wang could be considered a high-risk/high-reward type sign, with a fastball that sits in the high eighties. He has a very skinny frame albeit with athleticism and the possibility to throw harder with added strength. He mixes in a curve, has pretty good feel for a change up, and mixes in an occasional split.

http://eastwindupchronicle.com/cubs-sign-wang-tsu-an/

 

RHP Tzu-An Wang. Wang, a 6'6" righty, was a HS teammate (San-Hsin HS) of recent Cubbie signee RHP Yao-Lin Wang.

Without a doubt, the kid has the most upside of any Taiwanese player signed this year. Fairly new to the sport, Wang has stepped up his game in leaps and bounds as he has made significant improvement over his last three years in HS. He now reportedly throws a fastball in the low 90's to go along with a changeup, curveball, split-finger fb and all with a downhill angle. Despite his promise, his is still a bit raw. Many had hoped that he would continue to develop his game in college. However a rumored $300 - 350 K signing bonus would prove to be too enticing for Wang. If the numbers are accurate, the amount would make him the distinguished recipient of the largest signing bonus handed out to a HS Taiwanese player this year.

http://taiwanbaseball.blogspot.com/2009/07/good-things-come-in-threes-cubs-sign.html

 

Wang ranked 3rd on a list of Top 5 High School prospects in Taiwan. The author said it was a particularly deep class this year.

Under the radar and relatively unknown, Wang is the dark horse in this year's class. He has "projection" and "raw potential" written all over him. But he is a high risk, high reward type of prospect which is why he is ranked #3 on this list. You cannot blame him for being raw because he started playing baseball just 3 years ago; he was a basketball player and also ran track and field prior to becoming a baseball player. As one can likely conclude--he is a good athlete. He has the size that most Asian pitchers do not have. And despite his height, he has a decent delivery; however he only pitches from the stretch. With his height, he creates a very good angle to his pitches, especially having a high 3/4 arm slot. He has above average arm speed and already has a fastball that tops out at 89 MPH. His out-pitch is a split-finger fastball that can be nasty at times because of his height. He also has been working on a changeup and a curveball to complement his split-finger fastball. To top things off, he has a strong work ethic and has made significant strides to his delivery and velocity over the past 2 years. The main weaknesses with him are his erratic control and command and his limited experience. If he can improve in these areas, he could possibly move to #1 on this list in the near future.

http://taiwanbaseball.blogspot.com/2008/08/cream-of-crop-class-of-09.html

[Guest]

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/3406/tzuanwang.jpg

 

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/8739/tzuanwang2.jpg

[Guest]

Wang ranked 3rd on a list of Top 5 High School prospects in Taiwan. The author said it was a particularly deep class this year.

 

The other thing to note is that none of the other 4 in his list have signed with a U.S. pro team.

[CyHawk_Cub]

Wang ranked 3rd on a list of Top 5 High School prospects in Taiwan. The author said it was a particularly deep class this year.

 

The other thing to note is that none of the other 4 in his list have signed with a U.S. pro team.

 

Raisin, do you have an opinion why that is? It's my understanding the Cubs have a strong presence in the Pac Rim, what other franchises can be considered players there?

[Guest]

Wang ranked 3rd on a list of Top 5 High School prospects in Taiwan. The author said it was a particularly deep class this year.

 

The other thing to note is that none of the other 4 in his list have signed with a U.S. pro team.

 

Raisin, do you have an opinion why that is? It's my understanding the Cubs have a strong presence in the Pac Rim, what other franchises can be considered players there?

 

Keep in mind that top 5 list was made in September so things will look much different now when you're talking about teenagers who will develop at different curves (and there's the risk for injuries).

 

Here is what I could find on Taiwan Baseball Blogspot's Top 5:

 

1) Chia-Ming Huang RHP - high ceiling but has lost velocity.

2) Wei-Da Su 1B/2B - turned down a contract offer from the Twins (only $30k).

3) Tzu-An Wang RHP - signed with the Cubs.

4) Fu-Lin Kuo 3B/SS - turned down a contract offer from the Twins (only $20k)/concerns over back injuries.

5) Cheng-Hao Wang RHP - torn UCL.

 

The Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox, Braves and Twins have a strong presence in the Pac Rim and more recently, the Pirates have started signing a few guys in Taiwan (but don't forget some Asian pro teams can snatch up the top talent too). The Cubs might be considered the biggest players in the Pac Rim these days. Earlier this year, a Korean scout was quoted as saying "if they 'stop the Cubs' they can stop the exodus of talent."

[Guest]

Apparently Sano was partially cleared in terms of age: http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/pbc/archive/2009/07/24/sano-will-be-partially-cleared.aspx

 

This morning, it became known that the identity was confirmed, but the age, as seen by MLB is at least 17 according to at least one of the five standards applied. The Pirates' own investigation turned up that he was between 16 and 17. The catch here is that, if Sano is caught not telling the truth about either when the U.S. consulate there does its own investigation (and yes, that is the next step), he will not be permitted entry into America at any point. That, according to a source, was why the hearing Wednesday was held, to stress that part to Sano.

[wvcbxl]

Not sure where this belonged, so I'll put it here.

 

Scouts get another chance to look for possible international signings at the MLB European Academy in Tirrenia (Italy) between 08/11 and 08/29.

Selected youngsters from different countries take part - the list by number of players:

 

16: The Netherlands

8: Italy, Germany

5: Spain, France, Czech Republic

2: South Africa, Sweden

1: Uganda :shock: , Austria, Lithuania en Belarus

 

The youngest is 14 yr old Ugeth Urbina Machado from Spain.

Since it started in 2005, 35 of 158 players have signed with MLB organizations.

[Outshined_One]

Not sure where this belonged, so I'll put it here.

 

Scouts get another chance to look for possible international signings at the MLB European Academy in Tirrenia (Italy) between 08/11 and 08/29.

Selected youngsters from different countries take part - the list by number of players:

 

16: The Netherlands

8: Italy, Germany

5: Spain, France, Czech Republic

2: South Africa, Sweden

1: Uganda :shock: , Austria, Lithuania en Belarus

 

The youngest is 14 yr old Ugeth Urbina Machado from Spain.

Since it started in 2005, 35 of 158 players have signed with MLB organizations.

 

Is this the same Academy the Cubs got Kemp and Maestri from?

[wvcbxl]

Is this the same Academy the Cubs got Kemp and Maestri from?

 

Yes, both of them.

[YearofDaCubs]

Apparently Sano was partially cleared in terms of age: http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/pbc/archive/2009/07/24/sano-will-be-partially-cleared.aspx

 

This morning, it became known that the identity was confirmed, but the age, as seen by MLB is at least 17 according to at least one of the five standards applied. The Pirates' own investigation turned up that he was between 16 and 17. The catch here is that, if Sano is caught not telling the truth about either when the U.S. consulate there does its own investigation (and yes, that is the next step), he will not be permitted entry into America at any point. That, according to a source, was why the hearing Wednesday was held, to stress that part to Sano.

Good thing they are taking the necessary steps now to confirm their age before they are allowed entry.

[Guest]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4381376

 

Jorge Arangure story on Aroldis Chapman along with the ESPN video segment that's to air today.

[Guest]

Chaz (WV) Any update on Miguel Sano's situation?

 

Jim Callis (2:47 PM) I'm telling you, this guy is becoming the Eduardo Salcedo of 2009. That's a little extreme, but his situation remains in limbo. Our international guru, Ben Badler, says he hasn't heard anything new and teams may be focusing on signing draft picks until after Aug. 17.

[Post Count Padder]

Per mlbtraderumors:

 

CF Kyung-min Na was signed by the Cubs for 725k and is called "the fastest player in Korean high school baseball

[davell]

While we obviously don't have much to hang our hats on this year so far, one of the real bright spots is what we are doing in the Pac Rim. Very impressive.

[Outshined_One]

Per mlbtraderumors:

 

CF Kyung-min Na was signed by the Cubs for 725k and is called "the fastest player in Korean high school baseball

 

That'd make the Pac Rim haul pretty darn impressive this season if true.

[Rob]

Per mlbtraderumors:

 

CF Kyung-min Na was signed by the Cubs for 725k and is called "the fastest player in Korean high school baseball

 

That'd make the Pac Rim haul pretty darn impressive this season if true.

 

If there's one thing that Jim Hendry has done real well on, it's allocating his resources to the Pac Rim. We're getting a lot more bang for our buck out there than we would be duking it out with all the other teams in the Dominican, Venezuela, etc...

[1908]

http://eastwindupchronicle.com/cubs-keep-making-it-rain-in-asia-astros-sign-moon/

Cubs Keep Making it Rain In Asia

The Chicago Cubs have continued their Atilla the Hun-like march across the Asian continent, this time signing centerfielder Na Kyung-min to a minor league deal with a bonus reported around 725,000. Na has been called “the fastest player in Korean high school baseball” and has drawn comparisons to a bunch of wiry fast guys in MLB and the KBO, as well as Willie Mays-hays from Major League.

 

With Na’s signing the Cubs have now surpassed the 2,000,000 dollar mark in international spending in Asia alone on the year, a total that exceeds and even doubles the entire international expenditures of more than a handful of MLB clubs. The roll call consists of Pitchers Wang Yao-lin, Wang Tsu-an, second baseman Chen Pin-chieh, Na, and outfielder Kim Dong-yeop.

[Little Slide Rooter]

CF Kyung-min Na was signed by the Cubs for 725k and is called "the fastest player in Korean high school baseball,"

 

Lets just hope Kyung-min Na isnt Korean for Joey Gathright or Freddy Bynum.

[TruffleShuffle]

Per mlbtraderumors:

 

CF Kyung-min Na was signed by the Cubs for 725k and is called "the fastest player in Korean high school baseball

 

That'd make the Pac Rim haul pretty darn impressive this season if true.

 

If there's one thing that Jim Hendry has done real well on, it's allocating his resources to the Pac Rim. We're getting a lot more bang for our buck out there than we would be duking it out with all the other teams in the Dominican, Venezuela, etc...

 

i'm suspending judgment until i see if any of these guys turn out to be good players.

[craig]

If there's one thing that Jim Hendry has done real well on, it's allocating his resources to the Pac Rim. We're getting a lot more bang for our buck out there than we would be duking it out with all the other teams in the Dominican, Venezuela, etc...

 

i'm suspending judgment until i see if any of these guys turn out to be good players.

 

True. Still, I'm awfully enthused about this signing and this trend. It's a rare case where the Cubs are leaders in something. They were never leaders in saber, or Latin America, or anything novel with prospect development. It's fun to be a leader and have a niche.

 

Second, the early returns on the prospects seems to be very favorable in terms of scouting acumen out there. The feedback on Lee has been fabulous. The feedback on rhee pre-injury was really good. So I think there is reason to think that Weaver and Wilson might have fairly good eyes for talent.

 

On the other hand, I do think the risk with Asian pitchers may be pretty high. Rhee, Jung, Chen, like Ryu before them, they have all shown up with arm problems not too long into their Cub careers. Given some of the reports on how many innings some of the Asian kids throw, perhaps that is not coincidental, and may be an ongoing risk when signing kids from over there.

 

Anyway, it's great to have another potential good-talent big-ticket prospect added to the system.

 

As always, I hope he's got more than speed. Speed is only good if you can hit, and without power even that is of limited value.