2010 Int'l FA Market

[davell]

I didn't think 16 year olds could sign until July 2nd for some reason?

[Guest]

I didn't think 16 year olds could sign until July 2nd for some reason?

 

They can sign if they turned 16 during last year's signing period (July 2 - Sept 1, 2009).

[davell]

:thumbsup: Ah, cool.

[Guest]

I looked around the Internet and here is a listing of the top prospects that I've seen so far that are already available or will be available from July 2 and on.

 

Dominican Republic:

 

Eskarlin Vasquez, OF – Giants are the favorites

Vicmal De La Cruz, OF – Indians, Padres, A’s, Twins & Mariners interested -

Esteilon Peguero, SS, age 16 – Rangers, Mariners, Padres, Twins, Reds & Cubs interested -

Hector Veloz, 3B, age 16

Rafael DePaula, RHP, age 17 - Yankees or Mariners (was suspended a year for lying about his age)

Luis Marte, SS

Ariel Ovando, OF

Phillips Castillo, OF

Albert Triunfel, SS – Carlos Triunfel’s younger brother

Jorge Feliz, RHP

Elvis Sanchez, 3B

Javier Pimentel, SS

Antonio Gonzalez, SS

Luis Abad, RHP - Yankees, Astros, A's and Blue Jays interested

Wilmer Romero, OF

Edwin Moreno, OF, age 16

Geronimo Fransua, LHP, age 16

Joel Araujo, OF, age 16

Jefferson, Olacio, LHP

Carlos Periera, IF, age 16

Kevin Vizcaino, OF

Pedro Araujo, RHP, age 16

Raul Mondesi, Jr., OF

Adaniel Blanco, IF

Estellon Pegero, SS

Christopher Tavarez, SS

Cesar Aybar, RHP, age 16

Jose Tovar, LHP, age 16

Michale Leso, RHP, age 16

Alfrandy Cespedes, RHP, age 16

 

Venezuela:

 

Adonis Cardona, RHP – believed to have an agreement with the Blue Jays for approximately $2.8 million

Jose Tovar, LHP - connected to the Rockies

Renato Nunez, 3B

Roughned Odor, SS

Angel Mejias, LHP

Yorman Landa, RHP

Felix Carvallo, LHP

Cesar Gonzalez, C

Argy Raga, C

Yorman Garcia, OF

Anderson Mata, LHP'

 

Mexico:

 

Luis Heredia, RHP, age 15 - Yankees and A's - potentially the top pitching prospect this summer

 

Colombia:

 

Jose Torres, RHP - linked to the Mariners

Pedro Perez, 3B

 

South Korea:

 

Sung-Hyuk Han, RHP, age 17 – Scott Boras represents him; his HS teammate is Cub Jin-Yeong Kim (signed with the Cubs for $1.2 million in February): link

 

Taiwan:

 

Wei-Chung Wang, LHP, age 18 - younger brother of Cub minor leaguer Yao-Lin Wang

 

Another link for the top 24 Latin American free agents: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/05/17/two-dozen-international-free-agents-worth-knowing/

[wvcbxl]

I did some digging. Here are the non-Cubans who have already signed:

 

Astros: SS Juan Carlos Batista, Dominican Republic, age 16

Braves: SS Edward Salcedo, Dominican Republic, age 18 - $1.6 million (remember him?)

Cubs: RHP Jin-Yeong Kim, South Korea, age 17 - $1.2 million

Diamondbacks: OF Wagner Mateo, Dominican Republic, age 17 - $512,000

Padres: 3B Duanel Jones, Dominican Republic - $900,000

Yankees: RHP Erik Olivo, Dominican Republic - $300,000

Yankees: C Rainiero Coa, Venezuela, age 17

 

One to add:

 

Mariners: LHP Scott Ronnenbergh, the Netherlands, age 18 (according to Dutch sources, the Cubs and the Phillies also made him an offer)

[Guest]

Video of Dominican SS Esteilon Peguero, who the Cubs are supposedly interested in:

[Guest]

MLB Trade Rumors top 10 Dominican July 2nd prospects:

 

MLB Trade Rumors[/url]"]1. Vicmal De La Cruz, OF. Has the best toolset of any player in this class. Upside as high as anyone.

 

2. Martin Steylon Peguero, SS. Hands down the best shortstop of this year's class.

 

3. Ariel Ovando, OF. – When two different scouts drop Darryl Strawberry comps, you take notice.

 

4. Phillips Castillo, OF. This outfielder is a lock for seven figures.

 

5. Wilmer Romero, OF. Still a bit of an unknown, but has the potential to move up on this list.

 

6. Eskarlin Vazquez, OF. Perhaps the most publicized player in this year's class. At 6'3", Vazquez has a projectable frame with good pop.

 

7. Jorge Feliz, RHP. A 92 mph fastball and feel for a curve earns him the highest pitcher’s spot.

 

8. Alberto Triunfel, SS. Little brother to Carlos Triunfel, Alberto also has Scott Boras as his agent.

 

9. Elvis Sanchez, 3B. His body has improved tremendously over the past year, allowing the possibility of sticking at third base for the long haul. If he continues to show off-the-charts power, it may be irrelevant.

 

T-10. Edwin Moreno, OF. Left-handed outfielder with pop and a strong body.

 

T-10. Luis Abad, RHP. Hitting 92 mph and weighing 160 pounds soaking wet, the 6'3" Abad is one of the most projectable pitchers you'll see.

 

T-10. Javier Pimentel, SS. A wide-shouldered shortstop with a solid bat and plenty of room for improvement.

[Guest]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/international-affairs/2010/2610071.html

 

BA chimes in with their review of the biggest prospects in Latin America. They don't mention the Cubs as suitors for any of the prospects.

 

They mention:

 

Adonis Cardona, RHP, Venezuela

Phillips Castillo, OF, Dominican Republic

Renato Nunez, 3B, Venezuela

Esteilon Peguero, SS, Dominican Republic

Vicmal de la Cruz, CF, Dominican Republic

Eskarlin Vazquez, RF, Dominican Republic

Rougned Odor, SS, Venezuela

Ariel Ogando, OF, Dominican Republic

Edwin Moreno, OF, Dominican Republic

Jorge Feliz, RHP, Dominican Republic

[davell]

You really have to wonder whether the Cubs have totally embraced quantity over quality here. And you also have to wonder whether or not they may be on to something with this approach too. With the very limited viewings you evidently get of these guys, doling out millions for a guy who may have just had a damn good day at the batting cage, is awfully risky, to say the least. That said, it'd be nice to make a splash on July 2nd....... :D

[scarey]

You really have to wonder whether the Cubs have totally embraced quantity over quality here. And you also have to wonder whether or not they may be on to something with this approach too. With the very limited viewings you evidently get of these guys, doling out millions for a guy who may have just had a damn good day at the batting cage, is awfully risky, to say the least. That said, it'd be nice to make a splash on July 2nd....... :D

 

Really? They've given out bonuses of 500k or more to Jin-Yeong Kim, Wilson Contreras, Dong-Yub Kim, and Kyung-Min Na in just the last year. I know they aren't signing the 2-3 million bonus guys, but that's a pretty decent alotment for international free agents.

[jersey cubs fan]

You really have to wonder whether the Cubs have totally embraced quantity over quality here. And you also have to wonder whether or not they may be on to something with this approach too. With the very limited viewings you evidently get of these guys, doling out millions for a guy who may have just had a damn good day at the batting cage, is awfully risky, to say the least. That said, it'd be nice to make a splash on July 2nd....... :D

 

Really? They've given out bonuses of 500k or more to Jin-Yeong Kim, Wilson Contreras, Dong-Yub Kim, and Kyung-Min Na in just the last year. I know they aren't signing the 2-3 million bonus guys, but that's a pretty decent alotment for international free agents.

 

And it kind of fits the quantity over quality theory. 4 guys getting 500k each instead of one guy getting 2-3m.

[scarey]

You really have to wonder whether the Cubs have totally embraced quantity over quality here. And you also have to wonder whether or not they may be on to something with this approach too. With the very limited viewings you evidently get of these guys, doling out millions for a guy who may have just had a damn good day at the batting cage, is awfully risky, to say the least. That said, it'd be nice to make a splash on July 2nd....... :D

 

Really? They've given out bonuses of 500k or more to Jin-Yeong Kim, Wilson Contreras, Dong-Yub Kim, and Kyung-Min Na in just the last year. I know they aren't signing the 2-3 million bonus guys, but that's a pretty decent alotment for international free agents.

 

And it kind of fits the quantity over quality theory. 4 guys getting 500k each instead of one guy getting 2-3m.

 

Well... to be honest only one of those guys got 500k. Dong-Yub Kim got a 550k bonus. The other guys I listed got closer to $1 million. It's a semantics issue, but I just thought of quantity over quality would be more like signing ten $200k-$300k guys.

[Guest]

I think you have to separate the markets a bit to derive the strategy. The talent isn't as deep in the Pac Rim as it is in the Dominican/Venezuela, so they spend big on their targets(Kim, Kim, Na, Ha, Lee, Rhee, even back to Ryu and Choi). You see a lot more of what davell was talking about in Central America, partially because of the deeper talent pool, and partially because the prices for the top end talent there has gotten out of control.

[davell]

Yes, quantity over paying out big bonuses in Central America is what I'm talking about. Nothing whatsoever with what we're doing in the Pac Rim.

[questionmarkgrace]

Its questionable to sign players from latin america even with the age verification in place, steroids seem to be so much more rampant there. But at least the evidence of top quality players coming from there is really good. On the other hand I don't think that the pac-rim has produced enough players in general to warrant the way we are scouting there. I understand they are trying to get a foothold in a potential major market in the future but until one of these guys pans out, I will continue to be a skeptic as to whether it is a better approach. I think China will be key in the future, but we have yet to sign a guy fromthere yet.

[Guest]

Its questionable to sign players from latin america even with the age verification in place, steroids seem to be so much more rampant there. But at least the evidence of top quality players coming from there is really good. On the other hand I don't think that the pac-rim has produced enough players in general to warrant the way we are scouting there. I understand they are trying to get a foothold in a potential major market in the future but until one of these guys pans out, I will continue to be a skeptic as to whether it is a better approach. I think China will be key in the future, but we have yet to sign a guy fromthere yet.

depends on your point of view. China would say that we've signed players from there since we've signed at least one Taiwanese player I can think of.

[Guest]

Two of the top Asian IFAs have ties to recent Cubs signees. Taiwanese lefty Wei-Chung Wang is the younger brother of Cub righty Yao-Lin Wang. Korean righty Sung-Hyuk Han is a HS teammate of Jin-Yeong Kim who signed with the Cubs in February for $1.2 million. Han is also represented by Scott Boras; he's the first Asian amateur to be represented by Boras.

[davell]

Is Han signing in July? I was under the impression that he was waiting a year before he signs somewhere? Not sure why, but I thought I read it somewhere anyway......

[Guest]

Is Han signing in July? I was under the impression that he was waiting a year before he signs somewhere? Not sure why, but I thought I read it somewhere anyway......

 

I believe high school seniors in Asia can sign whenever. Since Boras is his agent, he'll probably take some time to sign. He's got to be a good prospect if he warrants being the first Asian amateur to have Boras represent him.

[Guest]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/international-affairs/2010/2610233.html

 

Some info on free agents in Venezuela. The Cubs don't appear to be targeting anyone amongst this group.

[Guest]

• Mauricio Cabrera is the younger brother of Alberto Cabrera, a 22-year-old righthander pitching for Double-A Tennessee with the Cubs. At around 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Mauricio Cabrera is also a righthander, and he's been able to get his fastball up into the high-80s. Cabrera also throws a curveball but his changeup is advanced for his age and might be his best pitch. The Red Sox and Braves are among the teams that have reportedly shown interest in Cabrera.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/international-affairs/2010/2610244.html

[Outshined_One]

BA posted profiles on each team for the upcoming signing period. The Cubs fell into the following category:

 

These teams have been connected to top players or have typically been strong players in the international market, though it's not clear who their top targets are. Still, they all figure to be competitive for premium talent.

 

Their profile of the Cubs mentioned the Cubs having some interest in Venezuelan CF Yorman Garcia and also said the Cubs figure to continue being players in the Pacific Rim.

 

For those of you interested, BA thinks Garcia will probably get a bonus in the high six figures, as he offers fantastic athleticism and could be a plus defender in CF, although his bat needs work.

[Guest]

Cubs sign 16 year old Dominican SS

 

The Cubs kicked off their international signing period by agreeing to terms with 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Daniel Sanchez for what is believed to be a mid six-figure bonus, according to an international source.

 

Sanchez, who is from Bani, is a righthanded hitter with a projectable 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame with above-average raw power. He's an average runner with a solid-average arm.

[UK1679666180]

Mauricio Cabrera is the younger brother of Alberto Cabrera, a 22-year-old righthander pitching for Double-A Tennessee with the Cubs. At around 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Mauricio Cabrera is also a righthander, and he's been able to get his fastball up into the high-80s. Cabrera also throws a curveball but his changeup is advanced for his age and might be his best pitch. The Red Sox and Braves are among the teams that have reportedly shown interest in Cabrera.

 

This is when I question the true value of the Latin market and whether or not the bidding wars have inflated their true value.

 

I know he's only 16yo, which would put him as a Junior in HS. But many HS pitchers with an upper 80s-low 90s FB and a plus breaking/offspeed pitch likely won't get much above 150K of a signing bonus.

[Guest]

Sanchez wasn't listed in BA's top 33 prospects but it's not like the Cubs to go into Latin America and spend this much. With how much bonuses have escalated in Latin America, it's quite possible a mid 6-figure bonus is what he deserves.

 

That would be the highest confirmed bonus the Cubs have given a prospect in Latin America since Larry Suarez back in 2006.