2012 International Free Agent Market

[craig]

BA:

 

• There are players with louder tools than Dominican shortstop Frandy de la Rosa, but he will draw interest for his short, simple swing from both sides of the plate. De la Rosa, a 16-year-old switch-hitter who trains with Valentin Monero and plays in the Dominican Prospect League, has shown quick hands at the plate and feel for hitting with gap power from his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. De la Rosa isn't much of a runner and his arm is probably a little light for shortstop, so he could be an offensive-oriented second baseman if everything clicks. The Astros, White Sox and Cubs are among the teams who have been mentioned as potential suitors.

 

Interesting that a guy with this scouting report was rated as highly as he was (top-20 by BA, #10 by mlb), and was targeted by the Cubs. A guy lacking both speed and arm, and without serious present power, doesn't seem like your typical tools target.

 

May reflect a Cubs scouting that puts a little more emphasis on hitting and a little less on tools. At 6'1", with present gap power, I imagine the projection is that he could be an excellent hitter and hit for power if things go well. An excellent hitter with good power will hit more HR's than a guy with more power but less hitting skill.

 

Hope he works out.

[davell]

Raisin, who was Jose Castillo, LHP out of Venezuela, linked to?

[Little Slide Rooter]

As of now, the 2&3 3 pitching prospects, 6-7 overall are still on the board. Jose Castillo (Venezuela) and Luiz Gohara (Brazil), both lefties. any chance we get one?

[Guest]

Raisin, who was Jose Castillo, LHP out of Venezuela, linked to?

Rays and Dodgers.

[Guest]

As of now, the 2&3 3 pitching prospects, 6-7 overall are still on the board. Jose Castillo (Venezuela) and Luiz Gohara (Brazil), both lefties. any chance we get one?

If you check out pages 3 and 4 of this thread, you'll see the Cubs have been linked to Gohara but the Mariners are the leading candidate to sign him. He can't sign till he turns 16 on July 31st.

[craig]

Here's the scouting report on De La Rosa from MLB.Com's Jonathan Mayo:

 

The switch-hitter has a good feel for hitting and has good hands on defense, but he will need to continue to develop his tools and build strength if he wants to stay in the infield. For now, his makeup and ability to hit from both sides of the plate are what scouts find the most attractive about the young infielder. Scouts have praised his soft hands but have expressed some concern about his running and throwing abilities.

 

De La Rosa is from Elias Pina, near the Haitian border, and moved to Boca Chica because his mother believed the larger city could provide more opportunities for her son develop as a baseball player. Educated and grounded, De La Rosa’s good makeup works in his favor. He is considered mature for his age and could develop into a leader.

 

A star in the Dominican Prospect League, De La Rosa was a member of the league’s All-Star travel squad that played games and put on showcases at big league sites during Spring Training.

 

Interesting info that Badler didn't include. Shares the concerns about arm/speed. Soft hands sounds good for a 2B or an OFer. "Star" in the prospect league also. Sometimes showcase stars have no game instinct and can't hit actual pitching, only the soft-toss stuff you get in HR derbies or when your agent or Dale Sveum is pitching to you. The educated/grounded/good makeup/mature/leader qualities seem familiar, too. I'm guessing that might be a slightly higher priority than in the Hendry procurement era? (I don't associate those with Pie or Lake or Castro or Suarez, or Harvey or Pawalek, at any rate....)

 

Frandy at $0.7 is not a big ticket, and is in a different world from Almora. But pre-draft I recall thinking Almora seemed kind of low-ceiling boring, a good hitting prospect with no great tools (power, speed, arm....). Frandy seems similar, a good hitting prospect with no other notable tools.

 

I wonder if there is some greater priority on pure hitting? An excellent hitter who's no more than solid/average in the other tools can be a winner; big tools but iffy hitters don't that often work out. Frandy at 180-pounds, 6'1", 16: a lot of HS sophomores who are already 6'1" 180 end up being pretty strong guys. I wonder if the assumption is that he's big enough and projects enough strength so that if he does emerge as a true hitter, some HR's will come with the territory as well. Since excellent hitters with decent strength tend to hit more HR's than really strong guys with iffy contact, contact hitting skill may take priority over power.

 

Although, Soler is an all-out power prospect, so trying to draw any broad assumptions is probably dumb.

[davell]

Very interesting note that I'm trying to get Badler to confirm: Mexican born players only receive a portion(likely 25%) of a signing bonus. The rest goes to their Mexican League team. If this is the case, it leaves room for all sorts of shenanigans to be used. Especially since only the amount that the player receives counts against the cap.

[Guest]

Very interesting note that I'm trying to get Badler to confirm: Mexican born players only receive a portion(likely 25%) of a signing bonus. The rest goes to their Mexican League team. If this is the case, it leaves room for all sorts of shenanigans to be used. Especially since only the amount that the player receives counts against the cap.

He already confirmed it in a story about ways around the cap (page 1 of this thread, I think).

[davell]

Very interesting note that I'm trying to get Badler to confirm: Mexican born players only receive a portion(likely 25%) of a signing bonus. The rest goes to their Mexican League team. If this is the case, it leaves room for all sorts of shenanigans to be used. Especially since only the amount that the player receives counts against the cap.

He already confirmed it in a story about ways around the cap (page 1 of this thread, I think).

damn, can't believe I glossed over that. There's a 15 year old LHP, Julio Urias, that we have been linked to(Dodgers evidently the favs) that throws low 90's already and has a plus curve too(based on the one scouting report I read). He was the top ranked IFA on baseballinstincts board. He turns 16 soon and having the ability to spend more because of the team getting so much, of a cut is extremely appealing.

[KingCubsFan]

The educated/grounded/good makeup/mature/leader qualities seem familiar, too. I'm guessing that might be a slightly higher priority than in the Hendry procurement era? (I don't associate those with Pie or Lake or Castro or Suarez, or Harvey or Pawalek, at any rate....)

It sure seems like it. I would think intangibles like "leadership" and "maturity" translate into someone who works really hard at getting better and is receptive to coaches. Combine that with a natural hitting ability, and the front office probably feels they have a much better chance of reaching the majors or at least performing in the low minors enough to establish trade value. Castro vs. Junior Lake is a perfect example of a guy with less athleticism but a better hit tool/attitude excelling over the guy with much better raw tools.

[Guest]

@JesseSanchezMLB: Int'l news: INF Wendell Rijo, ranked no. 5, has torn ACL in his right knee but is expected to sign in the next 10 days. 5 teams interested.

[davell]

We could be in on that. Raisin, in Castillo's bio, does it mention if he's alrwady 16or nor? I'm asking, because I've read he's not going to the Dodgers and the Rays have spent quite a bit on 2 players. Kind of thinking he may wind up elsewhere.

[Guest]

We could be in on that. Raisin, in Castillo's bio, does it mention if he's alrwady 16or nor? I'm asking, because I've read he's not going to the Dodgers and the Rays have spent quite a bit on 2 players. Kind of thinking he may wind up elsewhere.

 

His bio doesn't mention if he's 16 or not - I take it to mean he's already turned 16.

[davell]

Looks like Castillo went to the Blue Jays, who somehow landed 4 of the top 20 guys. My guess is we're bigtime on Paniagua, Badler mentioned we're in on big names at least.

 

On a side note, a reason to hope we suck this year and wind up with more IFA money for next year: Badler said the early buzz has next year's class being better than this one.

[davell]

Not sure where I got Castillo to the Jays from, I think Sanchez, but he went to Tampa for 1.55 mill.

[Guest]

Update on BA's top 20 (unsigned are bolded):

 

1. Franklin Barreto, ss/cf, Venezuela — Blue Jays

2. Luis Torrens, c, Venezuela — Yankees, $1.3 million

3. Jose Mujica, rhp, Venezuela — Rays, $1 million

4. Alexander Palma, of, Venezuela — Yankees, $800,000

5. Gustavo Cabrera, of, Dominican Republic — Giants, $1.3 million

6. Jose Castillo, lhp, Venezuela — Rays, $1.55 million

7. Luiz Gohara, lhp, Brazil - can't sign until 7/31

8. Carlos Belen, 3b, Dominican Republic — Padres, $1 million

9. Luis Castro, ss, Venezuela — Blue Jays

10. Wendell Rijo, ss, Dominican Republic — Red Sox, $575,000

11. Amed Rosario, ss, Dominican Republic — Mets, $1.75 million

12. Amaurys Minier, ss, Dominican Republic — Twins, $1.4 million

13. Richard Urena, ss, Dominican Republic — Blue Jays

14. David Rodriguez, c, Venezuela — Rays

15. Deivi Grullon, c, Dominican Republic — Phillies, $575,000

16. Julio de la Cruz, 3b, Dominican Republic — Pirates, $700,000

17. Jose Almonte, rhp, Dominican Republic — Red Sox, $610,000

18. Sergio Alcantara, ss, Dominican Republic

19. Frandy de la Rosa, ss, Dominican Republic — Cubs, $700,000

20. Jose Pujols, of, Dominican Republic — Phillies, $540,000

[El Duderino]

wow, pitcher from brazil? Just noticed that

[Guest]

wow, pitcher from brazil? Just noticed that

 

Yeah. The Cubs were linked to him at one point but all signs point to him signing with the Mariners when he turns 16.

[davell]

Either the Rays gave David Rodriguez the lowest bonus out of the top 20, by far(350k or under) or they've gone over the spending limits, seeing how they gave the two pitchers 2.55 mill.

[RammyFanny]

Navin (Pasadena, CA): Do you have any updates on Juan Carlos Paniagua as we get closer to July 19th? Are the Cubs linked to any other IFAs?

 

Ben Badler: The velocity is down, but the slider has improved. If I had to bet, I'd say he's the Cubs' priority guy now that Frandy de la Rosa has signed.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613651.html

[Guest]

Navin (Pasadena, CA): Do you have any updates on Juan Carlos Paniagua as we get closer to July 19th? Are the Cubs linked to any other IFAs?

 

Ben Badler: The velocity is down, but the slider has improved. If I had to bet, I'd say he's the Cubs' priority guy now that Frandy de la Rosa has signed.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613651.html

 

Hey, that's me!

[davell]

I'm not having any luck, maybe if you guys jump in and ask, we'll eventually get an answer. I'm asking guys around what area would Paniagua been drafted, if eligible, this past draft. Figure it'd give us some insight into what type of talent he is.

[Guest]

I'm not having any luck, maybe if you guys jump in and ask, we'll eventually get an answer. I'm asking guys around what area would Paniagua been drafted, if eligible, this past draft. Figure it'd give us some insight into what type of talent he is.

 

Well, he works 93-96 (possible drop in velocity?) and throws a potential plus slider but on the flip side, he's already 22. I'd guess he's not a first rounder primary because of his age combined with lost developmental time though his stuff sounds good enough for day one of the draft.

[Guest]

Story on Venezuelan youth leagues, though primarily in relation to Carlos Gonzalez: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/arangure-120707/carlos-gonzalez-traces-success-colorado-rockies-back-venezuelan-youth-baseball

[Guest]

Red Sox sign Rijo for $575,000.