2013-14 International Free Agency Thread

[Guest]

Obispo Aybar, one of the top IFAs this July 2nd, falsified his age and MLB has deemed him in eligible to sign till April 2014.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/dominican-shortstop-obispo-aybar-admits-to-fake-age-identity/

[Guest]

@BenBadler: July 2 coverage going up tomorrow. Shocking, but the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Rangers & Blue Jays are all in on top international prospects.

[davell]

Badler's article is up, anything new in it?

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Eloy Jimenez, of, Dominican Republic (video): At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Jimenez is a righthanded hitter with similarities to Royals outfielder Elier Hernandez, who signed with the Royals for $3 million in 2011 and, like Jimenez, also trained with Amaurys Nina. Jimenez, who plays in the International Prospect League, has a strong, projectable body, a quick bat and a swing path that results more in hard line drives than loft power, although like Hernandez, some scouts haven’t seen him dominate in games. He’s run above-average times in the 60-yard dash when he’s at his best, but he projects as a corner outfielder. Expectations are that his bonus will be the highest in this year’s class, perhaps in the $2.6-$2.8 million range, with the Cubs the heavy favorite to sign him.

 

Gleyber Torres, ss, Venezuela: Some scouts think Torres, who trains with Ciro Barrios, is the best prospect in Venezuela this year. Torres’ frame (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) doesn’t offer much projection but he’s a steady player with present skills. Scouts highest on Torres see a righthanded hitter who can stay at shortstop with good hands, a strong arm and the ability to hit in games with projectable power that’s surprising for his size, although some think he might fit better at second or third base. The Cubs have a history of signing players from Barrios, including third baseman Mark Malave for $1.6 million in 2011, and they are the frontrunners to sign Torres, probably for comparable money to Malave.

[Guest]

Jimenez and Torres were the first two listed, though I'm not sure if that was an actual order for those 10. There was only one pitcher in the top 10 (Diplan).

 

Also:

 

The Cubs, who are second at $4.6 million, will also be very active but will likely award bigger bonuses to two of their top targets and perhaps trade for even more pool space.

[Hrubes20]

Eloy Jimenez, of, Dominican Republic (video): At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Jimenez is a righthanded hitter with similarities to Royals outfielder Elier Hernandez, who signed with the Royals for $3 million in 2011 and, like Jimenez, also trained with Amaurys Nina. Jimenez, who plays in the International Prospect League, has a strong, projectable body, a quick bat and a swing path that results more in hard line drives than loft power, although like Hernandez, some scouts haven’t seen him dominate in games. He’s run above-average times in the 60-yard dash when he’s at his best, but he projects as a corner outfielder. Expectations are that his bonus will be the highest in this year’s class, perhaps in the $2.6-$2.8 million range, with the Cubs the heavy favorite to sign him.

 

Gleyber Torres, ss, Venezuela: Some scouts think Torres, who trains with Ciro Barrios, is the best prospect in Venezuela this year. Torres’ frame (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) doesn’t offer much projection but he’s a steady player with present skills. Scouts highest on Torres see a righthanded hitter who can stay at shortstop with good hands, a strong arm and the ability to hit in games with projectable power that’s surprising for his size, although some think he might fit better at second or third base. The Cubs have a history of signing players from Barrios, including third baseman Mark Malave for $1.6 million in 2011, and they are the frontrunners to sign Torres, probably for comparable money to Malave.

 

Wow. I thought Houston was the team to beat for Jimenez? He would be a nice get, if this is true. Both of those signings would probably preclude the team from going after one of the big name pitchers, though.

[Guest]

BA says the link is free for everyone, not just subscribers: http://ht.ly/kYQg3

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Wow. I thought Houston was the team to beat for Jimenez? He would be a nice get, if this is true. Both of those signings would probably preclude the team from going after one of the big name pitchers, though.

 

That's fine with me. Big-money 16-year-olds are enough of a crapshoot without them being pitchers on top of it.

[davell]

Gota admit I'm really hoping for a bigtime pitcher, but getting the top 2 guys period, would be pretty damn sweet. Where in the world is Maykky Perez? Thought he was far and away the best pitcher in the class?

 

At any rate, I'm all for adding more IFA money. I've been expecting Vitters to be traded for some for a while now, for some reason. I understand not spending huge money on 16 year old pitchers, if we sign a bunch of projectable, cheaper types, its probablt the best strategy anyway and what they did last year.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Jimenez and Torres were the first two listed, though I'm not sure if that was an actual order for those 10.

 

Wasn't sure about that either. I"ll ask Badler.

[davell]

Jimenez and Torres were the first two listed, though I'm not sure if that was an actual order for those 10.

 

Wasn't sure about that either. I"ll ask Badler.

I think they were the top 2 for Kiley.

[Guest]

Jimenez and Torres were the first two listed, though I'm not sure if that was an actual order for those 10.

 

Wasn't sure about that either. I"ll ask Badler.

 

Haha, I did too.

 

Badler has mentioned the Cubs trading for IFA cap space a few times. There must be some legs regarding this.

[Guest]

He responded:

 

@BenBadler: @RaisinMan101 Not a ranking, but those are 10 of the best guys available.

[Guest]

CaliforniaRaisin[/url]"]Kiley McDaniel with a primer on July 2nd basics: http://sbb.scout.com/2/1277773.html

 

This year's class: http://sbb.scout.com/2/1277788.html

 

Dominican Republic:

 

• OF Eloy Jimenez - linked to Houston due to big bonus demands

 

I posted this Kiley McDaniel link back in March. Now that the Cubs might be in on Eloy Jimenez, here's what he wrote about him:

 

- Some of the wilder rumors have been tied to Dominican right fielder Eloy Jimenez. Jimenez showed some similar tools to Zapata with a long 6’4, 200 pound frame, plus speed, a right field arm and big raw power to his pull side but hit better in game situations than Zapata. Jimenez has been rumored to be in line for a bonus that would likely top the class, ranging from $2.5 million to $3.0 million, most often tied to Houston. Obviously only a few teams could even talk about offering that much and Jimenez seems to have captured the imagination of scouts as the embodiment of Houston’s spending advantage.

[BeerHere]

I'm not giving up on Malave or Acosta, but those guys came with a steep price tag and it's not looking promising for either right now. I think the team needs to be in on the international guys but I hope there is much more scouting that goes into these guys. Del Valle is another guy and I think everyone knew he was a stretch to begin with.

[Guest]

I'm not giving up on Malave or Acosta, but those guys came with a steep price tag and it's not looking promising for either right now. I think the team needs to be in on the international guys but I hope there is much more scouting that goes into these guys. Del Valle is another guy and I think everyone knew he was a stretch to begin with.

 

Across baseball, the success rate on international free agents is pretty poor. You're dealing with 16-year olds (HS sophomores!), many of whom get worse coaching than in American high schools and, until recently, you didn't even get to scout them in games, just tryouts, BP and bullpen sessions.

[Guest]

Ben Badler[/url]"]When July 2 arrives, the biggest bonus in the international signing class is expected to go to another Dominican corner outfielder, 16-year-old Eloy Jimenez. He plays in the International Prospect League, trains with Amaurys Nina and draws comparisons to Elier Hernandez, who had also trained with Nina and signed with the Royals for $3 million in 2011.

 

Like Hernandez did two years ago, Jimenez draws a range of opinions from scouts. As a 6-foot-4, 200-pound righthanded hitter, Jimenez has similar size to Hernandez, but scouts highest on Jimenez think his bat is more advanced than Hernandez’s was at the same age and have him as their top-ranked player in Latin America. Jimenez has a quick bat and a flat swing plane that, like Hernandez, doesn’t generate loft right now but allows him to smoke line drives when he connects. He doesn’t have a lot of movement going on before he swings and he’s shown the ability to use the middle of the field, but some scouts haven’t seen him dominate game situations the way they would have expected, and with his long arms, he can get tied up inside against good fastballs.

 

At Major League Baseball’s big showcase in the Dominican Republic in January, Jimenez ran the 60-yard dash in 6.72 seconds, which indicates above-average speed, but he’s also showed fringy speed for teams more recently and will only slow down as he ages, so he’s a surefire bet to play left or right field.

 

“He’s a tool box,” one scout said, “but can he put it together?”

 

The top bonus on the international market last year went to Dominican shortstop Amed Rosario ($1.75 million from the Mets), but Jimenez is going to surpass that easily, perhaps by as much as $1 million. Given the size of the Cubs’ bonus pool and their infatuation with Jimenez, it appears likely he’ll end up signing with Chicago.

[Guest]

wvcbxl should find this interesting: http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/marten-gasparini-15-might-be-europes-best-prospect-ever/

 

Marten Gaspirini, a 15-year old Italian SS, is considered the best European prospect ever. He'll get a 7-figure bonus and while the Royals are the most likely to sign him, the Cubs are interested.

 

That’s because one of this year’s top international prospects is Marten Gasparini, a 15-year-old Italian shortstop who is expected to sign the biggest contract ever for a European amateur player. Gasparini, who turns 16 on May 24, is 6 feet, 175 pounds, hits from both sides of the plate and is an outstanding athlete with 65-70 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale.

 

Once he becomes eligible to sign when the 2013-14 international signing period opens on July 2, Gasparini will likely net a bonus north of $1 million. While Dodgers vice president of international scouting Bob Engle made the Mariners a leader in signing European prospects until he left in October and the Cubs have also shown interest, most sources believe the Royals are the frontrunners to sign Gasparini.

 

...

 

Yet Gasparini isn’t just good for a European player—he’s one of the premier prospects in the entire international market.

 

“He’s a well-above-average athlete with really good agility and really good body control,” said one international scouting director. “It’s a good body on an athlete with tools. He brings a lot to the table. Even if he goes to center field, he profiles there at a premium position. The competition level in Europe is more like middle-of-the-road high school in the United States and he’s not facing the 92-94 mph some of the Dominicans face, but he hits in games. He’s a really interesting guy.”

[davell]

Just realized it hasn't been mentioned, but new Cubs Dominican Academy officially opened today. Cool stuff.

[Guest]

Just realized it hasn't been mentioned, but new Cubs Dominican Academy officially opened today. Cool stuff.

 

Did you see something posted somewhere about it?

[davell]

Saw some retweeted pics earlier. Jed and Theo were there.

[Guest]

Obispo Aybar, one of the top IFAs this July 2nd, falsified his age and MLB has deemed him in eligible to sign till April 2014.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/dominican-shortstop-obispo-aybar-admits-to-fake-age-identity/

Somebody phonetically pronounce that first name for me.

[ConstableRabbit]

oh-BEESE-poe?

[Guest]

Saw some retweeted pics earlier. Jed and Theo were there.

no idea who tweeted or retweeted them?

[davell]

Saw some retweeted pics earlier. Jed and Theo were there.

no idea who tweeted or retweeted them?

Sorry, I've been busy as hell today. Without checking Twitter, I think NotTomRicketts retweeted a pic of them down there today. Maybe CCO(Chicagocubsonline)has a story or pics? Sorry, I honestly can't remember though. It may be morning before I have enough time to do a proper search. Check those 2 though, surely one is right.....