International Thread 2015-2016

[Denmaz]

The Cubs have reached agreement on a 40K deal with

RHP Ji-feng Li.A 5'10" 132lb 18y Taiwanese ,the former SS likely need Tommy John surgery.

 

His Video

https://youtu.be/-UuJbYe5JgQ

[CubsWin]

The Cubs have reached agreement on a 40K deal with

RHP Ji-feng Li.A 5'10" 132lb 18y Taiwanese ,the former SS likely need Tommy John surgery.

 

His Video

https://youtu.be/-UuJbYe5JgQ

Seriously...

[Bear Cub]

132 lbs. wow!

[Denmaz]

132 lbs. wow!

 

Yea,This kid need to adding muscle and weight mass to his frame.

 

Li carries a fastball clocked between 90-92mph(45grade), scouts believe in his fastball could be a plus potential pitch.His outpitch is change-up right now.Former MLB pitcher Hideo Nomo also taught him to throw a slider.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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Would have been nice if he could have signed in the previous signing period.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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[CaliforniaRaisin]

RHP Manuel Rodriguez and LHP Ferrol Heredia hail from south of the border with Rodriguez receiving a $100,000 bonus and the southpaw Heredia garnering $50,000. Colombian RHP Danis Correa took home the largest bonus from the Cubs though, signing for $225,000 and accounting for nearly half their spending.

 

...

 

Now for the players that fell under the $100K plateau:

 

Cubs - P Chi-Feng Lee ($30K)

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/9/20/12948544/international-free-agent-notes-nl-central-ifa-chc-cin-mil-pit-stl

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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[Cubswin11]

I know we've heard that a IFA draft is coming, but horsefeathers. It takes a decent advantage away from us. My angers/worries are mitigated less though because our front office is full of savants so I'm sure they will be the first to identify any loopholes or inefficiencies to take advantage of. Plus there are still a lot of stupid as horsefeathers FOs in MLB, I'm sure there's going to be teams who don't even use all 10 of their picks or just have no clue how to identify players in this type of draft.

[davell]

This will be interesting, but its not going to work. The teams that prioritize J-2, will continue to do the same. The way that those teams will continue to shine is in the UDFA portion of the draft. There's no doubt in my mind that players will continue to be hidden and paid under the table. The fact we have such a great academy down there will continue to be beneficial.

 

The fun thing about this will be watching teams like the Marlins get outed for never spending in this area. Please, oh please, let trading happen.....

[CubsWin]

Per AZ Phil, here's the next batch:

 

Carmelo Alfonzo, OF (VENEZUELA) - L/R - 6'0 177 - Age19

Keiber Arredondo, RHP (VENEZUELA) - R/R - 6'0 178 - Age 19

Jeinser Brete, 3B (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) - R/R - 6'0 190 - Age 16

Jonathan Bruzual, LHP (VENEZUELA) - L/L - 6'1 172 - Age 16

Kleiber Carreno, RHP (VENEZUELA) - R/R - 6'2 165 - Age 18

Danis Correa, RHP (COLOMBIA) - R/R - 5'11 155 - Age 17 - $225,000 bonus

Yovanny Cruz, RHP (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) - R/R - 6'1 190 - Age 17

Jose Gomez, RHP (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) - R/R - 6'2 165 - Age 19

Ferrol Heredia, LHP (MEXICO) - L/L - 5'11 200 - Age 17 - $50,000 bonus

Vicente, King, SS (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) - R/R - 5'7 160 - Age 16

Chi-Feng Lee, RHP (TAIWAN) - R/R - 5'11 155 - Age18 - $30,000 bonus

Carlos Pacheco, OF (MEXICO) - R/R - 5'11 195 - Age 17

Oswaldo Pina, SS (VENEZUELA) - R/R - 5'10 170 - Age 18

Manuel Rodriguez, RHP (MEXICO) - R/R - 5'11 205 - Age 20 - spent three seasons with Yucatan (Mexican League) - $100K bonus

Denmy Sanchez, RHP (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) - R/R - 6'0 190 - Age 18

Didier Vargas, LHP (PANAMA) - L/L - 6'0 175 - Age 17

Ricardo Verenzuela, OF (VENEZUELA) - L/R - 6'0 175 - Age 16

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Ben Badler breaks down the new IFA rules: http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/new-mlb-international-signing-rules/#K5LECpDZSxpmtJhS.97

[Tryptamine]

Norge Ruiz signs with Oakland for 2M. I honestly can't believe none of Ruiz,Morejon or Gutierrez ended up a Cub. A year ago I was almost sure they were going to end up with two of them.

[Hrubes20]

Norge Ruiz signs with Oakland for 2M. I honestly can't believe none of Ruiz,Morejon or Gutierrez ended up a Cub. A year ago I was almost sure they were going to end up with two of them.

 

Morejon especially. He appeared to be wrapped up for the Cubs with a nice shiny ribbon. Thanks MLB.

[Tryptamine]

I had no idea where to put this since our international threads only go through 2016, but Estanli Castillo looks like the next major talent that will be available for the Cubs to bid on in July 2018.

 

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[CubsWin]

If he's not available until 2018, that's one big and strong 15 year old...

[David]

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so is this guy any good?

[davell]

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so is this guy any good?

 

He's got some things to work with. He's not major league ready. Its doubtful he's a top 100 talent. But I'm interesting to see what he's thought of, by the evaluators. Solid low to mid 90's FB. Decent curve, his change is improving. Supposedly, he's much better at throwing strikes now, than he was a couple years ago. Is looked at as a starter now, when before he was kind of thought of as more of a setup type.

 

The fact we can spread his money out over 6 years is nice, he wouldn't take up a lot of salary space. We certainly want to add to our young pitching. Obviously, we'll look into him.

[Cubswin11]

Obviously seems like a guy we should be all over if they feel he has a chance of starting given our spending limitations in IFA right now and lack of pitching in the system/next years FA.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

He ranked #12 in Ben Badler's top Cuban prospects back in 2015:

 

12. Hector Mendoza, rhp, La Isla De La Juventud

 

Age: 21. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 195.

Certainty Level: Category 3 (Medium).

 

Mendoza has the attributes to be a starter and would certainly be in that role if he were in the United States. Instead he’s a reliever in Cuba, although bullpen usage patterns there aren’t as rigid as they are with major league clubs, so Mendoza does throw two or even three innings in a game sometimes. At his best, he throws 90-94 mph with downhill plane, with solid strike-throwing ability and fastball command for his age. When Mendoza has to go more than two innings in a game he doesn’t hold his velocity, dropping to 88-92 mph, but he has a strong, durable build, so that’s likely more a function of how he’s been used than anything else.

 

Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/top-20-prospects-cuba-11-20/#I6Wxq1PBp0yBhSmd.99

Snipped down at the request of Ben Badler himself. As always, everyone, a subscription to BA is one of the best investments one can make.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

The Cubs top 2015-16 signings (capped at $300,000/bonus): http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/international-reviews-chicago-cubs-2016/#IWy2ucE1WJ4qZGOE.97

 

Manuel Rodriguez, RHP, Mexico, age 20 - $400,000 - only 25% of Mexican players' bonuses are subject to the cap

Jonathan Bruzal, LHP, Venezuela, age 17 - $300,000

Ricardo Verenzuela, CF, Venezuela, age 17, $300,000

Danis Correa, RHP, Colombia, age 17

Josue Huma, SS, Dominican Republic, age 17 - $140,000

Jeinser Brete, IF, Dominican Republic, age 17 - $100,000 - Jeimer Candelario's cousin

Carlos Paula, RHP, Dominican Republic, age 16 - $100,000

Farrold Heredia, LHP, Mexico, age 17

Mario Meza, RHP, Mexico, age 26

Carlos Pacheco, CF, Mexico, age 17 - $100,000

Francisco Garcia, RHP, Mexico - $100,000

Didier Vargas, LHP, Panama - $60,000

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Luis Robert picked the White Sox over the Cardinals for more then $25 million plus overage penalties.

[Named After Maddux]

Don't believe this has been mentioned yet, but the Cubs are the favorites to sign one of the MLB.com's top 30 international prospects, SS Luis Verdugo. Not a huge surprise to see he's from Mexico and rankings for 16 year olds always need to be taken with a grain of salt, but nice to see the Cubs the favorites to snag a top 30 in a year in which they are held to $300k to a player ($1.2 total deal if a Mexican player). He is considered the top position player from Mexico.

Here's his scouting report:

The top position prospect from Mexico, Verdugo is best known for his strong arm and defensive prowess in the middle of the diamond.

He's athletic with good instincts on both sides of the ball, but he is a below average runner right now. Verdugo is a contact hitter, shows a good bat path through the strike zone and puts the ball in play. However, the belief is that he could still improve on his overall hit tool and that he will once he enters a team's academy.

Verdugo has been praised for his solid defensive actions and footwork. He has quick hands and makes all of the plays. Scouts also like his makeup and maturity level.

Verdugo is trained by Diablos Rojos del Mexico in the Mexican League. The Cubs are the favorite to sign him

 

There was a huge interest in Mendoza during spring training. Any word on if he'd been signed by any club? Didn't see anything when searching.

[davell]

Yeah, we started an IFA Thread for the upcoming year, but its probably a page or two back, since this guy is all we've got to talk about. Still, VERY cool to get a top 30 guy in a year we're still penalized. Hoping we find more bargains out of Mexico.

 

As for Mendoza, his showcases have been uneven. Teams have seemingly paused on him for now. Don't know if its the asking price, performance, or both.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Yeah, we started an IFA Thread for the upcoming year, but its probably a page or two back, since this guy is all we've got to talk about. Still, VERY cool to get a top 30 guy in a year we're still penalized. Hoping we find more bargains out of Mexico.

 

As for Mendoza, his showcases have been uneven. Teams have seemingly paused on him for now. Don't know if its the asking price, performance, or both.

 

Yeah, not a lot going on there but here's the link: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1367