Tom Brennan - Some International Signing Thoughts

Almost all international signings start out their careers with their teen peers in DSL.

International signings are not my bailiwick, but hopefully this cobbled together information is useful.

NY Mets ($5,284,000 total pool) - most of it spent on 4 players:

Daiverson Gutierrez, C, Venezuela (27th overall - $1.9 million bonus): a Mets' website article by a gentleman named Jesse Sanchez said the following about him and the next two players: Gutierrez can hit, and his above-average power potential is noteworthy. His power has drawn comparisons to Francisco Álvarez at the same age.  On defense, Gutierrez has a chance to have an above-average arm along with other emerging skills behind the plate. He has been praised for his plus makeup and his leadership skills. 

Anthony Baptist, OF, Dominican Republic (29th overall - $1.1 million bonus): For those of you who crave speed, Sanchez says this: Baptist is one of the fastest players in the class and also one of the most exciting. He is expected to start in center field and stay at the position as he develops, primarily because of his speed, but also because he has the potential to be an above-average defender. He can chase balls down in the outfield, and like all prospects his age, he is working on fine-tuning his routes and angles.  The hope is that his speed -- he has been consistently clocked at 6.1 seconds in the 60-yard-timed run -- will also come into play on the bases and he can develop into a base-stealer in the future.

Christopher Larez, SS, Venezuela (43rd overall - $1.5 million bonus): Sanchez writes: He is one of the most polished shortstops in the class and has a chance to be a five-tool player at a premium position.  He already shows good bat-to-ball skills and has a chance to be a plus hitter in the future. There’s a chance he develops more power as he grows and his body matures. Defensively, his instincts are noteworthy, and he features all of the skills an emerging middle infielder needs to make his way through the Minor Leagues and eventually the big leagues.  

Daviel Hurtado, LHP, Cuba ($640,000 bonus) - Metsmerized says "The lefty has a fastball up to 95 mph and a big curveball." Pretty HOT for a young hurler.

And the rest of the pack (clearly there will be more, since the Mets run two developmental league teams out there each year) - 27 guys were signed in mid-January, and shown here in this article are the names of 20 of them:

Misael Lopez, LHP, Dominican Republic

Heriberto Rincon, OF, Dominican Republic

Enderson Asencio, OF, Dominican Republic
Julio Zaya, 3B, Dominican Republic
Derek Rodriguez, OF, Venezuela
Osiris Calvo, LHP, Dominican Republic
Wilmer Lugo, LHP, Venezuela
Henry Pizani, C, Venezuela
Jean Brito, RHP, Venezuela
Elwis Mijares, RHP, Venezuela
Jonathan Perez, OF, Venezuela
Leydeman Ruiz, SS, Venezuela
Keiver Garcia, SS, Venezuela
Jesus Anton, RHP, Venezuela
Misael Lopez, LHP, Dominican Republic
Vladi Gomez, SS, Dominican Republic

Brennan Thoughts: Most will never see the light of day in the major leagues, and perhaps most will never even make it to stateside minor league ball, but the annual cycle goes on and on and on.  Teams tend to spend the most money where they see the most potential, so I would imagine the top 3 especially, plus Hurtado, have good potential to climb to the major leagues in 4 to 6 years.  None, at least as of yet, have been added to the Mets' top 30 prospects, and most likely, all 4 will not make it that far, but we can hope.  

Interesting, too, that almost all of the internationals come from VZ or the DR.  Guatemalans and Hondurans likely too soccer-focused.  Only baseball is a REAL sport, though.

I did also see that Baseball America apparently had Gutierrez higher, as # 20 and Larez higher,  as # 25, with Baptist also in their top 40.

Sanchez adds this, which is also informative: An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15. He must turn 16 before he signs and be 17 before Sept. 1 the following year -- in practical terms, that means players born between Sept. 1, 2005, and Aug. 31, 2006, will be eligible to sign in the upcoming signing period. Players have to be registered with MLB in advance in order to be eligible to sign.  Teams are allowed to trade international bonus pool money starting Jan. 15. 

Lastly…Mets sign DJ Stewart, former 1st round OF with the Orioles. AAA filler. Career .213 in MLB but regressed the past 3 seasons. Career .185 lefty hitter on the road. I know, just a tweak or two…