While his profile is that of an offense-first catcher, lvarez is unlikely to be a true liability back there and has more than enough stick to make up for his defensive deficiencies. His left-handed swing has natural pull-side loft and hes adept at impacting the baseball way out in front of the plate from the right side, accomplishing the same goal with a slightly different look. The final installment of this weeks set of international player updates revolves around the amateur prospects who will begin to sign a month from now when the new international signing period begins on January 15. Hes actually a fairly rangy third baseman, as his foot speed allows him to cover a lot of ground, but his hands and arm accuracy are both pretty rough and cause him to be error-prone. He looked great at the start of the Fall League before pitchers figured out they could get him to chase whatever and started junk-balling him to death. Carter looks like a high-OBP, table-setting center fielder in the Brandon Nimmo mold. : Twins ($2,100,000) More 39. He may not have the power of a typical big league third baseman yet, but at a strapping 6-foot-4, its likely to come with time, physical maturity, and a good strength program. He tends to work contact to center and right field, especially against fastballs, and he has a clear two-strike approach where he ditches his leg kick and takes a more conservative swing. Big league sliders might force Davis to make an adjustment, but so far his contact performance has been solidly average. Mauricios measurable power is already plus (45% hard-hit rate, 114 mph max exit velo), and at a strapping 6-foot-4 or so, he might still grow into more. That continued in 2022 when Allen reached Triple-A and put himself in position to claim a rotation spot this season should the need arise. But its shape, while deep, is a less-than-ideal pairing with his fastball. His slider has two-plane sweep, while his curveball (more commonly used as an in-zone pitch and against lefties) is north/south and sometimes also has arm-side direction. Teams will sometimes renege on their agreements if they think the player has regressed, or if one of their other commitments has progressed enough that the team feels compelled to up their offer to prevent another club from swooping in with more money late in process, closer to signing day. The Rays stole Mead from the Phillies in what seemed like a relatively innocuous trade at the time, a swap that sent a low-level developmental sleeper (Mead) to Tampa for depth starter Cristopher Snchez. Below is Baseball America's international prospect bonus board, sorting the players in the 2021-22 signing class based on the top 50 expected bonuses. No more. Team W L PCT GB STRK; Miami: 33: 30.524-L1: Atlanta: 31: 31.500: 1.5: L1: Washington: 29: 32.475: 3: W1: Orlando: 26: 37 . Rece was a member of the 2017 USA Baseball 17 and under national team. He has some outfield experience but very little in pro ball, and he doesnt exactly look like a fish in water out there. We already know MLB and the MLBPA are discussing pushing the . Hes so long that this may be exposed as an issue as the level of velocity Wood sees increases. Here are a few of the other top prospects for the 2022 international signing period: SS William Bergolla, Venezuela: Bergolla's father, William Sr., appeared in 17 games with the Reds in 2005. He is loose and fluid in the box but does have some swing-and-miss concerns, which is standard for a hitter with levers this long. Bradley hammers the zone with his heater (he threw strikes with his fastball at a 71% clip in 2022), and the uphill line and carry on the pitch make it difficult for hitters to get on top of, especially at these velocities. Hes performed as a young-for-the-level hitter at each stop despite a raw approach at the plate and uncertainty around his defense, with his third base fit in question due to middling arm strength. He projects to third base, where the offensive bar is much higher. Since joining the Dodgers system, Stones changeup has come out of nowhere to become his best pitch, while his breaking ball was split into two distinct pitches a mid-80s slider/cutter and a slower curveball the latter of which was scrapped in 2022. That Chourio has shown the aptitude to make mechanical adjustments, and that he tends to compete hard at all times, indicates that he is hungry and coachable in addition to very talented. Thats not to suggest that every hit tool grade is wrong. That way players sign contracts for the coming season -- when they signed on July 2, they often signed contracts that started the following year -- and budgets don't span multiple years. While especially adept at launching pitches on the inner third, Johnson also shows some ability to shorten up and cover the top and outer edge of the strike zone. The components of Hernandezs swing push and pull against one another, as his cut is pretty long but he also has very advanced barrel control. Browns stuff was already good at Wayne, and it leveled up pretty quickly after he signed, but it was the strike throwing that took a step forward in 2022 and led to his September call-up. Merrill only hit .325/.387/.482 in 45 Cal League games, a line good for a 125 wRC+ in the hitter-friendly league and aided by a .393 BABIP. Yankees International Signings - Prospects1500 Veen rotates with rare ferocity and his broad-shouldered, 6-foot-4 frame leaves room for immense strength as he matures. Jones is a great defensive center fielder with power that might require a swing tweak to unlock. Among the high school prospects, he not only had perhaps the best chance to remain at shortstop, but he also had one of the better bat-to-ball track records in the class, accumulating a 3-to-1 ball in play-to-whiff ratio on the showcase circuit. After hitting .278/.373/.556 with San Jose, he was promoted to High-A and struck out at a 37% clip during the final month of the season. There was a stretch as an amateur when Frelick was viewed as a potential second baseman, an experiment that didnt really go anywhere. The Rockies are expected to sign OF Dylan Jorge, but he's holding out for a larger bonus by signing in 2022. He has also seen a lot of time at first base and, more recently, a little bit in the outfield corners. 2021-22 International Prospects Rumors - MLB Trade Rumors For example, the gap between Padres shortstop Jackson Merrill (No. He doesnt have traditional long-term power projection, but hes already so powerful that if all the pop Domnguez ever has is what hes working with now, it will still be plenty for him to be a good everyday big leaguer for as long as hes a center fielder. He struggles to set up his slider with well-located fastballs, and even when he does its not a given that hell land the slider after its been set up. This sort of thing runs through McGarrys whole operation, but he already has rare repertoire depth and quality for a reliever, and he might throw harder working just one or two innings at a time. Barger can really cut it loose and is a threat to do damage on every swing. In this case, Montgomerys bat seems to have already blossomed, while you can throw out the age-related concerns given that he has now proven himself at High-A. Back in Port St. Lucie to start 2022, Ramirez was red hot for the first month of the season, slashing a whopping .385/.423/.606 while cutting his strikeout rate by about 42% (from 31% to 18%), though his walk rate also dipped. The extreme shift in his strikeout and walk rates from 2021 to 2022 has as much to do with the change in Chourios style of swinging as it does the quality of opposing pitchers stuff. The Yankees are the favorite to sign both consensus number 1 international prospect Roderick Arias and number 3 international prospect Diedo Benitez in 2022. As has been the case with past classes, after these players sign, they will be pulled off the International Players section of The Board and warehoused in a ranking of their signing class for record-keeping purposes. Theres front-end upside here, and while Painter is not a complete pitcher yet, the Phillies have promoted him at such a brisk pace that hes already on the precipice of the majors as a teenager. Castrovince writes that under the draft proposal, the top 600 players would receive $172.5MM in total bonuses, up from the $163.9MM for the top 600 bonuses given to players during the 2019-20 . -- $340,000Jose Pirela, OF, Ven. Now on the 40-man roster, Cartaya is poised to be a power-hitting All-Star catcher who gets eased into the big league waters in 2024 and 2025, toward the back end of Will Smiths arbitration years. A physical lefty with mid-90s arm strength and a mind-bending slider, Tiedemann has become one of the minors highest-ceiling arms. Angel Cepeda, SS, D.R. He ended up at Vanderbilt, where those issues continued, and Eder finished his career there sitting 91-92, which is part of why he fell to the fourth round of his draft. There are people capable of standing out in this manner, but generally, even the most accomplished rankers tend to miss on players. The issue is that its nearly impossible to predict which player it will be. Its human nature to remember all of the big hits. March 1, 2023. According to a source, he was one of just three 18-year-old hitters to have an average exit velocity of 88 mph or higher in 2022, and Chourio played at least one level ahead of the other two (Red Sox outfielder Miguel Bleis and Astros prospect Luis Baez) for the entire season, and two and three levels ahead late in the year when he had a pot of High-A coffee and a shot of espresso at Double-A Biloxi. Thats because we have also included the 50 FV prospects whose ranking fell outside the 100, an acknowledgement both that the choice to rank exactly 100 prospects (as opposed to 110 or 210 or some other number entirely) is an arbitrary one and that there isnt a ton of daylight between the prospects who appear in that part of the list. Ranking players is a challenge regardless of their age. Ricardo Cabrera, SS, Venezuela Reds More 4. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association finalized a deal in March 2020 that addressed the international signing period during the pandemic. -- $350,000, YankeesJerson Alejandro, RHP, D.R. On defense, Rodriguezs size is both a feature and a bug. The Rangers forfeit $500,000 each for Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. His delivery is freaky loose, particularly in his upper back and shoulders, which we think portends better future command than hes shown so far in Oakland. Theres definitely relief risk here for that reason and because it may take two seasons to put Eder in a position to work an entire load of starters innings at the big league level. At one point, his in-zone contact rate was in the ninth percentile among minor leaguers, even while his triple slash line was out of this world. He can get extended on pitches out away from him and drive them into the opposite field gap, and has the power to do damage that way, and can also move the bat head all over the strike zone. Even though Stones delivery looks like the sort that can create a power pitchers angle and shape on his fastball, it isnt a dominant in-zone pitch, and his slider/cutter plays more due to command rather than pure stuff. We think there will be enough power for Barger to produce like an average regular in a multi-positional role. He had a successful foray into full-season ball, slashing .273/.360/.451 with 15 homers and 14 steals while with Low-A Myrtle Beach. The Yankees only had $4,232,700 in bonus money to dish out. Miller pairs the heater with a sharp, mid-80s slider and locates both with consistency, good for a combined 50% strikeout rate, while issuing just three walks across 14 innings in 2022. When he returned to the mound in August, he leapfrogged his way up the minor league ladder. Toronto didnt accelerate his promotion schedule to make up for the lost time, so he began 2021 back at Low-A as a 21-year-old and (mostly) flew under the FanGraphs prospect radar as an old-for-the-level player until 2022, when Barger hammered High- and Double-A pitching as a 22-year-old. Edwin Solano, SS, D.R. Lawlar is a slick shortstop defender with big power and a somewhat shaky hit tool. Positional Dynasty Prospects Catchers First Basemen Second Basemen Shortstops Third Basemen Outfielders Pitchers. He does play with lots of effort, though, and Mead has enough range that the second base experiment has merit. Johan Barrios, OF, Venezuela Brewers ($1,385,000) More 24. In the event of a draft, international prospects would lose the agency to pick their employers, an ability they currently enjoy, while North American draft prospects do not. And it doesnt take long before you start talking about players with warts that reduce confidence in the overall profile. Its possible hell find a way to play a mold-breaking style of third base defense over time, but an elbow sprain (which happened amid a throwing program to try to improve his arm strength) ended his 2022 and required a PRP injection, which is often a precursor to Tommy John for pitchers. - Top Minor League Prospects, many of the 2022 1st round Draft Picks, 2023 projected #1 pick Dylan Crews and top International prospects Ethan Salas/ Brando Mayea. Guardians 2023 Top 50 Prospects, No. 45 SS Welbyn Francisca Among other things,they were docked 50 percent of their bonus pool the last few years as part of the penalties for their 2017 signing scandal. Keith was on the SS/3B line as a high school defender, but his extra heft has pushed him down the defensive spectrum. The bumps and bruises that come with catching 100 games often make it tough for catchers to sustain peak offensive performance, and Cartaya hasnt been exposed to that yet. The thought that we had to wait several years to see returns on these players went out the window. Brailer Guerrero, OF, D.R. The start of the international signing period is one of the most important dates on the baseball calendar. Peraza seems to realize this and tends to let strikes in the lower third of the zone go by until he absolutely has to swing at them. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience. At the peak of my pursuit, I would use every pick I had in an FYPD on international prospects. This guy hasnt had a clear defensive home for much of his life as a prospect. -- $600,000, BrewersAntony Gomez, OF, D.R. His pop times are routinely in the 1.85-1.95 range in part because Endy has a strong arm, but also because hes almost always leaving his crouch before he even receives the pitch on steal attempts, which hastens his exchange. Hes competing for a D-backs rotation spot. After that it seemed like Ramirez was asked to try to demonstrate better plate discipline. That said, bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count against the bonus pool, and inevitably some of those players become big leaguers. Hes hovering at or below the big league average in most chase and contact rate categories, while generating impressive power for a shortstop his age. At the plate, the athletic Salas has a good feel for the strike zone and shows the ability to hit the ball to all fields. Compiling 2022 MLB top prospects rankings from all of the best sources in the Minor League baseball, scouting, and fantasy industries. -- $300,000, MarlinsJancory De La Cruz, OF, D.R. He practically straddles the plate and was hit by 20 pitches during an injury-shortened regular season, then was somehow beaned seven more times in just 17 Arizona Fall League games. Firm, upper-80s changeups and sliders dart in different directions, and are thrown with 100 mph-looking effort. He can shorten up and punish inner-third velocity from the left side like few other hitters in the 2022 draft could, and he rarely expands the zone. The upright nature of this adjusted swing has impacted Meads plate coverage a bit, and he swung through lots of high fastballs and sliders that finished on the outer third of the zone in 2022. Below you will find my personal top 50 International prospects. It makes everything nice and tidy. Alcantara sometimes has trouble turning on hittable fastballs and tends to pepper the right-center field gap, which is an indication he might struggle to catch up to big league heat at all. Though hes mostly started so far and has three nasty pitches, Millers delivery is very violent and his injury history suggests he may only have so many bullets, so we expect Oakland will put him on the big league roster in fairly short order, perhaps in a relief role. There was some demographic push and pull happening in the guts of Montgomerys amateur profile that we can already reflect on a bit. Williams injury history is concerning, but hes talented enough to make a big league impact in the middle of Clevelands 2023 rotation. : Red Sox ($1,400,000) More 26. Julien finally got underway in pro ball in 2021 and since then, hes had two good seasons en route to a 40-man roster spot. The forfeited monies are redistributed to the other clubs. The toolset to profile as a 50 in right is arguably already in place, and theres a chance Mayo ends up with 70 raw at peak and becomes a star out there. All others fall into international free agency. Juliens stock fell early during the 2019 college season as he struggled badly, then he got hot during a tumultuous postseason run; the Twins drafted him on Day Three. A plus athlete, Neto does some acrobatic things at shortstop and when he puts his whole body into a throw, he appears to have plenty of arm for the left side. Hell be a cog in Phillys quest for a second NL pennant. Felix Morrobel, SS, D.R. He hit 26 homers and 33 doubles and posted a 148 wRC+ at Vancouver and New Hampshire before he was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo at the very end of the year. -- $300,000, MetsDaviel Hurtado, LHP, D.R. Top-400 Fantasy Baseball Prospects For Dynasty Leagues - FantraxHQ Previous work can also be found at Sports On Earth, CrashburnAlley and Prospect Insider. Even though both Davis and Rodriguez are near-ready catching prospects, they arent redundant, and in fact they complement each other well. At this time last year, they were signing Dominican shortstop Hans Montero. It comes out of his hand from a high arm slot that looks like the kind optimized for data-friendly ride, but the pitchs downhill angle makes it less of a weapon at the letters and actually makes it very vulnerable within the strike zone. Suns vs. Hornets - NBA Box Score - 2 March 2023 | ESPN But assuming that third base is now his likeliest position, more pressure will be put on Martes bat, and while theres good news in that regard, there also needs to be refinement if Marte is going to hit enough to play an everyday role at third base. International Player Update | FanGraphs Baseball Hes a little more tightly wound than is typical for a big league shortstop, but Hendersons straight-line speed is plus and so is his defensive range, and his arm strength enables him to make some plays that many other infielders cant. Bibee now looks like a polished mid-rotation prospect. Thanks to his looseness and flexibility (again, think a lankier Gerrit Cole), not only does Abel project to maintain this level of velocity, but perhaps hell add to it as his frame fills out. Cartayas exchange is absurdly fast for a player his size, and he actively hunts baserunners when they reach, a threat to throw to the bases at any time. Baty has also consistently been a high groundball rate hitter, at least 51% at every full-season level until his 42% mark with Double-A Binghamton in 2022, where he spent the bulk of the year. Montgomery raked his way to Double-A, where he spent the last couple weeks of his first full pro season as part of Project Birmingham, a de facto instructs and evaluation period for Chicagos best mid- and upper-level prospects. Each MLB Team's Breakout Prospect Turning Heads in 2022 His footwork on throws to second is clunky and variable, which often impacts his throw times and accuracy, but the pure arm strength is in there. -- $350,000D'Angelo Tejada, D.R. The Chicago Cubs are the favorites to sign Dominican SS Fernando Cruz, the top prospect in the 2024 international FA period. Follow and listen to the best podcasts for the Amed Rosario Vargas has great feel for contact and enough power to profile as an everyday left fielder or second baseman, with the latter looking more likely for now given the Dodgers roster situation. MLB does nothing by accident and moving the last two signing periods into a single calendar year would allow the league to easily shift to an offseason international draft. Only recently converted to center field full-time, Chourio easily has enough speed to stay there (hes routinely 4.15 home to first), and his routes and ball skills are okay. Whichever lucky team gets that selection will be getting a player with plus tools across the board. He was hurt in 2022. At the same time, players like Victor Acosta, Gabriel Gonzalez, Cristian Santana, Samuel Zavala, Junior Marin, and Carlos Jorge went from afterthoughts to coveted stashes. Here are the new Top 30 Prospects lists. Hundreds of international prospects are taking the next step in their development when they sign with big league clubs and there will be hundreds more who will follow them until the middle of December. His pre-trade numbers were impressive and only improved when he joined Rocket-City: In his 29 games with the Angels Double-A affiliate, OHoppe slashed .306/.473/.673 and walked more than he struck out, good for a 194 wRC+ over that span. It has been tough to truly find out even though Jung is now 25 and has set foot in the big leagues. Just seven games into his 2021 minor league season, Carroll sustained a posterior capsular avulsion fracture and a labrum tear during a swing on which he homered. There was no 2020 post-draft minor league season, and each of Jungs last two campaigns have begun with prolonged IL stints due to severe injury. Constant max-effort hacking often leads to lots of strikeouts, but Wiemer had mostly kept his Ks in check until 2022, when he punched out 30% of the time at Double-A Biloxi. That will be a full decade before Green will be drafted in 2022, very likely with the #1 overall selection. Cleveland added him to their 40-man toward the end of last year but never optioned him, which means he still has three option years left for those defensive skills to percolate. Each MLB Team's Breakout Prospect Turning Heads in 2022 Joel Reuter August 20, 2022 Vaughn Grissom (AP Photo/John Bazemore) One of the most fun things about MLB prospect rankings is how. Henderson is a viable shortstop defender (for now) who has plus-plus plate discipline and power. With Kyle Hendricks out of the rotation with injury for the start of 2023, Wesneski seems like a candidate to slot in as the big league teams fourth or fifth starter if he shows well in camp. It can be tough to turn over a changeup from his arm slot, but that slot is also part of how Bibee creates depth on his curveball, which has become a show-me pitch that he lands in the zone at will. The larger the bonus, the more teams believe in the player. Now, after what might be a delayed start to his 2023, hell be asked to hit the ground running after only playing half of last year. And while some of my sources think the league and the PA could come together on a draft format before the next CBA is ratified, there is doubt that it will happen soon enough for it to change the way the 2024 class signs. A high-probability shortstop with a long-limbed, projectable frame, Hernandez was your traditional international amateur who excels in a workout environment. -- $300,000, MarinersSebastian De Andrade, C, D.R. Top prospect Brown focusing on slider mechanics after spring debut. Powerful and explosive, the exciting Caminero was among the DSLs home run leaders in 2021 before coming over from Cleveland in a 40-man roster deadline trade for pitcher Tobias Myers that offseason.
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