Every Jan. 15 represents a landmark day in the lives of hundreds of young players as well as 30 major league organizations. The date, which marks the opening of the international amateur free agent signing period and produces a flurry of signings, provides teams with a chance to introduce new waves of talent that can transform teams down the road.
Last year, assistant general manager Eddie Romero beamed as he looked at the Red Sox’ Opening Day lineup, which featured third baseman Rafael Devers (signed in 2013), starting pitcher Brayan Bello (2017), and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (2017).
“We were the only club with three homegrown international players [in the Opening Day lineup],” said Romero.
Romero and the Red Sox hope that some of the players who officially began their careers on Wednesday eventually might add to the organization’s pipeline of talent from Latin America. This year’s signing class — in what is considered a strong group of international prospects — is headlined by a handful of players.
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“This [signing class] has a couple guys that have huge upside,” said Romero.
Dorian Soto, who is receiving a signing bonus of $1.4 million (according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler), is a massive, switch-hitting shortstop from the Dominican Republic. At 17, he’s already 6 feet 2 inches, weighs 215-220 pounds, and shows top-end exit velocities, having hit balls at 102 miles per hour in games and up to 110 in the batting cage.
Soto — who was scouted by Manny Nanita — will need to make some adjustments to tighten his swing, and given his size it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll grow off shortstop. Still, he has impressive power potential along with evident aptitude to make adjustments.
Center fielder Harold Rivas, who is 6-1, 170 pounds and was scouted in Venezuela by Jorge Moreno, stands out for his athleticism and array of skills. He already features a well-synched swing along with plus speed (6.5 seconds in the 60) that will play well on the bases and especially in the outfield given his advanced instincts.
“This guy can play the heck out of center field. He’s an above-average center fielder,” said Romero. “This is the guy that coaches will ask, ‘Who’s that guy?’ ”
Héctor Ramos, whom Badler reported will receive a signing bonus of $500,000, is another switch-hitting shortstop from the Dominican Republic (also scouted by Nanita) who has the defensive feel and arm to play the middle infield spots, and some glimpses of modest power.
Another shortstop, Venezuelan Eliezer Alfonzo, is a solid defender who makes enough contact to give him a chance to advance through the minors.
This year’s pitching class is led by Venezuelan righthander Sabdiel Delzine, who already towers at 6-4, 215-220 pounds with a fastball that tops out at 94 m.p.h., curveball, and changeup. Like Alfonzo, Delzine was scouted by Ramon Mora.
“He definitely has a chance to be really good,” said Romero. “He’s got one of the most advanced changeups we’ve scouted. One crosschecker calls it devastating. He saw it and said, ‘That can play right now.’ ”
Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @alexspeier.
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Publish date : 2025-01-15 04:01:00
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