An overview of the rules that govern signing international amateurs can be found on MLBs glossary here, while more thorough and detailed documentation can be found starting on page 287 of the CBA (forgive the 2017-21 version the full text of the latest agreement isnt publicly available yet), and page 38 of the Official Professional Baseball Rules Book. From the right side of the plate, he shows tons of bat speed with a big loft. Its tough to be a 2-WAR DH every year (Bryce Harpers 2022 100-game line was good for 2 WAR), but Busch has the hit/power combination to do it. Top Baseball International Prospects | MLB.com Johan Barrios, OF, Venezuela Brewers ($1,385,000) More 24. Though his lower half looks a little stiff and he plays defense with a high center of gravity, hes capable of acrobatic defensive plays and at least has a shot to stay at shortstop long-term. He projects as a slugging five- or six-hole hitter in a typical contending lineup, with contact issues that will create some whiff-prone stretches and significant year-to-year variance. Athletic, 6-foot-6 outfielders who can rotate like Alcantara can are rare. But after just four starts with Frisco, he was shut down due to his innings limit and understandable arm fatigue, ending his season in mid-July. The Dodgers and Rangers each forfeited $1,000,000 from their pools for signing players who had rejected qualifying offers to lower their pool to $4,144,000. Thats a 31% K% and 8% BB% across twice as many innings as the year before, when Miller was being built back up from the shortened 2020 season. Young stars like Fernando Tatis Jr, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Ronald Acuna, Yordan Alvarez, Wander Franco, Julio Rodriguez, and many more started as relatively obscure teenagers. Wood compares to a young Adam Dunn as a power-hitting outfielder of considerable size. Of course, he has game-changing arm strength. There are 13 prospects from Venezuela, two from the Bahamas and one each from Cuba, Mexico and Korea. Pitchers tend to be volatile and subject to heightened injury risk, plus their usage is being spread out among more pitchers in the majors, reducing the impact of individuals. This is where we value a contending teams plug-and-play third or fourth starter. Marwys Jorge, RHP, D.R. His arm is strong from any angle. It is the open of the 2022 international signing period, one of two ways MLB teams can acquire amateur talent each year. What if Michael Brantley played shortstop? He fell behind some of the other high school infielders in his draft class due to doubts that Arroyo could stay at short as well as concerns about his hit tool. Yorke was the biggest surprise of the 2020 drafts first round. He spent most of the rest of the year rehabbing in Arizona, often attending Diamondbacks games in his sling. 1. Were projecting heavily on Abels command in anticipation of him growing into his body and arm speed. -- $400,000Andres Valor, OF, Ven. If he had somehow improved his throwing (which isnt terrible he could play short in an emergency), hed still be behind Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in this regard and would end up at second base anyway. Martes body and athleticism regressed in 2022, and he looked pretty rough in the Arizona Fall League. Painter has a prototypical pitchers frame and then some, standing in at a broad-shouldered 6-foot-7 (which Painter has sculpted since his days as a high school prospect), a stature youd more often associate with NBA wing players than pro pitchers. Having started 2022 with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate, Wesneski was shipped to Chicago as part of the Scott Effross trade. Still, there are all kinds of hit tool red flags here, both in the data and in Williams visual scouting report. Luis Guanipa, OF, Ven. Edwin Solano, SS, D.R. Hes also added a few ticks of velocity and now sits 93-96 mph, velocity hes maintained across two consecutive years of innings increases. Jameson is also a extremely competitive and has the makeup for a late-inning role should he eventually have to make way for some of Arizonas other good young starters. Hell stay in the middle of the infield for as long as he can, but his plus arm potential will serve him well if he transitions to third base in the future. The bat is Steers carrying tool and has been since his days at Oregon. When players with that skill set have a better hit tool than advertised, the potential for fantasy stardom becomes a real possibility. Turang is so defensively gifted that he is almost certain to have a significant and lengthy big league career, especially now that shifting is banned. It isnt pretty, but some of the proof is in the data. Top 75 - 2021 FYPD & International Signee Rankings for 2022 Dynasty Though hes been playing a lot of shortstop, he isnt a fit there and his hands and actions are below average. Toolshed: Now arriving, international signing | MiLB.com Baty made some subtle swing changes that may have better actualized his plus-plus raw power. Barger has huge left-handed bat speed and a shot to stay on the dirt, just not at shortstop. Some of the volatile characteristics of his profile are still here. Hes also learning how to call a game and has a good makeup. As you would probably expect from a hitter with such a steep swing (this is about as steep as one can get without it becoming a problem), Pages swings and misses a fair bit, but not enough that it makes his prospecthood feel flimsy. Some aspects of Mauricios defense need to be cleaned up. Cols is exclusively an outfielder now, and he hit .269/.319/.481 in part-time duty with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan from 2017-19. Many scouts are champing at the bit over Priesters prototypical frame and four- or five-pitch mix, depending on whether you consider his fastballs two distinct pitches. Right now, hes notching six outs every five days or so, a number the org would surely like to see increase as he ramps up his innings. Some pre-draft medical question marks precipitated his fall to Minnesota. His changeup isnt consistent enough for it to play a major role in his arsenal quite yet, but he trusts his slider enough to use it in place of the changeup, even against righties. He was a coveted prospect as a prep player, but his strong commitment to Cal Poly, where his dad coaches, and some general concerns about his physical longevity due to a back issue pushed the industrys assessment of him down, so he went to school. Your email address will not be published. Miller has always held his velo deep into games despite a violent delivery, and his slider and changeup are both above-average, rounding out a starters mix in a weird mechanical package. 3 prospect in the class Millers arm swing is long and he has again been somewhat walk-prone in pro ball. 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. His left-handed swing is very uphill, the sort typically associated with strikeout issues, but his levers are so short that his swing is still fairly compact. He commands it consistently enough to his glove side to project as a starter. 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. He projects as a contact-oriented everyday shortstop, though one scouting director we spoke with for this list still wants to see what hed look like on the mound. Quickly thereafter he was at Triple-A Norfolk and looked like the usual DL Hall, wielding three plus pitches and struggling with walks. However, there has been an increase in pitching prospects and catching prospects, especially from Venezuela, in recent years. He has the strength to do damage the other way, but save for the occasional pitch on the outer edge, hes geared to pull. NBA prospect Thierry Darlan, a 6-foot-7 point guard from the league's Academy Africa in Senegal, tells ESPN he has committed . As I mentioned in my KBO update from Tuesday, when talent acquisition rules change, they tend to do so in ways that are unfavorable to players and increasingly financially favorable to teams. He has some vulnerability to high fastballs and tends to do most of his extra-base damage against middle-middle mistakes, but Steer is capable of making line drive contact in basically all parts of the strike zone, and is especially adept at poking outer-third pitches the opposite way for base hits. Wood has a real chance to both hit and hit for gargantuan power, and while his swing isnt geared for consistent lift at this point, he has the raw strength to do damage anyway. Top prospect Brown focusing on slider mechanics after spring debut. A bat-only prospect with a well-rounded offensive skill set, Busch may end up a 30-grade second base defender or just play 1B/LF. Check out our 2023 MLB Mock Draft. Because hes a bit stiff, its possible the grind of a full-season will impact his defensive mobility and even his offense if he has to catch 80-plus games. Lesko hasnt thrown a pro pitch yet due to TJ rehab, but his changeup and pre-injury velocity and fastball playability demand he be one here toward the back. The area in which its most important for him to show late growth is on defense. Even though his career walk rates are extremely low (7%) for a complex-level prospect (where pitchers often struggle to throw strikes), Bleis chase rates are closer to average. Samuel Munoz, OF, Dominican Republic Dodgers More 8. He now sits 96 mph and will touch as high as 102, though he typically tops out at 99 in any given start. Vargas is a bankable, big league-ready hitter with moderate upside, while Cappe is a risky low-level prospect with huge upside. There was some demographic push and pull happening in the guts of Montgomerys amateur profile that we can already reflect on a bit. Drafted and mostly deployed as a third baseman, Mayo has projected as a right fielder since his draft year because of his size. We didnt know enough about the players, and their proximity to the Majors didnt help their appeal. *Teams will be allowed to trade international bonus slots during this signing period starting Jan. 15. Cavalli climbed the ranks of the Nationals system in 2021, starting the season at High-A and closing it out at Triple-A, claiming the distinction of being the hardest thrower at that years Futures game (touching 102 mph) along the way. The visual evaluation of Hassells feel to hit was consistently strong until the last couple months of 2022. Hes already noticeably thicker now than he was in high school, though thats probably part of where the power is coming from. 1st Round. 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. Those aforementioned late-bloomer traits are a reason to think Frelick might develop in center field and turn into a Brandon Nimmo-type player, and that possibility is why he moved onto the Top 100 this offseason. He was the fifth ranked prospect on our 2022 Draft Board but was picked 13th, enough to merit some reconsideration as to whether Neto belongs in the 50 FV already. : Nationals+ ($1,300,000) More 46. His strong skills on the field are matched by his notable family bloodline as his grandfather, father and uncle all played professionally. Hes such a good athlete with such polished baseball aptitude (the Rays field staff raves about it unprompted) that this forecast expects him to make the necessary adjustments to do so. -- $1,000,000Juan Hernandez, SS, Ven. 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. PCA played just six games at Low-A in 2021 before missing the remainder of the season with a labrum injury. According to a source, testimony in that case was heard last week, and we may soon learn more about its outcome and subsequent fallout. Big-bodied catchers with potent bats, like Travis dArnaud, Tyler Flowers and Diaz, are the sorts who tend to take a leap later in their 20s, which is the expectation here. Dyan Jorge, SS, Cuba Rockies ($2,800,000) More 16. There is hit-related bust risk here, but things trended in a favorable direction during Greens senior season and he didnt play enough after the draft for his pro strikeout rate to scare us away. Instead of a short stride toward the mound, his step is toward the plate, maintaining the width as he closes his stance, with quick lower-body rotation as he muscles the barrel through the zone. Thank you. The Phillies are expected to sign Bergolla. Esmil Valencia, OF, D.R. Because hes still so young, the chances are better that Marte can course correct in this area, and theres recent precedent for that path in Julio Rodrguez, who became sleeker and faster to stay in center field. Both can be in the lineup every night because of Rodriguezs defensive versatility and the universal DH, and a more liberal timeshare behind the plate might help keep them both healthier and more consistently productive on offense. He is short to the baseball and still generates huge, all-fields power, swinging with so much effort and might that sometimes his head rattles around and his helmet flies off as hes making contact. His changeup flashed plus in the Fall League, where he carried that good health and momentum and posted a 10.8 K/9. Its fair to consider there to be subjective and persistent relief risk here related to Flores delivery and the length of his arm action. Lewis chronic injuries have kept him on this list forever, but were still betting that his tools and personhood will eventually turn him into a good multi-positional big leaguer. Top 50 International Prospects. Tony Ruiz, OF, D.R.31. 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. : White Sox+ ($700,000) More 42. The Mariners are listed as the favorites to sign two of. It is alright to target one of the premium talents early if you believe in him. Hes a good enough defender that hed probably being playing shortstop had he ended up at Arizona State, but in pro ball the keystone is Johnsons likeliest defensive home given his maxed-out, stocky build and what projects to be somewhat limited range. MLB.com's free scouting report says Cols can "play all three outfield positions and projects to hit in the middle of the order." All major league baseball data including pitch type, velocity, batted ball location, Make no mistake, Paradas bat was one of the surer things in the 2022 draft, and hes likely to hit in the middle of a big league order regardless of position, which would make him a superstar catcher, but closer to an average regular if he ends up a LF/DH. Hes tracking to debut ahead of his draft class typical 40-man timeline, perhaps as early as mid-2023 if things click with his command. Derniche Valdez, SS, D.R. 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. Sebastian Walcott, SS, Bahamas: Rangers+ ($3,200,000) More 9. Below we have the signing agreements for all 30 clubs, with more to. Like Harper, Collier got his GED a year before he was originally set to graduate, went to a prominent junior college to play against older guys during his draft spring, and then (going beyond Harper) used the later timing of the draft to also play on Cape Cod against an even better collection of talent between the end of the JUCO season and the draft. Once a two-way prospect, Winns skills in the batters box quickly won out, and hes been developed solely as a position player. Prospects aged 16 and up - born after Sept. 1, 2005 - are. While some of the orgs other high-profile names have had developmental hiccups, Pfaadt has knifed through Arizonas system without issue and is now a mid-rotation starter prospect on the doorstep of the big leagues. Let's take a look at them here. Who are the top prospects? 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. His plus velocity and uphill approach angle make Halls fastball extremely difficult for hitters to get on top of, and righty batters who are trying to anticipate the heater often end up embarrassing themselves against his changeup, which generated a whopping 54% whiff rate in 2022. Eders delivery has changed since college. Cabrera is expected to sign with the Reds. He continued to play well as a junior, showing better barrel feel from the left side than he did as a sophomore. 2022 MLB Mock Draft - Fueled by Sports 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. Im starting from scratch every time I rank an international class, and I have to begin somewhere just to generate the list of available and relevant names. Cartaya had a whopping 41% hard-hit rate in 2022, which is already better than that of the average big league starting catcher (hes 21! He hit .337/.453/.601 as a teenager in the Cal League before the Padres traded him to Washington as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster, after which he hit .293/.366/.463. It would be an above-average pitch were it simply in the low-to-mid-80s, but at this velocity, its a 70-grade weapon, and Espino has consistent feel for locating it down and to his glove side.