Phillies Sign German Prospect Julsan Kamara

The Phillies have signed 17-year-old German outfielder Julsan Kamara to a seven-year minor league contract, writes Philipp Wuerfel of Mister-Baseball.com (hat tip: Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker).

Kamara is considered one of Germany's best prospects. The right-handed swinger competed in last winter's International Power Showcase at Marlins Park in Miami, is a member of the German Junior National Team, and attended the MLB European Academy in Tirrenia, Italy.

Germany doesn't have a large contingent of players in Major League Baseball, but Müller lists six current players to sign out of Germany, including Donald Lutz (Reds), Max Kepler and Markus Solbach (Twins), Kai Gronauer (Mets) and Daniel Thieben (Mariners). Of that group, only Lutz has reached the Major Leagues, though Kepler currently ranks 10th among Twins' prospects, per Baseball America.

The international market is not one that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. delves into with much frequency, as can be seen in MLBTR's Transaction Tracker. The last international signing for the Phils on record at MLBTR is Venezuelan outfielder Carlos Tocci for a $759K bonus back in 2011.