International Notes: Martinez, Fox, KBO
A few notes on the international prospect front…
- The Giants were among the clubs to scout 20-year-old Cuban center fielder Eddy Julio Martinez in the Dominican Republic recently, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (All Twitter links). At this time, the Giants, Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Nationals, Rockies, Tigers and Dodgers are all in the mix for Martinez. One scout placed the lofty comp of a young Andruw Jones on Martinez, Sanchez adds, though clearly not every scout will be quite that bullish. Martinez is expected to work out for more clubs this week and is eligible to sign at any time.
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweeted recently that the Twins are also among the teams to have scouted Martinez (and other Cuban prospects) as of late. Wolfson hears that as many as 17 teams watched Martinez work out late last week.
- Sanchez hears that interest in Martinez and in Bahamian shortstop Lucius Fox is picking up (Twitter links). Scouts love Fox’s tools, and the fact that he is already 18 years of age is actually a bonus in this instance, as he comes with more experience than most July 2-eligible prospects. Fox, unlike Martinez, isn’t eligible to sign prior to July 2.
- Jung Ho Kang‘s early success with the Pirates will help pave the way for hitters from the Korea Baseball Organization to make the jump to Major League Baseball, opines C.J. Nitkowski of FOX Sports (video link). Manager Clint Hurdle recently revealed to Nitkowski that in Spring Training, he had some concerns about whether or not Kang would be able to handle the increased fastball velocity he’d encounter in Major League Baseball. As Nitkowski points out, that hasn’t been an issue for the powerful infielder to this point; Kang has seen 101 fastballs registering at 93 mph or faster, and he’s whiffed on just five of them in addition to going 9-for-18 on those that he’s put into play. Recent reports have indicated that Kang’s former Nexen Heroes teammate, Byung-ho Park, is hoping to jump to MLB himself next season.
International Notes: Fox, Diaz, Sierra
Here’s the latest on a trio of intriguing international prospects…
- The Cubs, Dodgers and Rangers are all interested in Bahamian shortstop Lucius Fox and scouts consider the three teams to be the “biggest threats” to sign the 17-year-old prospect, Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel reports. Since many teams have already planned out their budgets and made unofficial agreements to prospects for the 2015-16 international signing period, a player like Fox (who is projected to receive a bonus of at least $1.5MM) is perhaps more likely to land with a team like the aforementioned trio who have money to spend and are aggressive enough to surpass the spending pool limit. The Giants, Padres and Reds have also been linked to Fox but are seen as less likely to spend as freely as Chicago, Los Angeles and Texas.
- Yusnier Diaz, an 18-year-old outfielder, has left Cuba and is looking to play in the majors, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 6’1, 185-pound prospect has plus speed and a plus arm and Badler praised his hitting tools, though he feels Diaz’s right-handed swing is a bit long. Diaz is subject to international spending pools, and since he is unlikely to secure permanent residence in another country by the May 15 deadline, he may not be able to sign until the 2016-17 international signing period opens on July 2, 2016. Any team that exceeds its pool limit in the 2015-16 signing period is therefore probably out of the running for Diaz, as such teams are prohibited from signing any of the next year’s class for more than $300K. The Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees are already under this penalty until the 2017-18 signing period.
- Also from Badler, he provides some background on Cuban righty Yaisel Sierra, who isn’t subject to the bonus pools but is still several months away from gaining the necessary clearance to sign with a team. Sierra can throw all his pitches (including a 96mph fastball and a slider) from various arm angles, though the 23-year-old is still a bit unpolished. “Between his stuff, pitching style and history of control problems in Cuba, Sierra has a lot of similarities to Reds right-hander Raisel Iglesias, with Sierra having more size but Iglesias better performance in his final year in Cuba,” Badler writes.
International Notes: Fox, Sierra, Linares
Lucius Fox, an 18-year-old shortstop and native of the Bahamas, has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, according to Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel (on Twitter). Fox is a rather interesting case, as he attended American Heritage High School in Florida but moved back to the Bahamas recently and petitioned to be declared an international free agent rather than be subject to the amateur draft in June. As McDaniel has noted recently, the switch-hitting Fox should be expected to land a seven-figure bonus and likely would’ve been a Top 50 pick had he been draft-eligible. Fox projects to stick at shortstop and has a feel for hitting from both sides of the plate, per McDaniel. He’ll likely wait until July 2 to sign.
A few more notes on some new potential international free agents…
- Cuban right-hander Yaisel Sierra has left the island and is attempting to establish residency in the Dominican Republic, tweets MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. The 23-year-old Sierra has a career 3.74 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9 in 238 innings over his past four seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. The righty has spent five total years in pro ball in Cuba, thereby making him exempt from international spending limitations should he be declared a free agent by Major League Baseball.
- Center fielder Yordanis Linares has also left Cuba, and he tells Sanchez that he’s looking to establish residency in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Costa Rica or Nicaragua. Though Linares is 26 years old, he lacks the professional experience to be an unrestricted international free agent, so he, too, will be subject to spending pools. Linares left the game of baseball in his teens and spent two years with the Cuban military before returning to the game at the age of 22. He’s a career .318 hitter with 15 homers in 191 Serie Nacional games, Sanchez writes. Linares seems unlikely to be declared a free agent in the current international signing period..