Here are the latest signings from the July 2 international class…
- Martinez Jr.’s deal with the Tigers includes an $800K signing bonus as well as $300K worth of U.S. scholarship money, tweets Dionisio Soldevila of Grandes en los Deportes.
Earlier Updates
- The Tigers have signed Dominican third baseman Pedro Martinez Jr., ESPN.com’s Enrique Rojas reports (via Twitter). The son of the legendary Hall of Fame pitcher, the 16-year-old Martinez is a well-regarded hitting prospect, as detailed in a profile by Scott Miller of the Bleacher Report beck in June. Detroit had a $4.75MM bonus pool for this international period and have made a number of signings, including a $1MM bonus for Venezuelan shortstop Alvaro Gonzalez.
- The Diamondbacks have agreed to sign 16-year-old Venezuelan outfielder Wilderd Patino. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (Twitter link) was the first to report that the two sides were nearing a deal, with Baseball America’s Ben Badler reporting that the agreement had been reached. Patino had been connected to the Rangers well in advance of the July 2 opening date for 2017-18 international prospects, though an elbow injury suffered in the spring seemed to impact his status. (Badler speculates that the Rangers may be saving whatever bonus pool space they have to make a play for Shohei Otani.) MLB.com and BA ranked Patino 25th and 27th in their respective lists of the best prospects within this year’s international class, with both scouting reports praising the youngster’s athletic ability and the likelihood that he becomes a strong defensive center fielder. Arizona has been aggressive in this international signing period, as the club had a maximum bonus pool of $5.75MM and no longer faced the $300K max signing cap it was under for the previous two int’l periods.
