2014 International Signing Thread

[TheCrew07]

For Gilbert Lara discussion please see his thread here.

 

Worth a look for curiosity sake:

Incredible Video: Cuban Player Charges Mound With Bat, Swings At Pitcher In Chaotic Brawl

 

Informative article about spending throughout the calendar year, not just July 2.

How Teams Spend On International Players Throughout The Year

 

A nice write-up on winter league ball.

Caribbean Series Caps International Season

 

Subscriber:

Ten Breakout International Prospects To Watch In 2014

 

Scouting The Cubans Who Participated In The Caribbean Series

 

I believe this was previously linked elsewhere:

International Spending Rises Despite Bonus Pools

 

FYI.

2013 International Spending By Team

[TheCrew07]

2014 Draft And International Team Spending Allowances

 

2014-15 MLB International Bonus Pools And Slot Values

[brewcrewdue80]

Looking at our pool of money 2.6mil would give the team up to 3.9mil after trading for slots from other teams(most likely Cubs/Rangers) to sign Lara w/o penalty. I'm thinking it stands that Lara is the Brewers one and only target in the International sign period based on the fact he's already projected over our pool of money and close to the max pool when slots are traded for.

 

Would you think the team has a backup plan of signing 3 or 4 600k-800k players if Lara falls through? I feel more like they won't let Lara get away and he's the only one we sign.

[TheCrew07]

They will sign more than 1 player even if they sign Lara, they can sign as many 6 to <=$50,000 bonuses without counting against the pool. They could go over the pool as well, the penalties really aren't all that severe unless the international draft comes around for 2015.

 

I would hope this isn't an eggs all in one basket type of thing where we miss out on Lara and then don't sign anyone of significance. If not Lara I'd like to see 2 or 3 higher profile kids picked up again. We'll have to wait and see.

[TheCrew07]

Lara not mentioned nor are the Brewers linked to any of the 5.

 

July 2 Notebook: Five Top Names To Watch

May 8, 2014 by Ben Badler

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber content.

 

July 2 Notebook: Possible $1 Million Targets For Astros, Yankees

May 12, 2014 by Ben Badler

[TheCrew07]

The Brewers are not linked to any of the 5 pitchers mentioned, though no team is linked to Franklin Perez. If Lara is in fact in play it would make sense that we won't see the Brewers listed as favorites for many if any other players since the Crew will have to go somewhat cheap on the rest of their signings.

 

July 2 Preview: Projecting The Top International Pitching Prospects

May 13, 2014 by Ben Badler

[TheCrew07]

Why Is Cuban Outfielder Alfredo Despaigne Playing In Mexico Using A Dominican Passport?

May 13, 2014 by Ben Badler

[HiAndTight]

http://www.brewcrewball.com/2014/5/8/5694912/yirver-gilbert-lara-brewers-international-signing-pools

 

Interesting article here that states the Brewers are one of 4 teams expected to exceed their allotment for international free agents with the other three being in the AL East(NYY, Boston, TB).

 

Also talks about how much the Brewers apparently love Lara's power potential.

[TheCrew07]

A very informative look at what's happening in Latin America, kind of disturbing the disregard teams have for the rules.

 

Why July 2 Prospects Are Harder To Track This Year

 

This year, teams have become more aggressive reaching oral agreements with players to sign once they become eligible on July 2. These deals are technically not in accordance with major league rules, but it’s long been industry practice for the top players to reach agreements before July 2, which MLB knows and tacitly accepts. Players don’t play for school teams in Latin America, so once a player has an agreement, he stops going to showcases or tryouts at other teams’ academies.

 

Except now there are more deals than ever being done well in advance of July 2. By the time MLB held its annual international showcase in San Pedro de Macoris in January, several of the top players there already had agreements to sign, while some of the other top prospects in the class didn’t even show up. Those who were there, well, some of them weren’t quite giving 110 percent. Why run or throw at maximum intensity and risk injury when you have nothing to gain?

[TooLiveBrew]

Sounds like perhaps this is what took place with the Brewers & Lara... ?

[logan82]

It would be just our luck to have MLB crack down on these oral agreements this year.

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber content.

 

July 2 Prediction Board: Top 10 Bonuses And Signing Teams

May 22, 2014 by Ben Badler

 

1. Gilbert Lara, ss, Dominican Republic

Lara has some of the best raw power in the 2014 international signing class. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he’s bigger and more physical than most of the kids for this year, and he’s shown the ability to take the ball over the fence in game situations, even with a grip-and-rip approach that leads to some empty hacks. He won’t be a shortstop, but he will get paid for his offensive upside. His bonus is expected to be more than $3 million.

 

Prediction: BREWERS

[SRB]

Subscriber content.

 

July 2 Prediction Board: Top 10 Bonuses And Signing Teams

May 22, 2014 by Ben Badler

 

1. Gilbert Lara, ss, Dominican Republic

Lara has some of the best raw power in the 2014 international signing class. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he’s bigger and more physical than most of the kids for this year, and he’s shown the ability to take the ball over the fence in game situations, even with a grip-and-rip approach that leads to some empty hacks. He won’t be a shortstop, but he will get paid for his offensive upside. His bonus is expected to be more than $3 million.

 

Prediction: BREWERS

 

This would be so great!!!

 

Lots of credit to Melvin/Mark A for expanding their horizons in recent years (Aoki, Mallen/Pierre, almost Abreu...) despite being the smallest market in baseball.

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber content. No players have been linked to the Brewers yet besides Lara, and for good reason.

 

July 2 Notebook: Kenny Hernandez, Amado Nunez, Antonio Arias And More

[TheCrew07]

Japan’s Shohei Otani Hits 99 MPH, Strikes Out 10 To Outduel Kenta Maeda

June 4, 2014 by Ben Badler

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber content. No Brewer related news, this signing period looks like it's going to be Lara and a bunch of <= $50K types.

 

July 2 Notebook: Shortstop Update And Venezuelan Prospects To Watch

[TheCrew07]

July 2 Prediction Board 2.0: Top 10 Projected Bonuses And Signing Teams

 

1. Gilbert Lara, ss, Dominican Republic

Lara has a chance to play third base, but most scouts peg him as a future left fielder or first baseman, so he’s going to produce at a level at the plate to have value. Several scouts see him as one of the top offensive weapons for this year, as he takes advantage of being bigger and stronger than the rest of the class with plus raw power that’s usable in game situations, even if he does swing and miss frequently. Sources expect Lara, who trains with Enrique Soto and Jaime Ramos, to sign for more than $3 million.

 

Prediction: BREWERS

[TheCrew07]

Juan De Leon, Bryan Hernandez Bring Wide Range Of Skills For July 2

[TheCrew07]

July 2 Notebook: Garcia, Yankees, Tigers, White Sox, Alfaro, Emery, Pena

June 19, 2014 by Ben Badler

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber... quite a few pitchers discussed but here's the first paragraph on Espinoza

 

Who Is The Best Pitcher On The International Market?

June 23, 2014 by Ben Badler

 

Anderson Espinoza, rhp, Venezuela

 

But the consensus is that the top pitcher on the international amateur market this year is Venezuelan righthander Anderson Espinoza. Like Dominican righty Marcos Diplan, the No. 1 pitcher out of Latin America last year who signed with the Rangers for $1.3 million, Espinoza has an extremely quick arm coming out of what scouts consider a small build at around 6 feet, 180 pounds. The Red Sox, who are planning an aggressive strike on the international market this year and will go well beyond their international bonus pool, are the favorites for both Acosta and Espinoza, with Espinoza’s price tag pushing toward $2 million.

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber Content

 

Ranking The Top Power Hitters For July 2

 

Present raw power is one of the easiest things to see in a player. But in Latin America, things are not always what they seem.

 

Players lie about their ages, with 19-year-olds masquerading as 16-year-olds and passing through Major League Baseball’s investigations. Trainers often double down by pumping them full of steroids, then take them off the juice in enough time for them to pass a drug test upon signing.

 

So scouts have to figure out why a player might have such unusual raw power for his age, then determine whether a player will tap into that power with enough frequency in game situations. Every year in Latin America, there’s no shortage of physical righthanded hitters with big power and questions about whether it will translate against live pitching...

 

2. Gilbert Lara, ss, Dominican Republic

It may sound strange, but for a guy who can hit the ball as far as almost anyone in the class, Gilbert Lara does more to worry scouts than impress them with his BP sessions. A righthanded hitter, Lara can hit towering blasts to his pull side, generating power with ample strength from his physically mature frame (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) and a deep leg kick. There isn’t much ease to the operation with Lara, who takes a max-effort swing with a grip-and-rip approach, wearing out the left field foul line with a dead pull mindset. It’s not a pretty stroke and he does swing through a lot of pitches in games.

 

And yet, somehow, Lara finds a way to hit in games. The power comes with strikeouts, but he’s able to hit the ball with authority in game situations, which he did at the MLB showcase in San Pedro de Macoris in January, going 5-for-6 with a home run, a triple, two walks and one strikeout.

 

“He has an upright, slightly open stance and crunches his hands really close to his back ear,” said a second scout. “Everything he did was effort and ugly. In BP, it’s all pull and he would crush balls. I just had a hard time believing he would make enough contact in games. But then, every time in games, he would square the ball up, even though it’s awkward. He doesn’t look like he should square the ball up as much as he does, but he has hitting ability and tremendous raw power. I don’t think he has the pure hit tool (Dominican shortstop Adrian) Rondon has, but he’s probably one of the top hitters out there, combined with the impressive power.”

 

Lara can’t play shortstop, and while he will get a chance to play third base, several scouts think he’s a future left fielder or first baseman, which will put a lot of pressure on his bat. Lara, who trains with Enrique Soto and Jaime Ramos, shouldn’t have much trouble putting up big numbers in Rookie ball, but his unorthodox style and ability to make adjustments will be tested as he faces better pitching.

 

“When I first saw him in BP, he was hitting balls a mile, but he was just geared up for power,” said a third scout. “From everything I saw in BP, I was like, ‘There’s no way he’s going to be able to do that in a game.’ But he’s been a guy consistently who, maybe not every time, but he’s consistently performed in games. There is swing and miss there, but he does hit, and he hits for power. That’s one thing that’s had him stick out over a lot of these kids. I saw him in quite a few games, and he’s performed in games—and hit home runs.”

[And That]

The narrative of Lara's defense keeps shifting further down the defensive spectrum. By next month he may be a DH.

[SRB]

The narrative of Lara's defense keeps shifting further down the defensive spectrum. By next month he may be a DH.

 

The closer a prospect is linked to the Brewers, the worse his consensus scouting report becomes. It's an immutable law of the universe.

[jjfanec]

The narrative of Lara's defense keeps shifting further down the defensive spectrum. By next month he may be a DH.

 

Probably the same people who said Sergura couldnt play SS