Three top 100 international prospects, De Vries (Padres), Perdomo (Braves), and Cruz (Cubs), have already secured $4 million+ contracts in the early signing flurry.
A Young All-MLB, Rookie of the Year, AL Silver Slugger, Julio Rodriguez. Ranked #10 International Prospect in 2017, seen above catching a pop fly for the Dominican Prospect League in hopes of signing a Major League deal.
As the calendar turned to January 15th, 2024, excitement rippled through the baseball world as the MLB's International Signing Portal swung open its doors. This annual event marks the beginning of a global talent hunt, offering promising young players from outside the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico a chance to pursue their dreams on the grand stage of Major League Baseball.
While the annual MLB Draft focuses on players from North America, the international signing pool represents a vital pathway for diversifying the baseball landscape and attracting a worldwide audience. At 16 years old, these young, raw talents captivate scouts with their potential, leaving teams with the tantalizing prospect of molding them into future superstars.
The sheer volume of newcomers, however, creates an inherent uncertainty. Not every high-ranking prospect will blossom into a household name. Remember Ronald Acuña Jr., arguably baseball's brightest star in 2023? He was merely ranked 35th back in 2017! Rankings, then, serve as educated guesses and only time will tell how these young faces adapt to their new lives and the immense expectations on their shoulders.
The historical impact of this signing period is undeniable. From Shohei Ohtani's electrifying presence to the absolute brilliance of Ronald Acuña Jr. As well as Sandy Alcantara, Juan Soto, Ozzie Albies, and countless others who continue to spark the league- This short window has gifted baseball with some of its most mesmerizing talents. With such a vast wealth of untapped potential available, securing the best prospects early becomes a game of financial chess for MLB clubs.
Based on market trends and team revenue, each organization receives a designated bonus pool to spend on international signings. Unlike the structured order of the conventional draft, the beauty of this system lies in its relative egalitarianism. Regardless of their previous season's performance, all teams have the possibility of unearthing diamonds in the rough.
This financial incentive encourages aggressive spending, as forfeited bonus money gets redistributed among other clubs. Consequently, the portal remains a bustling marketplace until December 15th, with teams scouring the globe for the next big thing.
Naturally, these young athletes deserve to be nurtured with patience. While their talent shines bright, the road to sustained excellence demands careful development. Teams must strike a delicate balance between maximizing their potential and allowing them to blossom organically. As the singing period continues, one thing remains certain: the MLB's International Signing Portal isn't just about acquiring raw talent; it's about cultivating dreams and fostering baseball's future on a global scale.  The ones who come knocking on the door first? They're the ones whispering promises of greatness. So keep your eyes peeled for these players bursting onto the scene - they might just rewrite history.
Here's a breakdown of the bonus pool distribution according to MLB.com:
Tier 1: $7,114,800 - Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals
Tier 2: $6,520,000 - Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins
Tier 3: $5,284,000 - Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox
Tier 4: $5,152,000 - Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs
Tier 5: $4,652,000 - San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees
So far, the early bird has gotten the worm, with three out of the top 100 international prospects already securing contracts exceeding $4 million:
Notable Acquisitions per Team
Arizona Diamondbacks
Modesto Vargas, RHP, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 195 Age: 19
Adriel Radney, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 180 Age: 16
Alfredo Benzan, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: S/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 165 Age: 16
Belfi Rivera, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: L/L Height: 6'0 Weight: 165 Age: 17
Atalanta BravesÂ
Jose Perdomo, SS, Venezuela
Hand: R/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 180 Age: 17
Baltimore OriolesÂ
Yaki Mondesir, RHP, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 205 Age: 17
Emilio Sánchez, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: L/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 160 Age: 16
Elvin Garcia, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: S/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 165 Age: 17
Boston Red SoxÂ
Vladimir Asencio, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: L/L Height: 6'0 Weight: 165 Age: 17
Carlos Carrasquel, 3B, Venezuela
Hand: R/R Height: 6'4 Weight: 195 Age: 17
Chicago CubsÂ
Fernando Cruz, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 155 Age: 17
Chicago White Sox
Eduardo Herrera, 3B, Venezuela
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 160 Age: 17
Cincinnati Reds
Adolfo Sanchez, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 175 Age: 17
Naibel Mariano, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 182 Age: 17
Cleveland Guardians Â
Robert Arias, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: L/L Height: 6'1 Weight: 168 Age: 17
Colorado Rockies
Ashly Andujar, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: S/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 160 Age: 16
Oscar Pujols, RHP, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 155 Age: 17
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Detroit Tigers
Nestor Miranda, 3B, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 225 Age: 17
Jesus Pinto, OF, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 180 Age: 17
Houston AstrosÂ
Cesar Yanquiel Hernandez, OF, Cuba
Hand: L/L Height: 6'0 Weight: 197 Age: 20
Kansas City RoyalsÂ
Yandel Ricardo, SS, Cuba
Hand: S/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 185 Age: 17
Jhonayker Ugarte, SS, Venezuela
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 180 Age: 17
Darison Garcia, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: S/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 165 Age: 16
Los Angeles Angels
Joswa Lugo, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 187 Age: 16
Hayden Alvarez, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 190 Age: 16
Los Angeles Dodgers
Emil Morales, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 180 Age: 17
Rafy Peguero, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'0 Weight: 190 Age: 17
Miami MarlinsÂ
Luis Cova, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 160 Age: 17
Jose Castro, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 180 Age: 16
Jose Paulino, RHP, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 175 Age: 17
Milwaukee Brewers
Jorge Quintana, SS, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: S/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 183 Age: 17
Jesus Made, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: S/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 187 Age: 16
Luis Peña, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 185 Age: 17
Minnesota TwinsÂ
Daiber de los Santos, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 160 Age: 17
Eduardo Beltre, OF, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 175 Age: 17
New York Mets
Yovanny Rodriguez, C, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'0 Weight: 175 Age: 17
Edward Lantigua, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 174 Age: 17
New York Yankees
Francisco Vilorio, OF, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'4 Weight: 212 Age: 17
Richard Matic, 3B, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'0 Weight: 200 Age: 16
Dexter Peralta, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: S/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 170 Age: 16
Oakland Athletics
Edgar Montero, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 190 Age: 17
Jose Ramos, OF, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: L/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 160 Age: 17
Philadelphia PhilliesÂ
Jalvin Arias, OF, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 230 Age: 17
Cesar Mujica, C, Venezuela
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 199 Age: 16
Julio Polanco Jr., RHP, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 222 Age:
Anderson Navas, C, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 176 Age: 16
Pittsburg Pirates
Bralyn Brazoban, OF, Dominican Republic
Hand: L/L Height: 6'1 Weight: 180 Age: 17
Adbiel Feliz, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: S/R Height: 6'0 Weight: 175 Age: 16
San Diego Padres
Leodalis De Vries, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: S/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 183 Age: 17
Humberto Cruz, RHP, MexicoÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 190 Age: 17
St. Louis Cardinals
Branneli Franco, RHP, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 187 Age: 16
Yairo Padilla, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: Height: Weight: Age:
San Fransisco Giants
Yohendry Sanchez, C, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'0 Weight: 207 Age: 17
Jhonny Level, SS, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: S/R Height: 5'10 Weight: 154 Age: 16
Seattle Mariners
Dawel Joseph, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 185 Age: 16
Leandro Romero, SS, Dominican Republic
Hand: R/R Height: 6'1 Weight: 170 Age: 17
Tampa Bay Rays
Leonardo Pineda, OF, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 185 Age: 16
Angel Brachi, SS, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 5'10 Weight: 165 Age: 16
Texas Rangers
Paulino Santana, OF, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'2 Weight: 180 Age: 17
Curley Martha, SS, CuracaoÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 165 Age: 17
Toronto Blue Jays
Franklin Rojas, C, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 5'10 Weight: 176 Age: 16
Junior Arias, OF, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'4 Weight: 180 Age: 17
Pascual Archila, OF, VenezuelaÂ
Hand: L/L Height: 5/10 Weight: 172 Age: 17
Angel Guzman, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: S/R Height: 5'11 Weight: 160 Age: 17
Washington Nationals
Victor Hurtado, OF, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: L/L Height: 6'3 Weight: 175 Age: 16
Angel Feliz, SS, Dominican RepublicÂ
Hand: R/R Height: 6'3 Weight: 185 Age: 17
Forget the draft day drama – the International Signing Portal is where the real action is! This is where baseball sheds its nationalistic skin and embraces the global tapestry of talent. Every day, new names emerge from baseball hotbeds like the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Cuba, each carrying the hopes and dreams of their communities. The anticipation is palpable, a constant hum in the baseball world as fans, scouts, and analysts wait to see who will be the next breakout star. So, grab your popcorn and settle in, because the international signing period is a show you won't want to miss!
