Photo courtesy Baltimore Orioles
The international signing period begins on January 15th, and reports indicate that the Orioles will announce agreements with two high-profile players.
The Orioles are expected to sign outfielder Braylin Tavera, a 16-year-old right-handed hitting centerfielder from the Dominican Republic, for a bonus of between $1.5-$2 million, according to Baseball America, which ranks Tavera 18th in their top 50. MLB.com reports that the Orioles are also the favorites to sign 22-year-old Cuban infielder César Prieto for a bonus of between $650,000 and $750,000.
The Orioles have been making steady progress in the international market. When general manager Mike Elias and Koby Perez, the team’s head of international scouting, joined the team just over three years ago, the Orioles had a weak presence in Latin America. In their third signing period, they’re likely to land their biggest name yet.
But there’s still a long way to go. Tavera is the only one of the top 50 Baseball America prospects committed to the Orioles. Perez says that teenagers commit to major league teams sometimes two or three years in advance, and since the Orioles had such a small presence in Latin America, it’s taken a while to establish themselves. The Orioles have started construction on a new complex in the Dominican Republic, and that should help.
In Perez’s first signing period in July 2019, the Orioles signed 27 players but not a big name. Last year, they signed 17 players. Two of them, Dominican catcher Samuel Basallo and Venezuelan infielder Maikol Hernández, signed for bonuses of over $1 million. Basallo, who is 17, hit .239 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 41 games in the Dominican Summer League while Hernández, who turned 18 in October, hit .231 with 15 RBIs in 40 games.
Some of the players signed in 2019 advanced to the Florida Complex League and could advance to higher affiliates this year.
The Orioles are hoping that Tavera’s signing will attract more prospects a year from now. His bonus is about what a player picked as a mid-to-high second-rounder in the July 2021 draft would sign for.
Prieto, who has played second base and shortstop, has a .370 average in 157 games for Cienfuegos in the past three seasons with 11 home runs and 93 RBIs. His reported bonus is equivalent to a player selected in the middle of the third round.
While Elias’ predecessor, Dan Duquette, was not allowed to sign big-ticket prospects from Latin America, the Orioles did sign some Cubans in the last decade. Three of them, outfielders Henry Urrutia and Dariel Alvarez and pitcher Ariel Miranda, signed with the team and briefly played in the majors.
Urrutia signed in July 2012 for a $778,500 bonus and played 34 games in 2013 and 2015, hitting .272 with a home run and eight RBIs. Alvarez, who signed for $800,000 a year after Urrutia, hit .250 with a home run in 14 games in 2015 and 2016.
Miranda pitched in just one game for the Orioles in 2016, a year after he signed, and was traded to Seattle for Wade Miley. He’s found success in South Korea, where he won the Most Valuable Player Award last season and signed for $1.9 million for 2022.
Labor update: Spring training is scheduled to begin on February 15th. However, there must be a new Collective Bargaining Agreement before then.
Since the lockout was imposed on December 2nd, there have been no substantive talks between the players and Major League Baseball. Reportedly the owners are preparing new proposals.
It’s not a surprise that there haven’t been any talks, but if both sides want a spring training that begins on time, there must be some soon, and a settlement needs to occur sometime around February 1st.
Hall of Fame voting: Ballots for Hall of Fame voting were due on December 31st. As of Sunday, Ryan Thibodeaux (@NotMrTibbs), who compiles a list of public ballots, had 146 of the estimated 392 cast.
Voters, who have been members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for at least 10 years, are not required to make their ballots public.
Three players — David Ortiz (83.6 percent), Barry Bonds (80.8) and Roger Clemens (79.5) — are above the 75 percent needed for election. Ortiz is in his first year of eligibility. Bonds and Clemens are in their last.
In recent years, Bonds and Clemens have polled higher in the public ballots than among the electorate as a whole.
Scott Rolen, in his fifth year has 71.2 percent.
Two other polarizing candidates, Curt Schilling (58.2) and Alex Rodriguez (44.5), don’t appear close to election.
Results will be announced on January 25th.
Call for questions: I’ll be answering Orioles questions later this week. Please leave yours in the comment box or email them to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.
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The strategies behind the Orioles player development approach seem to be misguided IMMHO. The current Orioles front office appears to have average scouting and evaluation skills, with better success drafting hitters than drafting pitchers, or waiver acquisitions/free agent signings of either pitchers or hitters, or retention of either pitchers or hitters (see Mike Yaz, Pop, etc). I think some are better assistants than leads and firmly believe ME was a better assistant GM than he has been a lead GM for the O's. Cat Approved Comment (CAC). FEN(TM).
“See Mike Yaz, Pop, etc”. I just did. One guy hit .224 last year and the other was 0-1. Please try harder to convince me.
Ahhh bless your heart!
Let's see, Yaz had a 106 OPS+ and 2.5 WAR in 2021. Batting average doesn't have a very strong correlation to wins Nellie. Orioles had two position players with WAR > 2.5 in 2021, Mullins at 5.7 and Hays at 3.1.
ME kept soft tossing, 36 yo Cesar Valdez on the 40 man roster and left Pop unprotected for the 2020 rule 5 draft - if you think that was a good decision, then ME is the GM for you Nellie.
Bless your lil "try harder" heart! You didn't try very hard to look into these players now did you?
YAZ is HOF compared to the guy they decided to keep instead of him (Rickard!)
Tavera looks to be a stud. Prieto seems to have a real good approach at the plate. I saw where normally he’d sign for like two million but because of when he defected from Cuba a lot of teams already had money allocated. He seems like he could move fast once he gets acclimated. Kinda looks like moncada from the white Sox.
Well if million dollar signees Basallo and Maikol Hernández are any indication, we O's fans are due to be very disappointed with Tavera and Prieto as well.
Basallo 2021 .239/.338/.410/.748 at DSL 1
Maikol Hernandez 2021 .231/.340/.308/.647 at DSL
Basallo fielding % was between 97% and 98% at C and 1B
Hernandez .935 at SS
Keep believing and taking the bait...
You realize those kids are like seventeen. The Dominican summer league is called the tricky league for a reason. Badler of baseball America loves our international signings.
I believe the Os have been linked to signing Leandro Arias (SS) as well, another top 50 international prospect, Prieto sounds intriguing. Already 22, he could move fast through the organization. Hopefully he hits as well in MLB as he has in Cuba.
Arias was in MLB.com’s top 50, but not in Baseball America’s.
MLB has a love affair with players from Cuba, I would like to see some #’s showing those that succeed vs those who do not…go O’s…
Players from Cuba have been attractive because they’re older and more experienced at a higher level than those from the Dominican and Venezuela.
There are a number of excellent players from Cuba in the majors: Jose Abreu, Luis Robert, Randy Arozarena, Yuli and Lourdes Gurriel, Aroldis Chapman, Yordan Alvarez and Raisel Iglesias.
Some signings from Cuba haven’t worked out well, particularly Rusney Castillo, who signed a seven-year, $72.5 million contract with the Red Sox and played just 99 games with them.
Yusniel Diaz’s $15.5 million signing with the Dodgers hasn’t yet worked out.
Those large contracts won’t now happen because of the international signing rules, limiting each team’s pool.
Not arguing a few are worth it, Diaz is a perfect example of a wth moment…go O’s…
It is good that the Orioles are getting into a position to sign some of the more higher potential prospects in the International market. Seems that Koby Perez is knowledgeable and respected down there.
Some observations so far;
- still no pitching... we see it, we guess what "the plan" may be or is.. For all I know, Elias may have a Master Plan that is better than the other 29 GMs... sort of like the old joke about two Irishmen walking out of a Bar at the same time....It could happen.
- MLB seems to be very very tone deaf about any concerns about a Fan Backlash. Manfred and the Owners damn-well better be careful here...if Spring Training gets pushed way back and the Season doesn't start on time they are risking doing even more severe and permanent harm to the viability of the game. They are trending more towards the NBA and NFL in terms of fan interest and relevancy than the NFL as things are going. Am dumbfounded that they are allowing this fool Manfred to be their leader. It's almost like they're saying we don't care about the fans and viability of the game. Living in a make-believe dreamworld bubble is very dangerous.
- that they are signing one player out of the top-rated 50 prospects says a lot about how far they still have to go to play w the big dogs in that market
- it is discouraging to see some really good fans seemingly getting ready to turn away from the Orioles--this is what happens when you neglectfully wait way too long to make the necessary changes needed in approach
It's a dreary and very cold morning here in South Baltimore, maybe I should just go back to bed...
I wish I could argue & disagree with anything you said BC, unfortunately I agree with you entirely…sad state of baseball…go O’s…
No pitching? I beg your pardon!
John Means
Prospects on 40 man roster: Baumann, Bautista, Bradish, Gillaspie, DL Hall, Kremer (one more look), K Smith, B Zimmermann
AAA: Vespi
AA: G Rodriguez, Brnovich, Rom, Ryan Wilson
A+: Denoyer, Lucas, Perkins, Stauffer, R Watson, Young
A: Pinto, G Vasquez
FCL: H Lopez, R. Rangel
DSL: Cesar Alvarez, Hugo Beltran, Morillo, Pierret
Disclaimer: listing of Orioles pitching prospects should in no way be interpreted as approval of Orioles front office development skills. FEN! Yesterday would not have been soon enough...
I’m not in favor of Bonds or Clemens making it into the Hall. If they do then Pete Rose should get in. They all cheated the game and lied about it, and Rose has paid a much steeper penalty than either Bonds or Clemens who made lots more $$ in their careers. Let’s make this easy and keep them all out.
The signing of Tavera and impending Prieto signing are all good news. This organization was floundering but the International Market is the ticket out of the doldrums. Elias finally earning his keep. Rich you say Prieto is 22 and just read an article where he's 21. Gotta love those Cubans. Btw did we ever find out how old Miguel Tijada really was? The hell with it---put Papi,Bonds,Clemens,ARod all in the HOF. Damn the 'roids full speed ahead. It's 2022 where everything bad is good.
Al, Baseballreference.com lists his date of birth as May 10, 1999.
With the new radio contract going to WBAL, will there be any changes in the on air talent?
Question for the mailbag, Rich: What is the situation for scouting, recruiting, etc., Cuban players? Do they have to defect first? Is there an underground railroad? Or is the Cuban government now somewhat cooperative, presumably for a fee? Optional question: Do any Americans (USA) go to play in Cuba?