Written by Greg Fertel
|
07 February 2008
While it is the offseason here in America, there is baseball going on year-round in Latin America, and major league scouts are zeroing in on the latest teenage bonus babies with unlimited ceilings and usually unrefined skills. Chris Kline of BA, who has recently been hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an area scout, has some information on some young players to watch out for on July 2. While down in Latin America to cover the Caribbean Series, he is also getting a chance to check out the showcases for young prospects. I advise you to check out the BA prospects blog
here, as Kline has a lot of great information.
One of the most intriguing players, according to Kline, is 6'7" Dominican right Micheal Inoa, who at 16 is reportedly sitting at 91-92 with his fastball, touching 94, and showing an inconsistent curveball and a splitter. He seems to be fairly raw right now, as most 16 year-olds are, but I imagine with his size and velocity he will be a big-money signing.
Another top talent is toolsy Venezuelan outfielder Yorman Rodriguez, who reportedly grades out at 70 from scouts in both his power and his speed. Kline's sources believe that Rodriguez may receive the highest bonus ever for a Venezuelan player. To put that in perspective, Venezuelan
Jesus Montero received a 1.6 million dollar bonus from the Yankees, so it seems they are possibly expecting a bonus of 2 million or more for Rodriguez.
Kline lists several more names on the prospects blog that sound intriguing, and I encourage you to go visit the blog and browse around. I have no idea if the Yankees are connected to either of these prospects, though I'm sure if they are legitimate talents the Yanks will definitely be in the running. While none of these kids will be signing for almost 5 months, this gives us something to get excited about until pitchers and catchers start in about 2 weeks.
In other news, the Yankees have apparently signed 4 IFA pitchers from Mexico. I don't really have any info on them other than what I have read on
nyyfans, but they apparently range in age from 16-25, and the 16 year-old supposedly sits 89-91 with a "plus-plus" curveball. This was reported on Pinstripes Plus, but as I am not a subscriber, I do not have access to the information.
