The Seattle Mariners have announced they have signed five players on the first day of the international signing period.
The signings come after years of scouting, following and work by director of international scouting Frankie Thon Jr. and his staff to come to the agreements with the players.
“It’s always a fun and proud time for our Mariners scouting staff, to get to this International Signing Day and witness the fruit of everyone’s collective efforts,” Thon Jr. said in a press release. “More importantly, these players – along with their families – get to achieve a life-long dream, while also taking their first step into professional baseball. It’s a special day for all involved.”
Here’s a look at each player, with information and insight by Thon from the press release:
• Rijo, 17, ranks as the 12th-best prospect in the class by MLB.com, and has agreed to a $2.2 million contract, according to Baseball America. Scouts have noted an advanced hitting approach with the 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed hitter grading a 60 for both hitting and power on the 20-80 scouting scale.
“We consider Rijo to be a uniquely advanced player,” Thon said. “He’s got a very well-rounded skillset with a chance to be solid-to-above average in every single facet of the game. It’s a mature, polished approach at the plate with a simple adjustable swing that we believe will lead to plenty of hard contact and high on-base skills. Off the field, his work ethic is off the charts and his baseball acumen always shines through. We foresee big things for Rijo and are thrilled to be adding him to our minor league talent pool.”
F Juan Rijo
• OF Gregory Pio
• INF Leonardo Reynoso
• OF Jarvis Gomez
• Pio, who Baseball America reports signed for $2.9 million, is just 16 at the time of signing. The 5-11, 170-pound right-handed hitter has been noticed in particular for his athleticism.
“Pio is a lean, projectable, exciting athlete,” Thon said . “There’s no denying the upside associated with his tools. The speed, defense and raw strength all have a chance to eventually be above-average. Defensively, he’s a slam dunk center fielder and we’re excited to see how the rest of his game develops in the next few years.”
• Reynoso, 17, ranked 48th on MLB.com’s list, and gives the Mariners a lot to work with as a switch-hitting middle infielder who some project to have 20-25 home run capability.
“He’s got a sweet swing from the left-hand side, geared for using the whole field and hitting for average,” Thon said. “Defensively, he projects to be more of a third baseman with a plus arm. Reynoso has extensive international tournament experience and has performed very well at the plate.”
• Gomez, 17, is a 6-foot right-handed-hitting outfielder with an impressive combination of speed, power and arm strength. Gomez is a top of the scale athlete who possesses high upside tools.
• Recio, 17, is a 6-foot-1 right-handed-hitting muscular outfielder whose calling card is the raw strength in his game. It’s well above-average power with plenty of loft and leverage in his swing.
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