The biggest prospect news this week was the opening of the international signing period on July 2nd and the announcement that the Rockies had signed Pedro Gonzalez, one of the top shortstop prospects available on the market. This week is the first chance for major league teams to sign international players who are not eligible for the MLB draft. Typically players are chosen from locales such as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and some asian countries.
The rules of the collective bargaining agreement limit how much teams can spend on international signing bonuses. The Rockies were given the eighth highest pool, based on their record last season, of $3,026,700 to spend in 2014. It should be noted that teams can trade for more, and there are other rules governing the signing period. I suggest reading the Baseball America primer by Ben Badler for more information on the topic.
Pedro Gonzalez is a tall, lanky shortstop who has been compared to Rockies Future's Game representative Rosell Herrera. Gonzalez stands at 6-foot-4, 160 lbs with a frame suited to put on more muscle, and it's believed that he still has room to grow. Gonzalez signed for $1,300,000 with an additional $100,000 to be used as a scholarship for college.
Pedro Gonzalez signs his $1.3 million contract with the Rockies. His hands are the size of the paper! pic.twitter.com/O0CUDP2Ddi
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) July 2, 2014
Ben Badler of Baseball America ranked Gonzalez as the No. 12 overall prospect and had this to say about the 17-year-old.
"Gonzalez is the most fascinating player in the class, combining tantalizing upside with a unique frame and skill set that makes him one of the most difficult players to peg. Gonzalez could go many different ways depending on what happens with his extremely long, skinny build. He has a narrow frame, a high waist, huge hands and feet. He looks like he has room to add at least 50 pounds, which would dramatically transform his projection, but it's difficult for scouts to determine how much weight and strength he's going to gain."
In addition to Gonzalez the Rockies also signed shortstop Yeremy Rosario, considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the class. Rosario was ranked No. 22 among international prospects by MLB.com and signed for a reported $800,000.
Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com had this to say about Yeremy Rosario.
"Rosario could be the best shortstop available in this year's class because of his talents on defense. He's also viewed as a plus runner with a loose swing. Rosario has the ability to become a decent hitter in the future, using a middle- to opposite-field approach at the plate."
The Rockies still have about $800,000 to spend on the international market, and many of the best players chosen from this method are signed for less than $100,000. Colorado has enjoyed a lot of success in pursuing players in this fashion, Jhoulys Chacin, Wilin Rosario are two examples of current Rockies on the 40-man roster who were signed in this manner. Prospects such as Rosell Herrera, Raimel Tapia and Hamlet Marte were also brought into the organization through the international signing period. So watch for the Rockies to continue to be an aggressive presence Internationally.
Top players for the month of June
Top power hitters (filtered by HR's)
Name |
Age |
Tm |
BA |
2B |
3B |
HR ▾ |
Ryan Casteel |
23 |
TUL |
0.29 |
7 |
1 |
7 |
Taylor Featherston |
24.67 |
TUL |
0.294 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
Angelys Nina |
25.58 |
COL |
0.257 |
9 |
0 |
4 |
Will Swanner |
22.75 |
MOD |
0.277 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
Ben Paulsen |
26.67 |
COL |
0.308 |
8 |
1 |
4 |
Jordan Patterson |
22.33 |
ASH |
0.407 |
11 |
0 |
4 |
Top hitters (filtered by OPS)
Name |
Age |
Tm |
PA |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
K |
SB |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
OPS ▾ |
Renaldo Jenkins |
21.3 |
GJ |
40 |
36 |
9 |
16 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
0.444 |
0.487 |
0.694 |
1.181 |
Jordan Patterson |
22.3 |
ASH |
106 |
91 |
20 |
37 |
11 |
0 |
4 |
21 |
11 |
20 |
6 |
0.407 |
0.472 |
0.659 |
1.131 |
Trevor Story |
21.6 |
3 Tms |
58 |
43 |
10 |
13 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
13 |
14 |
2 |
0.302 |
0.483 |
0.628 |
1.111 |
Ashley Graeter |
24.7 |
ASH |
22 |
19 |
5 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
0.421 |
0.476 |
0.579 |
1.055 |
Randy Reyes |
21.8 |
GJ |
25 |
24 |
6 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
8 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
0.333 |
0.320 |
0.708 |
1.028 |
David Bergin |
24.8 |
2 Tms |
51 |
44 |
6 |
15 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
12 |
5 |
10 |
1 |
0.341 |
0.412 |
0.614 |
1.026 |
Troy Stein |
22.2 |
GJ |
22 |
20 |
7 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
0.350 |
0.409 |
0.600 |
1.009 |
Jayson Langfels |
25.8 |
TUL |
74 |
63 |
12 |
24 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
10 |
7 |
13 |
4 |
0.381 |
0.446 |
0.508 |
0.954 |
Raimel Tapia |
20.3 |
ASH |
111 |
97 |
21 |
37 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
15 |
7 |
20 |
11 |
0.381 |
0.440 |
0.505 |
0.945 |
Ben Paulsen |
26.7 |
COL |
125 |
104 |
19 |
32 |
8 |
1 |
4 |
23 |
19 |
24 |
1 |
0.308 |
0.416 |
0.519 |
0.935 |
Jordan Ribera |
25.5 |
MOD |
68 |
60 |
9 |
20 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
16 |
8 |
15 |
0 |
0.333 |
0.412 |
0.517 |
0.929 |
Taylor Featherston |
24.7 |
TUL |
113 |
102 |
19 |
30 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
9 |
26 |
2 |
0.294 |
0.357 |
0.569 |
0.926 |
Ryan Casteel |
23.0 |
TUL |
107 |
100 |
17 |
29 |
7 |
1 |
7 |
18 |
5 |
22 |
0 |
0.290 |
0.336 |
0.590 |
0.926 |
Henry Garcia |
20.8 |
GJ |
30 |
27 |
6 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0.370 |
0.433 |
0.481 |
0.914 |
Top pitchers (filtered by ERA)
Name |
Age |
Tm |
W |
L |
Sv |
BF |
IP |
G |
ERA ▴ |
H |
R |
ER |
HR |
BB |
IBB |
K |
HBP |
2B |
3B |
Helmis Rodriguez |
20.0 |
TRI |
2 |
1 |
0 |
91 |
23 |
4 |
1.17 |
21 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Hector Villarroel |
18.8 |
DSL ROCK |
1 |
0 |
0 |
92 |
23.2 |
5 |
1.52 |
11 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
21 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
Daniel Winkler |
24.3 |
TUL |
0 |
0 |
0 |
34 |
9.1 |
2 |
1.93 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Juan Pena |
18.8 |
DSL ROCK |
1 |
1 |
0 |
94 |
24.1 |
5 |
2.22 |
19 |
8 |
6 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
22 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
Zach Jemiola |
20.2 |
ASH |
1 |
2 |
0 |
128 |
31.2 |
5 |
2.27 |
26 |
10 |
8 |
5 |
10 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
Jorge Oviedo |
17.7 |
DSL ROCK |
1 |
1 |
0 |
105 |
25.2 |
5 |
2.45 |
22 |
10 |
7 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
21 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
Tyler Anderson |
24.5 |
TUL |
0 |
1 |
0 |
97 |
24.1 |
5 |
2.59 |
20 |
8 |
7 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
Ryan Warner |
20.4 |
TRI |
1 |
0 |
0 |
69 |
17 |
3 |
2.65 |
12 |
7 |
5 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
12 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
Konner Wade |
22.5 |
ASH |
2 |
2 |
0 |
135 |
33 |
5 |
3 |
33 |
13 |
11 |
3 |
9 |
0 |
10 |
1 |
8 |
0 |
Jon Gray |
22.6 |
TUL |
2 |
0 |
0 |
105 |
25.1 |
5 |
3.55 |
21 |
10 |
10 |
2 |
12 |
0 |
27 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
Alex Balog |
21.9 |
ASH |
2 |
0 |
0 |
136 |
32.1 |
5 |
3.62 |
32 |
13 |
13 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
23 |
3 |
6 |
0 |
Erick Julio |
17.8 |
DSL ROCK |
0 |
1 |
0 |
78 |
19.2 |
4 |
3.66 |
15 |
9 |
8 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
13 |
2 |
7 |
0 |
Stats by Minorleaguecentral.com
Top prospect videos
Tyler Anderson demonstrates how there's still pitching talent left in Tulsa.
Ryan Casteel takes advantage of the short porch in right for one of his seven home runs in June.
Goodbye Harold Riggins. I'll always remember the home run you hit off the movie theater in Spring Training, and the one you hit off the highway in Orem, and the one you hit off the aircraft carrier in Charleston.
Trevor Story slugged his way to Double-A Tulsa in June.
The 18-year-old Terry McClure is showing promise in his second season as a Grand Junction Rockie.