The Royals aren't really expected to make a big splash in the international market today. They've generally found some good players there and have turned some low bonus lottery tickets and had them come up winners. Yordano Ventura and Kelvin Herrera were real small bonus (I believe Ventura was $28,000).
Ventura wasn't much of a prospect at all when he was signed, but suddenly grew a bit and picked up major velocity.
Sal Perez received a $65,000 bonus, and gave that away to his mother so she could buy a house. I think it's not too big of a stretch to say that Perez is one of the best international signees of the past few years at least, and much like Ventura, Perez went from really a flier bonus to a legit MLB player. Perez has already been worth 10 wins by the age of 24.
One thing that perhaps is keeping the Royals, and most other teams, off the board today will be the Yankees. They plan to completely blow away the signing bonus pool allotment and pick up several of the Top-10 players on the market. If they do exceed their pool allotment they will be penalized by taxation on the overage plus not being able to sign anybody next year for more than $250,000.
That penalty isn't as harsh as perhaps the Rule 4 draft pool excess penalty, but to me it's in a similar vein. With the Rule 4 penalty you still face the tax but you could potentially lose two straight first round picks. With the international amateur you still have the tax, but can't sign anybody for more than $250,000. In the grand scheme of things a $250K cap is almost like losing a first round pick. That's only with a 15%+ overspending. Teams can still spend up to 15% of the overage, face a corresponding tax, but the contract max is $500,000.
The Rays decided to overspend their pool in 2012 by more than 15% and couldn't sign anybody for more than $250,000 last year.
The strategy for the Yankees could be on a couple different pages. Maybe they are going to destroy their pool because they think there is going to be an international draft next year. The MLB came close to implementing a draft last year. They would need to notify the MLBPA by June 1 if they chose to enact one. Most international talent is opposed to a draft and current MLB players that were international signers have even begun a petition to prevent it.
The other strategy is maybe the Yankees don't think the talent pool next year is as good as this years. It's really hard to project 15-16 year olds, but there is certainly some talent in this class.
The Royals are really only attached to one player this year heavily.
Ricky Aracena is small and swift shortstop who scouts could see as a middle infielder who could hit for a solid average at the top of a lineup. Ben Badler had noted that scouts said the same thing about Rafael Furcal, and coincidentally the scouts who signed Rafael Furcal are now working for the Royals organization.
Aracena has the potential to be a fan favorite for his small stature, big tools and advanced game performance. It takes a lot of scouts to talk up a prospect who's 5-foot-7 (and that might be generous), but teams consistently say he has one of the best combinations of tools and skills in the class, with his lack of size the main drawback.
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The Royals have been loosely linked to Jose Marquez, another middle infielder with plus speed and good power.
2014 Int'l Bonus Pools
1. Astros: $5,015,400
2. Marlins: $4,622,400
3. White Sox: $4,273,200
4. Cubs: $3,962,700
5. Twins: $3,686,600
6. Mariners: $3,440,700
7. Phillies: $3,221,800
8. Rockies: $3,026,700
9. Blue Jays: $2,852,900
10. Mets: $2,697,800
11. Brewers: $2,611,800
12. Padres: $2,531,200
13. Giants: $2,455,300
14. Angels: $2,383,700
15. D'backs: $2,316,600
16. Orioles: $2,253,100
17. Yankees: $2,193,100
18. Royals: $2,136,800
19. Nationals: $2,083,600
20. Reds: $2,033,400
21. Rangers: $2,015,500
22. Rays: $1,998,100
23. Indians: $1,980,700
24. Dodgers: $1,963,800
25. Tigers: $1,946,900
26. Pirates: $1,930,400
27. Athletics: $1,913,900
28. Braves: $1,897,900
29. Red Sox: $1,881,700
30. Cardinals: $1,866,300
The Royals have the 18th biggest pool allotment.
Feel free to post any signees you hear about here and I'll try to update it throughout the day.
Kiley McDaniel has ranked his Top-20 International Prospect:
1. Gilbert Lara, 3B, Dominican Republic
Projection: Brewers, $3.2 million2. Adrian Rondon, SS, Dominican Republic
Projection: Rays, $3.1 million3. Dermis Garcia, 3B, Dominican Republic
Projection: Yankees, $3.0 million4. Nelson Gomez, 3B, Dominican Republic
Projection: Yankees, $2.8 million5. Brayan Hernandez, CF, Venezuela
Projection: Mariners, $2.2 million6. Bryan Emery, RF, Colombia
Projection: Padres, $2.1 million7. Anderson Espinoza, RHP, Venezuela
Projection: Red Sox, $2.0 million8. Juan De Leon, CF, Dominican Republic
Projection: Yankees, $2.0 million9. Jonathan Amundaray, RF, Venezuela
Projection: Yankees, $1.5 million10. Pedro Gonzalez, 3B, Dominican Republic
Projection: Rockies, $1.4 million11. Juan Meza, RHP, Venezuela
Projection: Blue Jays, $1.4 million12. Chris Acosta, RHP, Dominican Republic
Projection: Red Sox, $1.3 million13. Hyo-Joon Park, SS, South Korea
Projection: Yankees, $1.25 million14. Ricky Aracena, SS, Dominican Republic
Projection: Royals, $1.2 million15. Antonio Arias, CF, Dominican Republic
Projection: Rockies, $1.2 million16. Huascar Ynoa, RHP, Dominican Republic
Projection: Padres, $1.1 millionProjection: Yankees, $1.0 million
18. Miguelangel Sierra, SS, Venezuela
Projection: Astros, $1.0 million19. Wilkerman Garcia, SS, Venezuela
Projection: Yankees, $1.0 million20. Franklin Perez, RHP, Venezuela
Projection: Astros, $1.0 million