Orioles Ink A Pair of International Prospects; Diaz and Reyes

The Orioles have some of the best young pitching in baseball. Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Eduardo Rodriguez, all feature number one or number two potential and stand on the threshold of the majors. Right hander Hunter Harvey is only 19 and still a couple years behind, but depending on the development of his changeup, he could match the talent of anyone on that list. Where they have surplus in pitching, however, they lack in hitting. Jonathan Schoop is their top hitting prospect, but over the last couple years, his stock has fallen with his stats.

With that in mind, Baltimore went out yesterday and signed a pair of high-profile amateur free agent hitters in Jomar Reyes and Carlos Diaz.

Reyes, 16, is an imposing 6’4 225 pound third baseman from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. According to Mike Firiera, the Oriole’s Executive Director of international recruiting, he is an exceptional hitter with a high power potential, an unsurprising fact considering his size.

[His] bat control is excellent for a 6-foot-4 player,” Feriera has stated of Reyes,  “Right now, he’s going to stay at third base. He has shown exceptional gap power, basically to all fields.”

Ferierra seems particularly enamored with his glove, comparing him to forming Gold Glove winning third baseman Clete Boyer.

Diaz, 17, who was actually purchased from Mexico City, is a bit smaller at 6’2 200 lb first baseman, who impressed Feriera primarily with his bat.

“Diaz puts on quite a show in any kind of batting practice and then he puts it in game situations. He’s not just a workout player,” the Orioles director noted, going on to praise his work in the field as well, “He’s got good actions around the first-base bag. He’s a legitimate first baseman.” “The kid has a high ceiling.” he concluded.

Orioles GM Dan Duquette was evidently equally enamored with the pair of teenagers.

“I think Fred has hit on two potential everyday Major League players who can hit in the middle of the lineup,” he informed reporters via conference call “We’ve been developing pitching through the Minor League system, and these are two signings of two top quality position-player prospects to add to the position-player depth of our Minor League system.”

Baltimore sun beat reporter Dan Connelly reported that both players received rather high bonuses.

Diaz and Reyes will report to the Orioles’ Gulf Coast League Affiliate