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MLB Top Prospects: A big international signing bonus doesn’t always lead to top prospects

By Benjamin Chase

MIAMI, FL - JULY 9: Members of the World Team are seen on the base path during player introductions prior to the SirusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - JULY 9: Members of the World Team are seen on the base path during player introductions prior to the SirusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on Sunday, July 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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Bargain bin signees

While the stories that many have heard on prospects this winter during prospect season are how top prospects Ronald Acuna and Victor Robles, both consensus top 5 guys, took home less than $250K in signing bonus at signing, there are guys who took home less than six figures and ended up on the top 150 list. In fact, 7 of the top 150 received bonuses of less then $100,000.

There are two players who actually end up without a number. In spite of an exhaustive search, I cannot find a definitive number that Hector Perez of the Astros received in 2014 when he signed from the Dominican Republic. I reached out to a couple of scout friends who believed that he was in the $10-15 thousand range, but none could verify that for me 100%.

The one player who could be up in the majors in 2018 and may be the best deal in minor league baseball right now is infielder Luis Urias of the San Diego Padres. He did not receive a signing bonus all his own as his contract was simply purchased from his team in Mexico. Urias reportedly did not receive an individual financial bonus, though his team lavished him with departing gifts as he entered the Padres system.

In pure money, the cheapest sign was #128 on the list, towering 6’8″ right-hander Domingo Acevedo, who signed for $7,500. Fellow Yankees prospect (and fellow towering righty at 6’8″, though built VERY differently) Freicer Perez comes in with the next-lowest number on the top 100 list with a $10K bonus.

The next three players are all Phillies live arms, creating something of a reputation for developing loose-armed, high-velocity Latin arms into excellent young pitchers. While Franklyn Kilome (#125, $40K bonus) and Adonis Medina (#102, $70K) are near the bottom of the top 150, Sixto Sanchez (#14, $35K) is considered when discussing the top pitching prospect in all the game, and is among the consensus top 25 prospects in the game.

Seeing how many lower-priced players make the list does raise the question of what the best big league players earned when they signed? Let’s use this past year’s All-Star game as a proxy…

Next: Current MLB Bargains

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