MLB Top Prospects: A big international signing bonus doesn’t always lead to top prospects
Made it!
In the 2017 All-Star game, 71 players were on the roster. 17 of them were Latin signees. Let’s take a look at the break down of those 17 players.
Only two of those players were 7-figure bonus players, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez ($1.5M) and Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano ($3.125M). For how much of an outlier Sano’s bonus is among the 2017 Latin All-Stars, you could combine the bonuses of all the Latin All-Stars who signed for less than 7 figures and still have $800,000 to spend to equal Sano’s bonus.
On the lowest end is now-Atlanta Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte. I cannot honestly find sure numbers on his bonus, but the most reputable numbers had between $5,000-$10,000, signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks originally out of Venezuela. The Braves certainly feel he’s worth much more, having signed him to a 5-year, $30.5M+ contract in December of 2016.
Two team leaders from the American League West share the title of the lowest confirmed signing bonus at $15K. Jose Altuve is the defending American League Most Valuable Player on the defending World Series champion and just signed a $150M extension, so he’s come a long way from his modest signing bonus. Seattle Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz has had a more well-traveled path around the major leagues, but he fell one home run short in 2017 of his 4th straight 40 home run season as he enjoys a mid-30s career renaissance, up to 323 career home runs now without having a full season of plate appearances until he was 28 years old.
Other notable 2017 All-Stars who were signed for less than six figures: Starlin Castro ($50K), Marcell Ozuna ($50K), Jose Ramirez ($50K), Salvador Perez ($65K), Kenley Jansen ($80K), and Jonathan Schoop ($90K). Star Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano received exactly a $100K bonus when he originally signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2001.
The idea of fitting the rest of the All-Stars in to Sano’s bonus was intriguing to me, so I thought I would do something similar with this year’s top 150. Take a look next…
Next: A thought experiment