What used to be July 2 international amateur signing day is now the January 15 international amateur signing day, and the Dodgers landed some new prospects.
Every team has their designated bonus pools with which they can ink talented kids from all across the globe who might some day become a Teoscar Hernandez, an Andy Pages, a Brusdar Graterol, etc. This year, the Dodgers have $6.679M with which to play, which is the largest bonus pool the club has been granted in the IFA bonus pool era (for a glossary and rules of this whole deal, click here).
Without further ado, here are some of the more notable signings:
OF Rubel Arias
Arias, a 17-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, is the class headliner, receiving a signing bonus of $997,500 to put pen to paper for the Dodgers. Listed at 6-foot-1, 178 pounds, Arias both bats and throws from the left side, and he projects to be in a corner (likely left as his arm is average), and he has received praise for his feel for hitting. He is generally regarded as a hit-over-power prospect at the moment, though he certainly has room for mass on his lean frame, and he should develop a bit of pop as he fills out:
Arias is ranked 24th in the class over at FanGraphs, who put a prospect grade on him of 40, which would slot him somewhere between 19th and 35th in the loaded and lauded Dodger farm system. He was also ranked 46th in the class at Baseball America, and was not ranked by MLB Pipeline.
SS Ezequiel Melburne
Hailing from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Melburne (whose name also appears as Melbourne in places, but I’m using the spelling from MLB Pipeline) signed for $747,500. He is a 16-year-old switch-hitting shortstop who is listed a rangy 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, and despite his height, he is projected to stay at the position due to his smooth athleticism and plus arm. Like Arias, it is currently hit-over-power profile, though he shows pop that is at least a full grade better from the right side than the left:
Melburne was ranked 29th in the class at MLB Pipeline, 75th at Baseball America, and was unranked at FanGraphs.
LHP Tom Apfelbaum
A southpaw who hails from Cologne, Germany, Apfelbaum (whose surname means apple tree in German) is a tall and lanky lad at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. He only began receiving more widespread notice last April, as he traveled to the Dominican Republic in an effort to train and improve his velocity. Now 17, he tops out at 94, his changeup is noted as his best secondary, and he also has a fringy slider, all from a low lefty arm slot that brings Chris Sale to mind:
(No one is saying he’s Chris Sale, but hide the scissors and the v-neck jerseys, just to be safe)
SS Ariel Reynoso
Another Dominican switch-hitting shortstop, Reynoso has more of an offensive-minded profile. Listed at 5-foot-11, 174 pounds, Reynoso appears to have been ticketed for the Dodgers since 2023 (assuming the date on that IG post is accurate), so it seems the club has been high on the now 16-year-old for quite a while. He is ranked 86th in Baseball America‘s class, who notes that he shows extra base pop from both sides of the plate, though he may end up at second base long-term.
IF Jose Victorino
Though Victorino was trained as a shortstop, he is listed as just an infielder, likely due to his size – he is 6-foot-3 (no weight listed yet, but he’s lean), and is already looking like he may have to slide over to the hot corner where he can make good use of his plus arm and actions. There is a lot of physical projection and power potential, and he was ranked 92nd at Baseball America.
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In addition to the five notables above, the Dodgers have also signed:
- LHP Miguel Herrera, Venezuela
- OF Jose Requena, Venezuela
- RHP Luis Ricart, Dominican Republic
- C Oliver Chapman, Dominican Republic
- OF Helvin Mendoza, Venezuela
- RHP Anderson Carias, Venezuela
- C Haram Hernandez, Venezuela
That list is sure to grow as the day, month, and year progresses, but it’s where things stand as of this writing.
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IFA classes are all but impossible to gauge in the moment — as noted with Reynoso above, these kids often agree to deals as young as 13, so it can take an entire decade from agreement to finding out whether someone has even a remote shot of impacting the big club. But it does happen. Pages, seven and a half years after signing, made a World Series-saving catch. Did anyone know that was going to happen when he was hitting dingers in the Pioneer League for the Ogden Raptors? No. But he was dreaming it as he was on those long bus rides, and so are these kids. A million miles away, but taking the first step, just the same. Congratulations to all of them, and best of luck to them.