Getting Acquainted with the New York Yankees’ 3 Biggest International Signings
July 4, 2012 · Kenny DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The New York Yankees signed three international prospects on July 2, all of which have the potential to be quality players when they progress through the team’s farm system.
The first prospect signed was Yancarlos Baez, a 6’2″, 165-pound shortstop with speed that is well above-average. He’s a switch-hitter with good bat speed and is just 16 years old, so his power just profiles as gap-to-gap at this point.
With Derek Jeter looking like he may play a few more seasons, there’s a possibility that Baez could be nearly ready to take over for him at shortstop.
Though that idea makes logical sense, it’s still entirely too early to say that Baez will actually even make it to the majors.
He was signed for $650,000, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
The next prospect signed was Luis Torrens, rated the No. 2 overall international prospect by Baseball America.
Torrens, a 16-year-old catcher, already has good power. He stands 6′ tall and weighs 170 pounds, so there’s a very good chance that he’ll get bigger as he gets older.
The former infielder signed for $1.3 million, according to Badler.
Finally, the Yankees signed Alexander Palma, the No. 4 international prospect, out of Venezuela. Palma had one of the most promising builds of all international prospects, standing at 6′ tall and weighing 200 pounds.
Such a frame projects for respectable power numbers.
Like the other two prospects, he is just 16, and the Yankees locked him up for $800,000, writes Badler.
It’s unknown as to whether or not we’ll ever see any of these players donning the pinstripes, but it’s clear that all three have a lot of potential.
It’ll be interesting to see how they develop.
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