It’s International Signing Day in Major League Baseball, and the Chicago White Sox have made a pair of significant additions to bolster their farm system.
As expected, the White Sox have signed two of the top Venezuelan hitters in this year’s class, 17-year-olds Fernando Graterol and Sebastian Romero. It is expected that both players will receive signing bonuses of around or slightly above $1.5 million.
MLB Pipeline ranks Graterol as the top catcher and 31st-ranked overall prospect in this year’s international class. He is the only member of the class to appear in the top 50. He comes from a city in Venezuela that has produced MLB catchers such as Salvador Perez, Wilson Ramos, and Francisco Cervelli
Here’s what MLB Pipeline has to say about Gaterol:
“Graterol’s offensive profile centers around his big-time raw power, which he can tap into despite not using much of a front leg kick. A right-handed hitter, he utilizes a simple stride and quick hands to consistently tee off on a variety of offerings, namely to his pull side. His feel to hit is still developing but he shows barrel control and his catcher’s background gives an aptitude at the dish of how to manage an at-bat.
Equipped with a cannon of a throwing arm, Graterol fits the bill of what clubs look for from a teenage catching prospect. There’s still room to improve upon his receiving and overall game management but he moves well behind the dish and has the arm strength to corral opposing basestealers. He won’t be confused for a burner but displays an all-around aptitude for in-game scenarios and could fit the bill as a power-hitting, strong-armed backstop.”
While Romero did not appear on MLB Pipeline’s top international prospects list, he is projected by Baseball America to receive the 29th largest signing bonus in this year’s class, showing that MLB scouts view him as one of the premier talents.
Here is what Baseball America has to say about Romero:
“Romero has a lean, lively 6-foot-2 frame with advanced feel for hitting from the left side of the plate. It’s a sound, fluid swing with the ability to manipulate the barrel to square up pitches with good contact skills against live pitching. Romero has mostly doubles power now but with a lot of space left to fill out and potentially grow into a 20-plus home run hitter, though scouts were split on how much power he would end up developing. He’s a good athlete and an above-average runner who moves around well in center field.”
The White Sox are set to sign several other promising international prospects, such as RHP Roderic Ramírez, according to Francys Romero. These signings continue a trend the White Sox have been on the last few seasons, getting back in the market for some of the top amateur international prospects. Gaterol and Romero join Alejandro Cruz and Eduardo Herrera as recent highly regarded international prospects that the White Sox are adding to their farm system. While Cruz and Herrera have yet to break out, continuing to add talent is a sign of increased efforts on the White Sox’s part to bolster their organization’s talent.
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Featured Photo: Francys Romero/X