Baseball America Reviews Nats’ International Signs

It’s not as detailed as anyone would like it to be (e.g. 30 players were reportedly signed, but no complete list), but here are the highlights from the Baseball America review of the Washington Nationals International signings in 2013.

As noted previously, the CBA limited the Nationals to the smallest pool for signings for the July 2013 to June 2014 signing period ($1,846,000) thanks to its MLB-best 2012 finish. As such the Nats only exceeded the $100,000 signing figure for just four players — Anderson Franco ($900,000), Victor Robles ($225,000), Dany Rojas ($100,000) and Israel Mota ($100,000).

Franco is one the “Notable Bats” on the 2014 Watchlist, who signed on his 16th birthday last August. He’s a big kid (6’1″, 190) who features raw power and arm strength along with an advanced feel for his position (3B). The question mark is whether the Nats can fix some of the flaws (long swing, poor pitch recognition) and turn him into a true hitter.

Robles is a 17-y.o. right-handed outfielder, listed at 6′ and 180 lbs and praised for “above-average speed and a strong arm,” as well as being a “high-energy player with a high baseball IQ.”

Rojas is another 17-y.o. OF, but lefthanded and more compact at 5’10” and 185 lbs with power to all fields. Both Robles and Rojas were July 2 signees.

Mota signed early enough to play in the DSL but only hit .215/.356/.313 in 180 PAs and will likely repeat. His best tool is his arm, which was said to be top-level (80 on the 20-80 scale).

Two 16-y.o.’s that fell short of the 100K threshhold, but were given some play in the article were Dominican southpaw Jose Jimenez and Venezuelan catcher Jose Cabello, both of whom signed for $75,000. Jimenez was clocked just shy of 90mph but at 6’1″ 170 could very well add some length as he continues to physically mature. Cabello, listed at 5’11” and 185, is a technically sound defensive backstop with a line-drive swing.