The 2014-15 international signing period opens on July 2nd, so a little less than two months from now, and the Yankees are reportedly planning to blow their $2.2M spending pool right out of the water. The team is said to be willing to spend upwards of $15M on prospects, including another $15M in penalties. They would also be prohibited from signing a player for more than $300k in each of the next two signing periods.
Last week we heard the Yankees were heavily in on four 16-year-old position player prospects from the Dominican Republic, all of whom would command $2M bonuses or more. Today, Ben Badler reports the club is also targeting three other position player prospects likely to sign seven-figure deals of their own, likely in the $1M range. The scouting reports are subscriber-only, so I can only give away so much:
- C Miguel Flames: “Scouts who liked Flames were impressed by his raw power, ability to work the count and put together consistent game at-bats.”
- OF Jonathan Amundaray: “He projects as a right fielder with a good arm and a tick above-average speed … Amundaray has a quick bat and home run power.”
- SS Diego Castillo: “One of the most instinctive baseball players on the market … a line-drive hitter with a clean, repeatable swing and feel for the barrel.”
All three players hail from Venezuela and sorry, I can’t find any video. I also have no idea how old they are, but 16 is a safe assumption. Flames was a third baseman for most of his life until recently moving behind the plate. Badler says the Yankees “are high on” Amundaray and are merely connected to the other two, for what it’s worth.
If the Yankees were to sign these three plus the four guys from last week, it will amount to $12M or so in bonuses based on Badler’s numbers. That would still leave $3M leftover, which is a ton. I have to think some of that would go towards pitching, though I’m not sure about the quality of this summer’s crop of arms. It’s safe bet the Yankees will grab at least a few pitchers though. Need to balance things out.
It has only been about five weeks, but so far this year the farm system has made a nice rebound from last season’s disaster. Adding three first round picks last year helped, as did Manny Banuelos’ return from Tommy John surgery and the continued progress of guys like Peter O’Brien, Luis Severino, and Gary Sanchez. It sure sounds like an international draft is coming in the near future, so this might be the Yankees’ last chance to spend like crazy and add several impact youngsters to the system.
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