Interestingly enough, this will be the first really "normal" IFA period since Click was hired. The 2021 class was mostly Pedro Leon, whether that was by design or not, they didn't sign any of the top Venezuelan or Dominican position players that make up the bulk of the international spending. 2022 their top target, Luis Baez, was eligible to sign in 2021, but had to wait a year until the Astros could outbid other teams. The other top bonuses went to Cubans, whose availability tends to be more variable due to defection and Visa issues. Due to the Astros decision to go over the pool to sign the likes of Freudis Nova and Cionel Perez and the weirdness of 2020-2022, this is only the second "normal" class the Astros have put together in the last several years, with the most comparable year being 2019 when the Astros signed a class led by Dauri Lorenzo. I think they spread the rest of the bonuses around that year, with Juan Santander being the 2nd most notable name, IIRC. The one major criticism I have for the Astros over the past decade is the lack of success at the top end of the IFA market. The 2022 world series was driven largely by under the radar pitchers they signed for chump change, but that's kind of like nailing the extra credit while failing the test, with other teams identifying and signing future stars like Julio Rodriguez, Wander Franco, Vlad Jr, Tatis Jr, etc. Granted, a lot of other teams failed too, with spectacular (current) disappointments like Kevin Maitan or Robert Puason. The international group was a big part of the Yordan Alvarez trade, and Celestino was the major piece of the Pressly trade, so they haven't come out completely empty handed. This is all to say, I'm fairly excited about this class. I don't think there's any reason the Astros cant hit on their traditional targets while discovering under the radar pitchers like they have. I have a general faith in the Astros scouting and player development departments that they'll be able to generate some value. The 2022 DSL Astros had some of their better recent hitting performances, including good seasons by their top signees in Baez and Kenni Gomez. The most clear path to continued dominance for the Astros is through success in the international arena, where major league success doesn't limit resources to the degree that it does for the draft, and they have a clear competency in identifying and developing pitchers. I'm excited to see how these young men develop over the coming years.
So many Scouts for Ruben Menes https://m.facebook.com/watch/live/?...zi-eL9jNumAiryQcFTGqXYF-7tio6EQ5uNL8e1Fs&_rdr
Any News if the Astros can Reopen a Venezuelan Academy? Astros Academy Jose Altuve Johan Santana - Lost him in Rule V to Twins Bobby Abreu - Lost him in Rule V to Phillies, Astros picked Hidalgo over Abreu, Got Cheap Richard Hidalgo
They actually lost Abreu in the expansion draft to TB who then traded him to Phi. Losing Abreu still hurts but If it had to be he or Hidalgo I understand the choice. And Richard did a well as you can expect from any prospect. 17.6 bWAR his first 6 seasons Would you take that from any of the current OF prospects over the next 6-8 seasons?
Diaz only getting $2.25M makes the numbers work better: Pool: $5.28M Diaz: $2.25M Valencia: $1.1M Ramirez: $1.2M Menes: $0.7M Total $5.25M So those 4 guys will eat up the pool. The remaining signees will be minimums.
Maybe something Medical came up. He was rumored to Houston for $700k then ends up with the Cards for $425k.
Very interesting...the guy who tweeted that post said the agreement with Astros fell apart weeks ago.
This quote labels Valencia with plus speed and elite arm tools; the available video of him online does not back that up, but it does show his plus hit tool. If he is indeed able to play CF then he is a very interesting prospect.
