Omar Damian = upside.... upside.... upside. It is pretty clear looking at the historical picks of Dana Brown (and he is VERY involved) that when it comes to pitching, Brown is more than willing to bet on upside. He took Alonzo Tredwell for example, and there are others. Omar Damian falls into this type of pick. There is a lot of projection involved with Damian. He has long limbs and a frame that should add some strength and muscle as he ages. He has really good flexibility and balance on the mound that should enable him to repeat his delivery as his velocity increases. He throws multiple pitches with good muscle memory, but he doesn't completely sell them all yet with his arm slot.
Here’s the list: Kevin Alvarez, OF, Cuba (reported $2M bonus) Anthony Millan, OF, Venezuela Omar Damian, RHP, Dominican Republic (reported $400k bonus) Juan Fraide, RHP, Mexico Juan Rojas, SS, Dominican Republic Santiago Martinez, SS, Venezuela Pablo Martinez, SS, Dominican Republic Erick Mota, SS, Dominican Republic
Fwiw, Fangraphs has a 45+ grade on Kevin Alvarez. Based on their last 2024 update, that would make him Houston’s 3rd best prospect (after Cam Smith and Jacob Melton).
Sure would be nice if one of these international bats actually turned into a player. Most of the top signings haven't even gotten out of A ball. I know the hit rate is usually low, but it's been a pretty brutal run for quite a while. Anything Dana Brown wants to try is better than what we've been doing to identify hitters. We've found plenty of success with arms, but bats have been a different story.
Kevin Alvarez doesn't show up anywhere on MLB.com's list of top 50 international prospects. What gives?
Alvarez only got $2M and Damian $400k so there should be a good chunk left from Houston’s pool of $4M. I can’t find bonuses for any of the other guys on that list of 20. I wonder if Houston might be trading some of their pool to whichever team is signing Sasaki.
This one is a good risk. The only reason that he didn't get a bigger bonus or isn't the clear cut #1-2 player in his class is because he is locked in as a bat only guy. He will be a corner outfielder or a slight chance he plays first base. So guys that are SS and great athletes hopped over him in the rankings. I find that foolish honestly, Yordan Alvarez went through that as well. If you can hit, you are going to be very valuable.
The Dodgers have to be pretty confident they are getting Sasaki (which is a joke), they have lost their top commits in this class to other teams. It would be nice if the Astros could peel one of those players away as well. I cannot speak outside of their top 3-5 signings, but I am optimistic about the top of this group.
Press release: Astros sign 20 international free agents The Houston Astros have agreed to terms on contracts with 20 international free agents, including eight players from Venezuela, six from the Dominican Republic, four from Mexico and one player each from Colombia and Cuba. The announcement was made by Astros Assistant General Manager Charles Cook. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed. Adrián Ruíz Sinaloa, MX RHP 17 5’11 196 R/R Anderson Areinamo Puerto La Cruz, VZ IF 17 5’9 144 R/R Anthony Millán Puerto La Cruz, VZ OF 16 5’11 167 R/R Dayerson Cova uerto La Cruz, VZ RHP 16 6’1 177 R/R Emilio González Puerto La Cruz, VZ C 16 6’0 186 R/R Emilio Payro Tabasco, MX RHP 17 5’10 190 R/R Eric Mota Santo Domingo, DR IF 17 6’0 163 R/R Esteban Castro Cartagena, COL C 16 5’10 185 R/R Freddy Ramos Barquisimeto, VZ OF 16 6’0 181 R/R Iré García Barcelona, VZ C 17 6’0 177 R/R Ismael Obregón Matehuala, MX RHP 17 5’11 182 R/R Jesús Sosa Valencia, VZ RHP 17 6’0 143 R/R José De La Cruz Santo Domingo, DR IF 17 5’11 178 R/R Juan Fraide Guaymas, MX RHP 18 5’11 167 R/R Juan Rojas Santo Domingo, DR IF 17 6’0 184 L/R Kevin Alvarez Matanzas, CUB OF 17 6’3 181 L/L Omar Damián Santo Domingo, DR RHP 16 6’1 155 R/R Pablo Martínez Santiago, DR IF 17 5’10 165 R/R Ronald De Los Santos Santo Domingo, DR RHP 17 6’2 174 R/R Santiago Martínez Maracay, VZ IF 17 5’11 170 R/R
I know I'll get heat for ranking these kids before they've played an actual game, but whatever. Alvarez would probably be top 15 in the system already. Damian outside of the top 30, but in that 35-40 range (probably #40).
#30 Kevin Alvarez Looks like an all bat prospect at this point with a chance to play 1st base or corner outfield. Previously NR. International free agent 25’, current level FCL, Age 17, ETA 29, Floor unestablished 25, Ceiling ++DH 70, Outcome 47.5 C
Upside baby… upside…. Chicks love the long ball and the baseball development community loves upside…. Yordan Alvarez’ frozen swimmers would crack the top 3 of the system
