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Major League Baseball’s 2023 international contract period begins on Sunday, January 15. Many of the players he has been under contract for two or three years, but this is the first day he can officially sign a contract with his team in the major leagues.

For many scouts, this year’s top international prospect is Ethan Salas, the 16-year-old catcher from Venezuela and brother of Marlins system shortstop José Salas. Salas is very sophisticated for his age, both as a hitter and as a catcher, Venezuela. I caught and hit a player. Cuban outfielder Brando Mayea is another player who stood out early in his scouting process for his balance of tools, skill and hitting ability.

Click here for the 2023 MLB International Prospect Bonus Board

But the reality is that players, mostly from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, often sign contracts at 16 and 17 and agree with teams at 13 or 14, so it’s hard to judge the international class. much more difficult. It’s the official signing date, so many things can change. Also, although many players go on to college at the age of 14, unlike in the United States, where teams in the major leagues are eagerly scouting for draft day, when international players join teams, they go to showcases. It is common to stop In a competitive environment, they are not often scouted by other clubs. These teams have mostly focused their attention on his 2025 and his 2026 classes over the past year.

An example is a 16-year-old US high school pitcher in 2024. He was throwing 86 mph in his October and is now hitting 93 mph. It was a 7 mph jump, and in three months he went from a low-end Division 1 arm to being one of the hardest pitchers in the country for his age group. One of the top international pitchers of the year, he won’t be making big bonuses or attracting attention in public rankings (yet), but he’ll hit 90 miles per hour (97 miles per hour) during the scouting process. It was a solid arm that reached and showed sensation. For a good curveball. A player at this stage can change a lot in three months, let alone three years.

So, honestly, public rankings of the top international players prior to January 15th aren’t a great way to pinpoint the true best players in today’s class, but they’re the industry’s worst in the way drafts can. This is because the teams themselves know their class of commits better than anyone else, but generally work on small snippets of old reports or recent looks. This is because And if you have a low or medium bonus player whose talent level is currently equivalent to a seven-figure signature, they’re usually not keen on blowing up that information to warn other teams.

Still, some of baseball’s most promising players were notable amateur players with $1 million bonuses. Brewers outfielder Jackson Tullio, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya, Giants shortstop Marco Luciano, Reds shortstop Noelbi Marte, Guardians outfielder George Barrera, Twins outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, Rockies shortstop Adahel All Amador signatures were 7 digits. Of course, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, Jordan Alvarez, Wonder Franco among them.

is less than Amount each team can spend in the international bonus poolTeams with less than $5,284,000 in the pool lost money from the pool as a penalty for signing a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer. The signing period will begin on January 15, 2023 and end on December 15, 2023. Bonuses under $10,000 are excluded from the pool.

Click here for the 2023 MLB International Prospect Bonus Board

Signature Bonus Pool B: $6,366,900
Cincinnati Reds
detroit tigers
miami marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
oakland athletics
Seattle Mariners
Tampa Bay Rays

Signature Bonus Pool A: $5,825,500
Arizona Diamondbacks
Baltimore Orioles
cleveland guardians
Colorado Rockies
Kansas City Royals
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres

$5,284,000 Pool
Atlanta Braves
chicago cubs
chicago white sox
Houston Astros
New York Mets
new york yankees
San Francisco Giants
St. Louis Cardinals
toronto blue jays
Washington Nationals