Brandon Meyer, Yankees top international target: ‘He can fly’

For the third time in the last four international signing periods, the Yankees have signed their No. 1 target.club I agree to the terms He has signed 17-year-old Cuban outfielder Brandon Meyer to a $4.35 million deal, according to one of his trainers, Angelo Ramos. The deal also includes a $100,000 scholarship.

Meir is rated the 9th international prospect in his class according to MLB Pipeline, but FanGraphs ranks him second among players eligible to sign for this cycle. $5.6 million. The Yankees began scouting Maia nearly three years ago while he was training at the Jaime Ramos Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic. An area scout told Yankees international amateur scout director Donny Rowland that he should keep an eye on the 5-foot-11-inch, 170-pound Maia.

“When you see him in center field, you know it’s really good,” Rowland said in a phone interview Monday. Looking at it, wow, the bat might be his best tool.

Rowland sees Maya as a “blocked center fielder.” Mya’s scouting report for the Yankees called him a “top of the scale” runner, with above-average defensive ability, above-average range, above-average to well-above-average arms, and above-average ability at center. I have. Accuracy. Rowland said Maia’s bat is now considered his best tool, especially when compared to other prospects his age.

FanGraphs noted in its scouting report how Maia has the ability to “punish baseball” with lofted swing passes. FanGraphs also wrote that Mayea is “an exceptional, well-rounded prospect for his age”. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, in his Maya report, praised the international scout’s latest signing with the Yankees for “extraordinary bat speed and power,” with one evaluator calling him smaller than Gary. It writes that it was compared with Sheffield.

Angelo Ramos has been training Maia for the past three years with his brother Jamie, but believes he could end up being one of baseball’s greatest players if his clients push their limits. .

“He’s a 5 Tour player,” Ramos said in a phone interview. “The player I compare him to is Mookie Betts. Maya has a fast swing speed, a tight contact almost all the time, and a good launch angle. Defensively, he’s a future Gold Glove winner and a center fielder. He’s very fast, running 6.2 to 6.4 on a 60-yard dash.He has a cannon in his arm.Off the field, he’s always motivating others. His intelligence is far superior to others for his age.”

It’s impossible to know what the future of Maya will look like. He’s even years away from knocking on the door to the big leagues. But Mayea’s current tools are encouraging for Rowland’s future. Rowland said Maia’s tools and athleticism have continued to excel since the Yankees first began scouting him. rice field.

That belief in Maya’s future can be seen in the team’s level of investment. The Yankees used just over 82% of his $5.284 million signing bonus pool to acquire Maya. The club followed a similar strategy when signing its former top target, first from the Dominican Republic in 2019 when he was given a $5.1 million signing bonus as a 16-year-old outfielder. was Jason Dominguez. In 2023 he, like Mayea, both earned nearly all of the team’s international contract bonus budget. But Rowland said the three-person deal shouldn’t be seen as an organizational philosophy of using most of the bonus pool to sign one prospect.

“We’re evaluating these players long before these individual signing class rankings,” Rowland said. It could be a strategy, but the roster crisis somewhat hampers that option. In 2019, that may not be the case, it all depends on who that number one target is and how much you need to sign them.

“The Yankees obviously want the best players on the market, whether internationally or in the draft. it’s not. I can’t imagine it continuing every year. Each situation is independent of itself. “

It’s unclear where Maia’s professional career with the Yankees will begin. Ramos said other Cuban-born players had problems with visas and had to stay in their countries until the process was sorted out. If Maia stays in the Dominican Republic, the Dominica Arias played in 2022 could end up playing in his league in the summer.

But wherever he plays next season, the Yankees are thrilled to have him in their organization.

“I think he has a chance to be a major league player,” Rowland said. “He’s got a long way to go, but he’s got all the right equipment.”

(Top photo and video of Brandon Meyer by Angelo Ramos)