Scouting the 2018 International Signing Period

Fangraphs and MLB released their lists of to international prospects who are eligible to be signed after July 2 which is the start of the 2018-2019 signing period.  Unlike the last 2 periods when the Giants were limited to bonuses of $300 K or less, Giants fans have something to get excited about this year.  One big underlying reasons for the excitement is that there is now a hard cap to the bonus pools with relatively small differences between teams.  This prevents teams from blowing way over their limit for a 1 year haul because they are willing to accept the penalties which were relatively light.  The new system all but ensures that the top international prospects will be more evenly distributed throughout MLB and not concentrated in 2 or 3 teams who have chosen this year to blow past their limit.

The Giants are among the teams who have a bonus pool of $4.9 M which will buy you some serious international talent.  They traded away several hundred $ K of that in the offseason but still have close to $4 M to spend.   The really great news is they are closely linked to and expected to sign 2 of Fangraphs Top 35 International Prospects, Marco Luciano, #2 overall, and Jairo Pomares #31 overall.    Luciano is also #2 on MLB's board and the Giants are also believed to be in on MLB's #27 Luis Matos.  Luciano is listed as a SS by Fangraphs and OF by MLB.  Pomares and Matos are both OF's.

People who know a lot more about international prospects than I are saying there are no expected surprises and players who are linked to specific teams are all but assured to sign with them.  While I do hope that is true and am cautiously optimistic that these 3 players will be Giants prospects in a few days, we've been burned by the international process more than once in the past, so I am not yet ready to declare a time to celebrate.  It is time, though, to take a look at these prospects and see what scouting reports say.

Marco Luciano, DR, SS/OF, B-R, T-R, 6'2", 180 lbs.  Luciano has a very similar physical structure to former Giants international prospect, Gustavo Cabrera, and to last year's first round draft pick, Heliot Ramos.  So much so that we may be seeing a pattern that Giants scouts are looking for in teenage prospects.   Luciano's legs are longer and leaner than either Cabrera or Ramos, but he has the same massive shoulders and upper chest.  Scouting reports all comment on the muscularity of his shoulders.  Here are some more comments from Fangraphs:  "...explosive hands...", "...natural uppercut swing...", ".....feet and actions are workable on the infield...", ".....struggles with throwing velocity and accuracy when forced to throw from a lower arm angle...", "....power separates him from most of the rest of the class...", ".... potential star if he can stay at short."  MLB adds "....not the typical swing and miss power hitter and projects to be a solid middle-of-the-lineup hitter."  "....is athletic enough to play shortstop or center field."  Fangraphs gives him a + for Athletic and + for Frame.  On video I'll just say I see a lot to get excited about with the combination of athleticism, legs built for speed and upper body muscular strength.  If our dreams come true and the Giants get him signed, he would immediately be one of my top 3 Giants prospects.

Luis Matos, Venezuela, OF, B-R, T-R, 5'11", 160 lbs.  Matos is significantly smaller physically than Marco Luciano which seems to be the biggest rap against him.  According to the MLB scouting report, he comes from a family of professional ballplayers and has "plus-plus makeup."  Other comments in MLB's scouting report include "....medium frame.", "...ability to hit is his most dominant tool...", "....plus arm.", ".....good tools and the type of player scouts grow to love after watching him work out and compete in games."

Jairo Pomares, Cuba, CF, B-L, T-R, 6'1", 185 lbs.  Pomares is a full year+ older than either Luciano or Matos.  Scouting report consists of 1 video and a few brief comments by MLB who listed him under "Best of the Rest."  Pomares muscular and athletic looking.  He has a solid base at the plate with a quick, fluid swing with some power behind it.  He keeps his elbows bent and appears to have strong wrists.  MLB says he "....shows a good feel for hitting and has a balanced approach at the plate."

Keep your fingers crossed, team!  If the rumored connections of the Giants to these 3 prospects prove to be true, the Giants farm system is about to get a whole lot better in a hurry!