Gui Yuan Xu (Itchy)

[Tony-OH]

@JesseSanchezMLB: Source: Orioles sign 1B Yasiel Mederos (Cuba) for $100K & Xu signs for 10K during int'l signing period @MLBPipeline http://t.co/3FK9GRJLth...

Haven't heard anything about this Mederas character... Get em DD!!!

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A 10K bonus? Sounds like we must've been a huge bidding war for his services. lol This reminds me of the Australian softball player signing. Bonuses don't always mean the player will be good, but I'm not sure if there was ever an international player that was signed for 10K that made the major leagues. Oh well, maybe the Orioles will get a discount on their next bobblehead orders from China.

[mdbdotcom]

A 10K bonus? Sounds like we must've been a huge bidding war for his services. lol This reminds me of the Australian softball player signing. Bonuses don't always mean the player will be good, but I'm not sure if there was ever an international player that was signed for 10K that made the major leagues. Oh well, maybe the Orioles will get a discount on their next bobblehead orders from China.

Perhaps he was persuaded by the Chinese community in Aberdeen.

[Ven6]

Roch has some nice texture, and DD predicts he's a future major leaguer:

Xu was a two-time China National Youth Baseball League Most Valuable Player (2012 and 2014) and a two-time MLB Taiwan Elite Camp All-Star (2013 and 2014).

"Xu has been working hard at the MLB Development Center and we hope he'll be the first of many future major league players from China," executive vice president Dan Duquette said in a statement.

"He has excellent balance at the plate and very good left-handed power, which we think will play well at Oriole Park at Camden Yards."

Originally recruited as a pitcher, Xu also won the 2012 China National Youth Baseball League Home Run Derby and was the winner of the 2011 Shenzhen Baseball League Best Hitter Award and Most Improved Player honor.

[clapdiddy]

When he hits a homer, will they call it an "Itchy Thump"?

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1OjTspCqvk8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Xu will be assigned to the Gulf Coast League team in Sarasota <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orioles?src=hash">#orioles</a></p>— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) <a href="

">July 20, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[weams]

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/137560630/orioles-sign-prospect-xu-guiyuan-from-china

[panick]

Roch has some nice texture, and DD predicts he's a future major leaguer:

Did this guy get more money than the softball player? I imagine Duquette thought that guy would be a major leaguer. If he didn't, why did he sign him?

Is there any way to compare the type of competition Xu has played against with a level of competition in the US?

[Tony-OH]

Roch has some nice texture, and DD predicts he's a future major leaguer:

Well Melewski thinks he'll be an all-star and Hunter thinks he's be the best Oriole ever.

Seriously though, I'm glad DD is confident of his 10K signing. Let's hope he's right.

[mdbdotcom]

He should sign his brother. Then he'll have a new pair of Xus.

[weams]

Well Melewski thinks he'll be an all-star and Hunter thinks he's be the best Oriole ever.

Seriously though, I'm glad DD is confident of his 10K signing. Let's hope he's right.

Where does Tom Davis weigh in?

[Ven6]

Well Melewski thinks he'll be an all-star and Hunter thinks he's be the best Oriole ever.

Seriously though, I'm glad DD is confident of his 10K signing. Let's hope he's right.

Don't you think the important thing here is being the first to sign a player from this MLB development center? The progressive, first-mover advantage. You know, there were a lot of Japanese people who didn't know anything about MLB baseball wearing Seattle Mariner jerseys back in 2001. China has its billion plus. It's a PR move as much as anything.

But still, DD has signed a lot of players and has never come right out and said "he will be the first major leaguer of many" or even "his bat will play well at OPACY" as he assigns the player to the low minors. For a guy who holds his cards close to his vest, these kinds of statements seem giddy with optimism.

[oriolesacox]

He should sign his brother. Then he'll have a new pair of Xus.

I like it

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[weams]

Well Melewski thinks he'll be ace his hero is n all-star and Hunter thinks he's be the best Oriole ever.

Seriously though, I'm glad DD is confident of his 10K signing. Let's hope he's right.

Jim Hunter just started a five minute question that hypothesized that since his hero is Ichiro, he will become the first Oriole in the 4000 hit club. In the modern era of course.

[Orioles0615]

What country did the O's get banned from again?

[Ven6]

What country did the O's get banned from again?

Korea. Much smaller than China.