Oscar Colás - Time to Spend Some of That Int'l Money?

[wildbillhiccup]

Per Jeff Passan.

Outfielder/pitcher Oscar Colás, one of the best prospects to emerge from Cuba in years, has defected and will seek a deal with a major league team, sources familiar with his plans tell ESPN. Colás, 21, played in Japan last year and hit .302/.350/.516. He’s a LHP up to 95, too.

 

 

[wildbillhiccup]

10 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

Per Jeff Passan.

Outfielder/pitcher Oscar Colás, one of the best prospects to emerge from Cuba in years, has defected and will seek a deal with a major league team, sources familiar with his plans tell ESPN. Colás, 21, played in Japan last year and hit .302/.350/.516. He’s a LHP up to 95, too.

 

 

A bit more info. Colás is referred to, by some, as the Cuban Ohtani as some scouts believe that he has was it takes to be a two way player. He played this past season in Japan where he posted a .302/.350/.516 slash line with 19 doubles and 11 HRs (in 66 games). 

[ArtVanDelay]

I had never heard of him until now but I'm sold. No reason to not spend that money. 

[MurphDogg]

Just want to note that those Japanese statistics are in the Western League, which is a Japanese minor league, not the Pacific League, which is the highest level of Japanese baseball.

He was called up to the Pacific League for a cup of coffee (sake?) at the end of the 2019 season where he batted .278/.381/.444 in 21 plate appearances over 7 games.

That said, either spend the money or trade it for a prospect to a team that will spend it to sign this guy. Can't take it with you.

[7Mo]

Colas is a big boy 

 

And it might be a while before he signs based on this:

Since Colas is under 25, he will be subject to the J-2 bonus pool restrictions when he signs. While it is possible that he could be cleared to sign in the first half of 2020, generally speaking, establishing residency in another country (not the United States, since that would mean he’d end up in the draft instead of being a free agent) and being cleared by MLB to be eligible to sign generally takes a good deal of time, meaning that he may not be eligible to sign as part of this current J-2 class. Moreover, most teams have already spent their allotted J-2 bonus pool money, so even if he did clear in time to sign before July 2, 2020, he likely would be best served waiting until the next signing period starts anyway.

[Orioles0615]

Yes please, this would be a huge statement to the fans as well.

[wildbillhiccup]

14 minutes ago, 7Mo said:

Colas is a big boy 

 

And it might be a while before he signs based on this:

Since Colas is under 25, he will be subject to the J-2 bonus pool restrictions when he signs. While it is possible that he could be cleared to sign in the first half of 2020, generally speaking, establishing residency in another country (not the United States, since that would mean he’d end up in the draft instead of being a free agent) and being cleared by MLB to be eligible to sign generally takes a good deal of time, meaning that he may not be eligible to sign as part of this current J-2 class. Moreover, most teams have already spent their allotted J-2 bonus pool money, so even if he did clear in time to sign before July 2, 2020, he likely would be best served waiting until the next signing period starts anyway.

Wow he certainly is. I'm getting some serious Miguel Sano vibes from those videos. 

[Beef Supreme]

Though I am not in favor of signing FAs or even locking up any of our prospects this offseason, I think it would be smart for the Orioles to at least pursue Colas. He may be two or three years away from making the majors, so that would time well with Rutschman, GROD, Hall, et al. And it would demonstrate the philosophical shift that Elias has hinted at. Plus, this might be part of the financial flexibility strategy of freeing up payroll by trading Villar and Bundy? Don't pay today to lose; pay to win tomorrow (or something to that effect). Loved the highlight of the oppo HR. Looks a little thick around the middle for a 21 year old but that may not hold him back...didn't hold back Puckett after all. 

Before I weigh in, I would want to know what the commitment is. I would imagine that in a lot of scenarios, I would favor the Orioles signing him.

[wildbillhiccup]

Just now, Beef Supreme said:

Though I am not in favor of signing FAs or even locking up any of our prospects this offseason, I think it would be smart for the Orioles to at least pursue Colas. He may be two or three years away from making the majors, so that would time well with Rutschman, GROD, Hall, et al. And it would demonstrate the philosophical shift that Elias has hinted at. Plus, this might be part of the financial flexibility strategy of freeing up payroll by trading Villar and Bundy? Don't pay today to lose; pay to win tomorrow (or something to that effect). Loved the highlight of the oppo HR. Looks a little thick around the middle for a 21 year old but that may not hold him back...didn't hold back Puckett after all. 

Before I weigh in, I would want to know what the commitment is. I would imagine that in a lot of scenarios, I would favor the Orioles signing him.

It also doesn't seem to be holding back Guerrero, Jr. 

[Beef Supreme]

9 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

It also doesn't seem to be holding back Guerrero, Jr. 

Right. But I haven't heard people praising Jr.'s defense like they praised Big Vladdy. Vlad Jr.'s stick looks for real, like it might be good enough to overcome defensive shortcomings. It will be interesting to see some reports on Colas' defensive ability, speed and agility. He is likely an exceptionally skilled athlete, but is this just his natural body shape or could he benefit from targeted conditioning? Maybe Luke vacationed in Havana last week and can tell us. :-)

[wildbillhiccup]

3 minutes ago, Beef Supreme said:

Right. But I haven't heard people praising Jr.'s defense like they praised Big Vladdy. Vlad Jr.'s stick looks for real, like it might be good enough to overcome defensive shortcomings. It will be interesting to see some reports on Colas' defensive ability, speed and agility. He is likely an exceptionally skilled athlete, but is this just his natural body shape or could he benefit from targeted conditioning? Maybe Luke vacationed in Havana last week and can tell us. :-)

Now that is some serious dedication to scouting! He probably already has a profile worked up for Colas and was just waiting for the news to break. 

[MurphDogg]

6 minutes ago, Beef Supreme said:

Right. But I haven't heard people praising Jr.'s defense like they praised Big Vladdy. Vlad Jr.'s stick looks for real, like it might be good enough to overcome defensive shortcomings. It will be interesting to see some reports on Colas' defensive ability, speed and agility. He is likely an exceptionally skilled athlete, but is this just his natural body shape or could he benefit from targeted conditioning? Maybe Luke vacationed in Havana last week and can tell us. :-)

Keep in mind that if he ends up as a two-way player, his defense won't matter, as he would presumably DH on his non-pitching days.

[panick]

How much international money do the O's still have?

[Beef Supreme]

3 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

Keep in mind that if he ends up as a two-way player, his defense won't matter, as he would presumably DH on his non-pitching days.

I was keeping that in mind and that would make him all the more appealing. But it seems like Ohtani had already proven that he could pitch; it was just a matter of how well and how quickly he would adjust to MLB. Colas may have a lot more to accomplish at the lower levels before he can be expected to become a starting pitcher. Right now (and based on very little, I agree), I would think of him just as a bat-first outfielder.

[sportsfan8703]

12 minutes ago, panick said:

How much international money do the O's still have?

Probably more than any other team. As usual. 

A real statement would be to spend over the allotment and just pay the penalty of sitting out a year, plus the dollar for dollar penalty.  

The real question is, if this dude were in the draft, where would he get drafted?  It could be like adding a top 5-10 pick.  Our franchise desperately needs talent.  

Edited January 3, 2020 by sportsfan8703