Pre signing 2022 International Signing Class discussion

[waroriole]

Roch retweeted…..

 

[Can_of_corn]

Nice.

Don't have the added layers of ....stuff...with the Cubans.

[waroriole]

At that age I wonder if he’s close to ML ready. Can’t find that much of a scouting report other than he’s an extreme contact hitter. Doesn’t walk much, doesn’t strike out. 

[CharmCityHokie]

Just to add for Cesar Prieto, here's his BBRef Stats from CNS:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=prieto000ces

And FanGraphs scouting blurb:

Quote

Full Report

Prieto is the best pure hitter in Cuba. He broke Kendrys Morales' rookie hits record then broke the Serie Nacional's hit streak record (40 games) in 2020 while striking out just six times in 250 plate appearances. His swing and game resemble Eric Sogard's.

https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/international-players/summary?sort=-1,1&type=0&pg=0

(About halfway down the page if you're looking for him there)

[Hazmat]

Some Prieto highlights:
https://youtu.be/tAFGtUPhbZM

[Frobby]

48 minutes ago, CharmCityHokie said:

Just to add for Cesar Prieto, here's his BBRef Stats from CNS:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=prieto000ces

And FanGraphs scouting blurb:

https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/international-players/summary?sort=-1,1&type=0&pg=0

(About halfway down the page if you're looking for him there)

Looks very interesting.  Can’t say the Eric Sogard comp excites me much, but 6 K’s in 250 PA wouid be fun to watch.  

[CharmCityHokie]

27 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Looks very interesting.  Can’t say the Eric Sogard comp excites me much, but 6 K’s in 250 PA wouid be fun to watch.  

I agree, it's not a super-exciting comp. But Sogard has been worth roughly 7 bWAR in his career, and ~3.7 bWAR for the team that originally signed him. He signed for ~$400K in the second round of the 2007 Draft (Sogard BBRef). I don't know what the accepted current rate of WAR/$ is, but if the kid really signs for $750k and puts up anything close to a Sogard career, its not a bad investment.

Obviously, that is about as simple of a comp I can do here without thinking it all the way through, but the Sogard comp in the FG profile made me think about talent and how exciting every new player is. Either way I'm just happy the O's are actually trying to use the pool on some big strikes. 

[RZNJ]

750K certainly isn't a high price tag which makes it seem as though he was not a hot commodity.  However, there is lots of video on him and the stats are amazing although we should take the with a grain of salt. He hit .403 his last season with just 11 strikeouts and 32 walks in 360 PA.  21 doubles, 7 triples, 7 Homer's. Not a lot of power but he's not a slap hitter either.  Sounds like 2B is his main position and he's supposed to be good defensively with a good arm. Above average speed but not a basestealer.   Will turn 23 in May.  I would assume a player like this would start no lower than Aberdeen but I could be wrong.

The most ominous number is the 750K which is almost exactly the bonus for Henry Urrutia and Dariel Alvarez.  I think Ariel Mirana signed for 500K.  Those were the previous Cubans signed under the Duquette regime.  They were total FA and not subject to the same rules as this guy.

[Frobby]

Looks like the Prieto bonus is $650 k.  https://mobile.twitter.com/YordiMLB

Here’s a story in Spanish, not too hard to follow if you took Spanish in high school.   

https://pelotacubanausa.com/2022/01/07/cesar-prieto-firmara-con-los-orioles-de-baltimore/22/05/12/

[Frobby]

A few tidbits from the article: Prieto was considered by many to be the best prospect on the island, and if his bonus seems a bit low for a player of that quality, the fact is that by the time Prieto became available, most teams already had their allotment for that period committed.   So, it sounds as if the O’s still hadn’t spent their full allotment as of a few weeks ago and Prieto kind of fell into their laps.   If so, and he’s really better than a $650 k talent, I’ll take it!!

[Frobby]

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/who-is-cesar-prieto-breaking-down-cubas-top-baseball-talent-after-defection-to-u-s/2460723/

[CharmCityHokie]

10 hours ago, RZNJ said:

 

The most ominous number is the 750K which is almost exactly the bonus for Henry Urrutia and Dariel Alvarez.  I think Ariel Mirana signed for 500K.  Those were the previous Cubans signed under the Duquette regime.  They were total FA and not subject to the same rules as this guy.

A bit off-topic but speaking of Henry "Hammerin' Hank" Urrutia, he went and tore off a full Brady season in the Mexican leagues in 2019 and out of nowhere hit a combined 42 HRs. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=urruti000hen I know that speaks more to the level of competition than anything else, but still, good for him. 

Dariel Alvarez is still chugging along in Japan (https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=alvare002dar) and Ariel Miranda just set the KBO strikeout record with 225 K's in 173 innings pitched this past season (https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/sports/2021/10/662_317532.html)

[Frobby]

From an article in May shortly after Prieto defected: 

“Veteran hurlers who rely on guile often over stuff or speed lead the Cuban National Series. This manifests in half the squads in the league and many players walking more than they strike out. A comparative rarity in MLB these days. None the less Prieto’s Strike out to walk numbers are impressive. These numbers do need to be viewed in context of the National Series overall though.

* * *

“Cuban managers also rely much less on hand on hand matchups and bullpen specialization. Prieto thus faced far fewer left handed hurlers than he might in America. He underperformed slightly in Cienfuegos’ playoff matchup vs Matanzas in the 2021 playoffs. Cocodrilos southpaws such as Yoennis Yera kept him off balance in the short series. Adjusting to these strategies matchups and increased velocities will be key in Prieto’s ascension.”

“César Prieto Leaves Team Cuba and now moves to the top of the International prospect list. He will likely join the group eligible to sign in mid January of 2022. His defection comes soon enough that teams will have money left in their budget to match the dollars he will command. For reference, The Chicago White Sox reportedly have a deal with fellow Cuban Oscar Colas for just over $2 Million. The White Sox will presumably be in on Prieto as well. The Colas, Norge Vera and Yoelqui Céspedes signings in the $1.5 to $2.5 million range set a realistic baseline.”

https://cubadugout.com/2021/05/27/cesar-prieto-leaves-team-cuba/

So, the reports are a bit confusing.   On the one hand it seems he’s been available for 7 months, and was thought to be a $1.5 - 2.5 mm talent.   On the other hand it seems he wasn’t signed until many teams were out of money, so we got him cheap.   

In any event, for me this is the most interesting news of the offseason so far.  
 

[Just Regular]

A Latin American Norby counterpart?   Hit tool, hit tool, hit tool.    Seems like the first basic hurdle will be passing Curtis Goodwin toothpick mode against pro pitchers.

[Frobby]

https://wordsabovereplacement.com/cesar-prieto-is-america-bound/

“If an MLB team is willing to sign Prieto, and I imagine more than a few will be, they will have to understand what they are getting. The Slugging Percentage listed above is somewhat deceiving because it hides the fact that Prieto has very little home run power. His power comes in the form of line drives that split the gaps or in his ability to leg out hustle doubles and triples. The 2020-2021 season saw him hit 21 doubles, seven triples, and seven home runs. That player should appeal to any baseball executive, but in the case of MLB the type of player Prieto has become comes with a huge caveat.

“There isn’t some hidden wealth of power waiting to be sprung from Prieto’s bat. He will always be, at most, a single-digit home run hitter. In today’s MLB game that’s not what front offices want. They look at the skills Prieto brings to the table and search for ways to change what he does so as to unlock power. 

* * *

“In a perfect world, an MLB club would sign Prieto and let him be himself. They’d tweak things here and there to improve the natural skillset and baseball acumen he already possesses. That approach would likely lead to Prieto having a long and successful MLB career. We don’t live in a perfect world and today’s MLB is all about power and power alone. That fills me with plenty of trepidation about Prieto’s chances to succeed in the modern MLB landscape and I wish that weren’t the case.”

For me, the obvious comp is our friend Hanser Alberto.