Chicago White Sox 2025 International Signings Review

Top Of The Class

The biggest bonus by far for the White Sox in their 2025 class went to 18-year-old third baseman Alejandro Cruz, who signed for $2 million. Cruz was one of the better players in Cuba from an early age. He played for Cuba at the U-15 World Cup Qualifier in Venezuela in 2022, then later that year made the all-tournament team playing for Cuba at the U-15 World Cup in Mexico. He’s a year older than most 2025 signings, which should help his performance this year in the DSL, though scouts were split on his pure hitting ability.

Cruz is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds with a simple swing from the right side and he shows a solid sense of the strike zone, though some scouts thought he would run into issues against more advanced pitching. Part of that is because of his profile as a third baseman who can occasionally hit a ball out to his pull side and does have strength projection remaining but isn’t yet a big power threat. He defends his position better than most young third baseman signed internationally, showing quick reactions off the bat and an above-average arm. 

Names To Know

Orlando Patiño, OF, Venezuela: Patiño was going to sign with the Dodgers, but with the uncertainty of the Dodgers’ bonus pool availability heading into Jan. 15 with Roki Sasaki yet to announce his decision, Patiño opted to instead sign with the White Sox. He ended up getting more money from the White Sox, who signed him for $570,000.

Patiño is 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, a muscular build that’s physically mature for a 17-year-old with the strength and lift in his swing to blast balls out to his pull side and potentially grow into plus power. He’s a righthanded hitter with some rigidity to his swing, so it’s like a power-over-hit profile. He could see time at all three outfield spots but long term fits best in a corner. 

Jefrank Silva, INF, Venezuela: Silva’s bat is his calling card. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Silva has a strong build for a 17-year-old and an efficient lefthanded swing. He uses his lower half well with good sequence to his swing. That should lead to good contact skills, with more strength than raw bat speed, so it’s more hit than power. His best defensive position is third base, though he could move around the infield this year with Cruz likely to get significant reps at third base. Silva signed with the White Sox for $350,000.

Alan Escobar, OF, Venezuela: A lefthanded outfielder, Escobar is a steady player with good instincts who signed with the White Sox for $350,000. He’s 16 until Aug. 3, so he’s one of the younger players in the class. He’s 6 feet, 185 pounds, an athletic frame who reads the ball well off the bat in center field, though as an average runner it’s not prototype center field speed. At his best he has shown the ability to recognize spin with a line-drive approach and gap power. 

Cesar Familia, RHP, Dominican Republic: Signed for $350,000, Familia is 6-foot-3, 200 pounds at 17 with a fastball up to 93 mph. He stands out for his physicality, present arm strength and a solid slider for his age. 

Yordani Soto, SS, Dominican Republic: Soto signed for $300,000 as a defensive-oriented shortstop who doesn’t turn 17 until Aug. 11, so he’s one of the youngest players in the 2025 class and will play nearly the entire season as a 16-year-old. He’s 5-foot-11, 160 pounds with plus speed, an above-average arm and moves around well at shortstop. It’s a glove-first profile for Soto, a switch-hitter who will need to make adjustments with his swing to make more contact.

Yobal Rodriguez, RHP, Cuba: Rodriguez, a 17-year-old who got $230,000, could be the best pitcher the White Sox signed this year. He’s 6-foot-2, 170 pounds with a quick arm and a fastball up to 93 mph now with mid-90s velocity that should be coming in the near future. Rodriguez has been a good strike-thrower with feel for a changeup that’s advanced for his age and ahead of his breaking ball, a slurvy curveball that could end up turning into a slider. 

Diego Natera, C, Venezuela: Natera is a stout 5-foot-10, 190 pounds but is an agile mover behind the plate. He’s 17 with a fringe-average arm should get to average and already plays up because of his efficient footwork and quick transfer. Signed for $225,000, Natera has performed well in preseason games leading into the DSL, showing the strength to drive the ball well to all fields with flashes of home run power. 

Frank Mieses, OF, Dominican Republic: Mieses signed for $175,000 and could end up the best position prospect in the class for the White Sox. He’s a lean, athletic 6-foot-1, 170 pounds with good plate discipline for a 17-year-old and wiry strength to drive the ball for hard, quality contact to all fields. He’s not a burner but he’s a tick above-average runner with strong defensive instincts in center field. 

Sleeper Watch

Most of the lower-bonus players the White Sox signed this year were pitchers. One of them to watch is Diego Perez, a 16-year-old Dominican righthander who got $80,000. He’s a good strike-thrower who has been up to 93 mph, should be touching the mid 90s soon and complements his fastball with a tight curveball that could develop into an out pitch. 

A deeper sleeper to keep an eye on is Dominican righthander Natanael Valerio, who signed for $15,000. Valerio turned 18 in March, so he had been eligible to sign in 2024, but he had been training as a shortstop who moved to the mound toward the end of last year. He’s 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, so while he’s not that big, he’s a quick-twitch athlete with good flexibility, a quick arm and a fastball up to 92 mph. He’s still learning to pitch, but he has high raw spin on his curveball with flashes of tight bite for that pitch to develop into a weapon for him.