Minnesota Twins 2025 International Signing Reviews

Top Of The Class

The biggest bonus the Twins gave this year went to Venezuelan shortstop Santiago Leon, who signed for $1,697,500. He’s the son of longtime Twins scout Jose Leon and comes into pro ball with a high baseball IQ for a player who is still 16. Leon is 6 feet, 172 pounds, and is a righthanded hitter who tracks pitches well, has a good eye for the strike zone and consistently manages his at-bats well. He’s a high-contact hitter who hits line drives to all fields. It’s a good foundation for a young hitter, and while he doesn’t project to be a big power hitter, developing more extra-base damage will be key to determining what type of offensive impact he will have. He’s an average runner whose defense stands out more for his instincts than quick-twitch athleticism or actions, so he should get a chance to develop at shortstop but could end up moving around the infield at higher levels. 

Dominican outfielder Teilon Serrano had been set to sign with the Dodgers. Instead, with the Dodgers putting their signings on hold while trying to sign righthander Roki Sasaki, Serrano got more money from the Twins, who signed him for $847,500. Serrano turned 17 just before the start of the DSL season and is 6 feet, 200 pounds with a strong, athletic build and a good blend of tools and skills. Serrano has a compact, explosive lefthanded swing, making contact at a high clip with the mix of strength and bat speed to drive the ball out of the park now and grow into a 25-plus home run threat. Serrano has added significant strength over the past year while maintaining his athleticism and plus speed. That has allowed him to continue in center field, where he has been playing since originally transitioning from the infield earlier in the scouting process. He moves around well in the outfield and has a chance to stick in center, though he could be an above-average defender if he had to go to a corner. 

The Twins signed outfielder Carlos Taveras from the Dominican Republic for $1,097,500, betting on his lefthanded power. At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, he has an extremely strong, physical build for a player who just turned 17 on May 31. Taveras can launch balls deep over the fence in batting practice and annihilate fastballs, so he could be among the home run leaders in the DSL this season with the potential to have plus-or-better raw power. It’s a power-over-hit game, with adjustments he will have to make against breaking stuff and his overall approach, but the early signs on that have been encouraging. For a player his size, Taveras has surprising speed that’s above-average underway, but it’s a corner outfielder body type and should be a left or right fielder long term. 

Venezuelan shortstop Haritzon Castillo signed with the Twins for $947,500. Castillo is a switch-hitter with good plate coverage. His swing is compact with an accurate barrel, so he seldom swings and misses, demonstrating a mature offensive approach for a 17-year-old to spread hard line drives around the field. At 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Castillo isn’t that big and doesn’t project to be a huge power threat, but he has gotten stronger and started to flash over-the-fence power in games, though his offensive value will likely come more from his ability to get on base. Castillo should play somewhere in the infield, but he’s not a typical quick-twitch athlete at shortstop. He should get a chance to develop at shortstop but long term could end up moving all around the infield. 

Names To Know

Jose Barrios, SS, Venezuela: Barrios has the look of a true shortstop. He’s 5-foot-10, 155 pounds and a slender, twitchy athlete with excellent quickness, good hands and footwork. A 17-year-old signed for $422,500, Barrios is a switch-hitter who can hit the ball with surprising sting for a player who lacks much strength, but it’s a defensive-oriented profile. 

Joyner Perez, OF, Dominican Republic: Perez, who signed for $397,500, has a consistent track record of performing well in games. He’s 5-foot-11, 215 pounds at 16—a body type and athleticism that likely limit him to left field. But he’s a righthanded hitter with an impressive mix of both contact and power, especially for one of the younger players in the 2025 class. 

Jhomnardo Reyes, OF, Dominican Republic: A lefthanded corner outfielder, Reyes is 6-foot-3, 190 pounds at 17 and can put on a show with his power during batting practice. It’s a power-over-hit profile with more space to fill out and develop plus or better raw power. Reyes signed for $332,500. 

Aaron Salazar, C, Venezuela: Salazar is a promising offensive-oriented catcher the Twins signed for $297,500. He has a slender build for a 17-year-old catcher (5-foot-10, 172 pounds) and will need to improve his receiving, but he has a knack for hitting from the right side of the plate. It’s an advanced approach for his age with a sound swing, leading to a high contact rate with occasional home run power to his pull side and a lot of barrels against live pitching. 

Yovanny Duran, OF, Venezuela: The Twins paid $277,500 to sign Duran, who stands out more for his savvy and game skills than his raw tools. He’s 5-foot-11, 175 pounds at 17, a switch-hitter with a line-drive approach, gap power and an instinctive defender in center field. He’s an average runner who gets good jumps off the bat and takes good routes. 

Santiago Castellanos, RHP, Venezuela: Castellanos developed into one of the best pitchers from Venezuela in the 2025 class before signing with the Twins for $247,500. At 5-foot-11, Castllanos isn’t that big but he has an extremely fast arm that has helped him run his lively fastball up to 97 mph, outstanding velocity for a pitcher who is still 16. Castellanos can snap off a hard, big-breaking curveball that he shows feel to spin and will sprinkle in a changeup at times. There are times when he will lose the strike zone, but when he’s dialed in to throw strikes, he looks like he should be one of the better pitching prospects this year in the DSL. 

Darwin Almanzar, SS, Dominican Republic: Almanzar is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound infielder who signed with the Twins for $247,500. He’s a 17-year-old switch-hitter who has started to come into more power to drive the ball out to his pull side as he’s gotten stronger, with up-and-down game performance. With Leon and Castillo getting most of the reps at shortstop, Almanzar could bounce around the infield this season. 

Cristian Bonifacio, OF, Dominican Republic: Bonifacio is a strong 6-foot-1, 200-pound lefthanded outfielder who signed for $222,500. He’s a corner outfielder who can drive the ball with impact in a power-over-hit offensive game. 

Dencer Diaz, 3B, Dominican Republic: Diaz is a 16-year-old infielder the Twins signed for $197,500. He’s 6-foot-2, 170 pounds and will need to develop a more disciplined offensive approach, but when he connects, he can drive the ball with impact from the right side of the plate and has the physical upside for a lot more power still to come. He’s likely to see time at third base but could get outfield exposure as well. 

Sleeper Watch

The Twins signed 19-year-old righthander Eli Ureña for $47,500 out of the Dominican Republic. He’s 6-foot-3, 195 pounds with more physical projection for a fastball that reaches 95 mph with big carry up in the zone, a pitch he pairs with a hard slider.