Los Angeles Angels 2025 International Signings Review

Top Of The Class

The headliner of the Angels’ international signings this year is Gabriel Davalillo, whose $2 million bonus was the highest this year for a catcher. A 17-year-old from Venezuela, Davalillo grew up around baseball. His grandfather, outfielder Vic Davalillo, played 16 seasons in the major leagues. His father, David Davalillo, was a manager for several years in the lower levels of the Mets farm system after his playing career when he was a shortstop who reached Double-A. He’s the younger brother of David Davalillo Jr., a Rangers righthander in High-A who is one of the better pitching prospects in their organization. That background has helped give Davalillo a good foundation of instincts and baseball IQ.

Mostly he stands out for his offensive upside. Davalillo is 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, a strong, stout righthanded hitter with big power for a young catcher and the chance to develop into a 20-25 home run hitter. Some scouts thought it would be a power-over-hit offensive game, but those highest on Davalillo thought he combined his power with high contact skills and a good approach. Davalillo’s offense is ahead of his defense. He has the hands, above-average arm strength and game awareness that should help him stick behind the plate, but it’s a bigger body type for his age and he will have to work to improve his mobility and blocking. 

Names To Know

Yilver De Paula, SS, Dominican Republic: De Paula, 17, is an athletic, switch-hitting shortstop the Angels signed for $900,000. He’s 5-foot-11, 180 pounds with above-average speed and quick-twitch actions in the infield. He’s able to make both the flashy plays and be more consistent than most shortstops his age on the routine ones, finishing them with an above-average arm. De Paula doesn’t project to ever hit for big power, but he does put together quality at-bats with advanced swing decisions for his age and good contact skills with a line-drive approach and gap power. 

Yojancel Cabrera, SS, Dominican Republic: Cabrera is a 16-year-old, offensive-oriented shortstop the Angels signed for $400,000. He’s 6-foot-2, 186 pounds with a body type that should allow him to hold significant strength, which paired with his bat speed gives him a chance to develop average or potentially more raw power from the left side of the plate. Cabrera has an above-average arm and should get a chance to develop at shortstop, but with the Angels signing several shortstops, he could also get time at third base, which might end up his long-term defensive home. 

Jose Santana, SS, Dominican Republic: Santana is another shortstop the Angels signed for $400,000. He’s a skinny 6-foot-1, 170-pound shortstop with above-average speed and a quick first step and the actions to stick in the middle infield. Santana just turned 17 in April and will need to get stronger to do more damage on contact, but he has shown solid bat-to-ball skills with a line-drive approach and ability to work the count from the right side of the plate. 

Cesar Paredes, SS, Dominican Republic: Paredes is a righthanded-hitting shortstop the Angels signed for $350,000 with a lot of similarities to Santana. He’s on the younger end of the class—he turns 17 the first week of the DSL season—with a wiry 6-foot-1, 178-pound build, showing the athleticism and defensive actions to play in the middle infield. He’s an above-average runner with good bat-to-ball skills and gap power. 

Yelinson Betances, OF, Dominican Republic: Betances is a 17-year-old center fielder the Angels signed for $300,000. He’s 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, an above-average runner with a good mix of athleticism up the middle and strength projection from the right side of the plate. He drives the ball well for his age and has the physical upside to develop into a 20-plus home run threat. 

Junior Suriel, OF, Dominican Republic: Suriel is another athletic center fielder the Angels signed for $300,000. Suriel turns 17 on Aug. 23, so he will play all season at 16 and wouldn’t have been eligible to sign until 2026 had he been born nine days later. He’s a plus runner with the traits to stay in center field and has some sneaky pop at times from the right side of the plate but will need to get stronger to get to more extra-base impact. 

Albert Morel, RHP, Dominican Republic: The Angels paid $300,000 to sign Morel, who lacks much strength but has a tall, projectable build at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds at 17 with room to add to a fastball that has touched 92 mph. He’s a good athlete and strike-thrower for his age who looks like he should be throwing in the mid 90s or better once he packs on more weight, with his fastball his predominant pitch ahead of his curveball and changeup. 

Freddy Hernandez, LHP, Venezuela: Hernandez is a strong 6-foot-1, 190-pound lefty who signed with the Angels for $230,000. His fastball has already ticked up a bit since signing, coming into the year throwing 91 mph and now reaching 93. He doesn’t have the look of a pitcher who will have elite velocity, but he should have a solid fastball once he’s physically mature and has starter traits with his feel to mix three pitches, particularly an advanced changeup that helps him disrupt timing and is ahead of his curveball. 

Wilner Berroteran, RHP, Venezuela: Berroteran is 6-foot-3, 192 pounds, an athletic projectable frame to continue to add to a fastball that’s already improved since signing for $220,000. Berroteran is 17 and entered the year pitching up to 92 mph and is now touching 94 with more velocity still in the tank. He shows feel for a slider with three-quarters shape that’s his best offspeed pitch ahead of his changeup. 

Anthony Santa Cruz, OF, Cuba: Santa Cruz is an 18-year-old, lefthanded outfielder the Angels signed for $200,000. He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, and while he is a year older than most 2025 signings, he has shown a good offensive approach that should translate to early offensive success in the DSL. A corner outfielder, Santa Cruz has the size and bat speed pointing to projectable power down the road that he’s showing in flashes now.

Felix Tapia, RHP, Dominican Republic: Signed for $200,000, Tapia is a lanky, athletic 6-foot-3, 165-pound righthander with lots of space left to fill out. He’s 17 with a fastball touching 91 mph, up slightly from before he signed, with potential for a lot more velocity on the way once he packs on much-needed weight. He’s a deeper projection arm who will flash feel for a curveball that’s ahead of his changeup. 

Sleeper Watch

With the way the Angels distributed their bonus pool money, they didn’t have many lower-dollar signings, but one pitcher from that group to watch is 18-year-old Dominican righthander Starling Reyes, a later addition to their class who signed in April and got $15,000. He’s a strong 6-foot-4, 205 pounds with a fastball up to 95 mph and flashes feel for a hard slider.