Kevin Defrank, RHP, Marlins: Defrank was one of the best pitchers in the 2025 class when the Marlins signed him for $560,000 out of the Dominican Republic and his stuff has only become more electric since then. He has a great pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds with broad shoulders and entered the year already reaching 95 mph. In preseason games, Defrank has been up to 100 mph, extraordinary velocity for a pitcher who will be 16 nearly the entire season. His lively changeup has plus potential and he shows feel to spin a slider that needs refinement but shows promise as well. Defrank has explosive stuff and good body control on the mound for a young pitcher his size, making for an exciting, high-upside starter look if he can handle the workload. 

Adrian Peña, RHP, Marlins: Defrank has a case to be the best pitching prospect in the DSL. So does Peña, giving the Marlins two outstanding arms in their rotation from the Dominican Republic. Peña is a gigantic 6-foot-7, 195-pound righthander who was up to 94 mph when the Marlins signed him and now reaches 99 as a 17-year-old. Peña’s long arm and legs help him generate excellent extension and his feel to spin both his curveball and slider give him multiple breaking balls that could be bat-missing weapons. Signed for $400,000, Peña is still learning to repeat his delivery to throw consistent strikes, but he has good body control and mechanics for a young, gangly pitcher. 

Sadbiel Delzine, RHP, Red Sox: At 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, Delzine has an extra-large frame with a power fastball to match. Delzine signed for $500,000 (the top bonus for a Venezuelan pitcher this year) with a fastball that touched 94 mph and now reaches 96. It’s high-end velocity for a 17-year-old and he looks like he could throw triple digits, but Delzine isn’t just a thrower. His athleticism helps him keep his delivery under control to throw strikes and he shows feel for multiple offspeed pitches, particularly his curveball as well as a changeup.

Kendry Chourio, RHP, Royals: If you’re looking for pitchers who pound the strike zone, Chourio fits that label. He’s 6 feet, 165 pounds and signed for $247,500 after showing exemplary control and pitchability for a 17-year-old. The strikes, touch and feel were what stood out about Chourio when most teams were scouting him, especially without standout size, but now his stuff has taken a significant jump forward, starting with a fastball that has reached 96 mph. He continues to show feel for multiple secondary pitches, including a tight curveball and his changeup to give him a starter look with his ability to control a three-pitch mix. 

Adrian Torres, LHP, Dodgers: The best lefty signed in 2025? For some scouts, it was Torres, a 17-year-old from Panama who signed for $362,500. Torres has a projectable 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame and was pitching in the upper 80s when most teams were scouting him as an amateur, but he’s now up to 97 mph with room on his frame to project another uptick in velocity. The fastball paired with his slider could give him multiple plus or better pitches in the future. After his velocity spike, Torres is learning to harness that fastball in the zone with more consistency, but he’s athletic with the traits to be a high-end starter if he does. 

Santiago Castellanos, RHP, Twins: Signed for $247,500 from Venezuela, Castellanos is only 5-foot-11, but it’s fast arm speed that has helped his fastball soar to 97 mph with good movement. It’s premium velocity—especially for a pitcher who is still 16—and he can drop in a hard curveball with good depth and mixes in an occasional changeup. How many strikes Castellanos throws will be a key to watch in the DSL, where he should have some of the better stuff in the league. 

Omar Damian, RHP, Astros: Damian showed plenty of poise, touch and feel on the mound as an amateur before the Astros signed him for $397,500 out of the Dominican Republic. It was a sizeable bonus for a pitcher who was touching 90 mph, but it’s looking like it could end up a bargain. Still 16, Damian has started to fill out a frame listed at 6-foot-2, 160 pounds, and that extra strength has helped his fastball climb to 95 mph. There’s projection for more velocity in the tank and he generates that fastball from a low-effort delivery. Damian is a strike-thrower whose changeup is extremely advanced for his age and should pile up swing-and-miss, he shows feel to spin a curveball and recently has incorporated a slider too. 

Raudy Reyes, RHP, Braves: The top bonus players in a class typically commit to a team years in advance of when they can officially sign. That wasn’t the case for Reyes, a Dominican righthander who last year threw 102 mph before signing with the Braves for $1,797,500, well above any other Latin American pitcher’s bonus this year. It’s absurd velocity for a player who is still 16 until Aug. 22 but he has a physically mature 6-foot-4, 220-pound build. Will he throw enough strikes or be able to build out a repertoire beyond his big fastball? Those were the questions for a lot of scouts, but those highest on Reyes thought he could develop better control once he learns to tone down the effort on each pitch. He throws a slider with short break and a changeup to round out his arsenal. 

Kelvin Zapata, LHP, Orioles: Hitters don’t see many quality lefties in the DSL, which will make Zapata a difficult at-bat. Zapata was a thin pitcher with good control of a fastball up to 89 mph early in the scouting process, but since signing with the Orioles out of the Dominican Republic for $287,500 he has thrown 95 mph. Zapata, who turned 17 just before the start of the DSL season, produces that fastball despite being just a wiry 6-foot-1, 155 pounds, so there’s probably another velocity jump to come once he packs on more weight. He has shown feel for a sweepy slider as well. 

Hector Moreno, RHP, Yankees: Moreno signed with the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic for $100,000 and has a familiar look to other power arms the organization has produced from their Latin American pipeline. He’s 6-foot-6, 200 pounds at 17 and can touch 95 mph with the physicality and arm speed that give him the look of a potential 100 mph arm. Moreno’s high-spin curveball is his best secondary pitch ahead of his changeup. 

Randy Angomas, RHP, Yankees: With Moreno, Angomas and 19-year-old Manuel Cruz, the Yankees have three promising Dominican righthanders who will make their debut this year in the DSL. Angomas, a 17-year-old signed for $100,000, is 6-foot-1, 198 pounds with good control of a lively fastball up to 93 mph and a high-spin slider that should be a high swing-and-miss pitch. 

Carlos Alvarez, LHP, Padres: The uncertainty of the situation with righthander Roki Sasaki and whether the Padres would be able to sign Alvarez had other teams trying to sign him, but the 17-year-old Dominican lefty stayed with the Padres and ultimately boosted his bonus to $1 million. There’s ample projection remaining in his 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame to help him grow a fastball that has reached 94 mph. There’s feel for a slider that’s his best secondary pitch, though there are flashes of sink and fade with a changeup that could become a bigger weapon with more experience. 

Pedro Montero, RHP, Marlins: The Marlins have one of the best groups of pitchers in the DSL. They paid more for Defrank and Peña, but a more under-the-radar pitcher making noise now is Montero, who signed for $35,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He’s a 17-year-old who is a wiry 6-foot-1 with quick-twitch actions on the mound, where his fastball has increased from 94 mph coming into the year to now reaching 97 from a low-effort delivery. With his feel to manipulate both a slider and changeup, Montero has starter traits as an up-arrow pitcher. 

Yordan Rodriguez, RHP, Athletics: Rodriguez, a 17-year-old from Cuba, signed with the A’s for $400,000 with a projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame and a fastball touching 92 mph from an easy operation. He’s added strength and velocity, now reaching 95 mph, and there should be more in the tank. Rodriguez has a good mix of pitchability and feel for both his curveball and changeup, so it’s a starter look made more exciting with the extra power behind his fastball. 

Ricardo Reyes, RHP, Athletics: The A’s signed Reyes out of the Dominican Republic for $250,000. He just turned 17 last month and has also seen his stuff improve since signing, going from a 91 mph fastball coming into the year to now reaching 95. At 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Reyes has a wiry frame with projection remaining. His curveball has good spin and is ahead of his changeup. Venezuelan righthander Ricardo Osorio is another 17-year-old on the A’s DSL staff with similar traits—including a fastball up to 95—and gives the A’s another potential breakout pitching prospect to watch. 

Geremy Villoria, RHP, Phillies: Villoria checks a lot of boxes teams look for in a young starting pitcher. Signed out of Venezuela for $425,000, Villoria is 16 until Aug. 14, making him one of the youngest pitchers signed this year. There’s significant room for him to add weight to his 6-foot-3, 180-pound build and add to a fastball that has already reached 95 mph. He throws with a compact arm swing, gets good extension and shows feel to snap off a high spin slider that’s ahead of his changeup. 

Brian Tiburcio, RHP, Rockies: The Rockies signed a slew of pitchers this year who have the potential to take a step forward this year. One with a chance to develop an elite fastball is Tiburcio, a 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic who got $425,000. At 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, he has an extra-large build with a fastball that touches 94 mph and has the potential to get to triple digits if everything clicks. He’s not wild but it is power over command, with a chance to develop a hard slider that’s further along than his changeup. 

Shai Romero, RHP, Dodgers: The Dodgers added Romero in December at the close of the 2024 international signing period. Romero is 17 until Aug. 22, so he was one of the youngest players in the 2024 class and will still pitch the entire DSL season as a 17-year-old. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, Romero has an extra-large build with a fastball that was up to 94 mph when he signed and is now up to 98 mph. It’s a power attack led by his fastball, along with a hard, cutter-like slider and occasional firm changeup. 

Anderson Diaz, LHP, Tigers: Diaz signed with the Tigers for $447,500, the second-highest bonus this year for a lefthander. It’s prototype building blocks for a 17-year-old lefty with a projectable frame (6-foot-3, 190 pounds), a fastball that has trended up to reach 92 mph with more in the tank and starter traits. Diaz can disrupt the timing of hitters with an advanced changeup that plays well off his fastball and shows feel to spin a curveball as well. 

Juan Fraide, RHP, Astros: So far all the pitchers we’ve listed here are 16 or 17, but when we look back, there are always pitchers who signed at older ages who end up being great big leaguers who just went under the radar. Last year, Astros righthander Anderson Brito—a $10,000 signing from Venezuela—dominated the DSL as a 19-year-old, finished the season in Low-A and became a top 10 prospect in the organization. It’s hard to match Brito’s ascent, but the Astros have another promising 19-year-old ticketed for the DSL in Fraide, who signed for $10,000 out of Mexico. Fraide is 5-foot-11, 160 pounds with a physically unassuming frame but with a fastball that reaches 96 mph and the ability to spin a slider and curveball above 3,000 rpm, along with feel for a changeup and a cutter that he mixes in. 

Top Of The Class

The price tag went up for Dominican lefthander Carlos Alvarez after he had an open workout for teams on Jan. 15 when he was still unsigned while teams were waiting on Sasaki. The Padres ultimately were able to keep him, signing him for $1 million, the biggest bonus for any lefthander in the 2025 signing period. Alvarez is 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, a highly projectable, athletic frame for him to continue adding to a fastball that reached 93 mph before he signed and has inched up to 94. He shows feel for a breaking ball into the low 80s that has three-quarters break at times with two-plane depth. It should eventually develop into more of true slider with the potential to be an average-or-better pitch. The slider is his best secondary pitch, but he will flash sink and fade on his changeup at times. 

The highest ranked player in the Padres system right now from San Diego’s 2025 international class is 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Deivid Coronil, who signed for $900,000. He has a long, expandable frame that has kept growing to 6-foot-4, 180 pounds with tons of space left to add muscle to his lanky build. He’s a switch-hitter whose long limbs left some scouts with concerns about swing-and-miss early in the evaluation process, but others liked his hitting ability and natural loft in his swing from the left side, where he flashes home run power now and could develop into a 20-25 home run threat. Coronil has the tools and athleticism to stick at shortstop, though part of whether he will stay there long term depends on how he develops physically. He’s a plus runner and has a strong arm that could end up another plus tool once he fills out. 

Dominican shortstop Jhoan De La Cruz signed with the Padres for $1 million. At 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, De La Cruz has a smaller to medium frame at 17 with solid skills across the board and a chance to stick at shortstop. There’s no one carrying tool with De La Cruz, but he shows good bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate with a line-drive approach and doubles power. His ability to get on base will likely have to drive his offensive game as a player whose frame doesn’t point toward big power in the future. He’s an average runner who has good hands in the field and an above-average arm. 

Names To Know

Sebastian Peña, OF, Venezuela: Peña signed with the Padres for $600,000. He’s a 17-year-old lefty who is 6-foot-1, 180 pounds with a sound swing with the strength behind it to drive the ball out of the park to his pull side. Scouts highest on Peña liked his ability to hit in games, while others thought it would end up a power-over-hit profile. He’s an average runner who could move around all three outfield spots but likely projects best in a corner. 

Yonaiker Hernandez, SS, Venezuela: Signed for $100,000, Hernandez is 6 feet, 155 pounds with the versatility to play all over the field. He could see time at every position this year between the infield and outfield as an athletic righthanded hitter with a fast bat for his skinny frame from the right side of the plate. 

Sleeper Watch

Most of the Padres’ signings outside their top three players were spread around to an array of players in the $10,000 to $30,000 range. Righthander Miguel Ledesma, signed for $25,000, is an 18-year-old up to 95 mph from an athletic 6-foot, 175-pound build. It’s a loose, easy delivery with long limbs and the potential to add more velocity, pairing his fastball with a breaking ball that gets in between a slider and curveball and likely shapes into a slider in time.

The Padres continued to be among the more active teams in Mexico, signing five players from there this year, including 17-year-old righthander Jesus Castro, who is the younger brother of Padres Double-A righthander Manuel Castro. Signed for $10,000, Castro is 5-foot-11, 155 pounds and throws strikes with a fastball up to 92 mph and tight spin on his slider. 

Santiago Vargas will miss the Dominican Summer League season due to injury, but long term he looks like an intriguing sleeper for his offensive potential. A 17-year-old, switch-hitting infielder from Colombia signed for $10,000, Vargas is 5-foot-10, 175 pounds and played winter ball last year for Cartegena in the Colombian Professional Baseball League, where he hit .328/.358/.443 in 61 at-bats facing older competition. It’s a flat path with good barrel control to cover the plate well with a hit-over-power offensive game. He has a chance to stick at shortstop and should fit somewhere in the infield at higher levels.

Top Of The Class

The Giants signed 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Josuar Gonzalez for $2,997,500, the fifth-highest bonus for any player in the 2025 international signing period. Some scouts considered Gonzalez the top player in Latin America this year. He’s a quick-burst, explosive player with a lean, athletic frame at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds. He’s a switch-hitter with excellent hand speed, allowing him to snap the barrel through the zone and generate the bat speed to drive the ball out of the park from both sides of the plate.

Against live pitching, his timing can be inconsistent when he gets overly aggressive, but scouts highest on Gonzalez liked his hitting ability from both sides. He’s also a plus-plus runner, which should make him a high stolen base threat, and he has the first-step quickness that stands out at shortstop. He’s an agile, acrobatic shortstop with bouncy actions, good hands, range, and an above-average arm to stick at the position and develop into an above-average defender.

Outfielder Djean Macares signed with the Giants for $1,097,500, the top bonus this year for a player from Aruba. Macares, 17, drew praise from scouts for his hitting ability, particularly for a player outside the typical hotbeds for talent in the international market. Macares, who also spent a lot of time training in Florida before he signed, is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, a lefty with a medium frame and a knack for being on time and on the barrel. It’s an easy, compact swing with the ability to maneuver the barrel to get to pitches throughout the strike zone and put balls in play at a high clip.

Macares is a line-drive hitter with mostly doubles power and a frame that doesn’t lend itself to big power upside, so it’s likely to be a hit-over-power profile long term as well. As a fringe-average runner, he doesn’t have typical center field speed, but he’s a good athlete who moves around well in the outfield and has good instincts, so he could rotate around all three outfield spots in the lower levels.

Names To Know

Yulian Barreto, SS, Venezuela: The third seven-figure bonus the Giants paid this year went to Barreto, a 17-year-old who signed for $1,097,500. In the early stages of the scouting process for the 2025 class, Barreto generated a lot of attention for his skills at shortstop. At 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Barreto hasn’t grown much since then, but his hands, footwork and body control are all good, and he can finish plays with a plus arm. He’s a righthanded hitter who sprays line drives around the field with occasional doubles and doesn’t project to be a big power threat. 

Alexander Camacaro, SS, Venezuela: Signed for $212,500, Camacaro is 5-foot-9, 150 pounds—a frame that doesn’t have much strength yet, with skills that stand out more than his raw tools. He’s a righthanded hitter with good bat-to-ball skills, gap power and a fundamentally sound game for his age with good all-around instincts.

Miguel Caraballo, C, Venezuela: Caraballo is 16 until Aug. 26, meaning he wouldn’t have been eligible to sign until 2026 had he been born a week later. Instead, he signed with the Giants for $172,500 and will play the entire season as a 16-year-old. He’s 6 feet, 190 pounds—a strong build for his age that helps him drive the ball with authority from both sides of the plate. It’s a strength-based game with a power-over-hit profile and a strong arm, and he could stick behind the plate if his receiving improves. 

Sleeper Watch

The Giants signed Carlos Martinez for $47,500, but despite a smaller bonus, Martinez developed into one of the better catchers in the 2025 class. A 17-year-old from Venezuela, Martinez makes frequent contact with a loose, easy swing from both sides of the plate, giving him the potential to get on base at a high clip for a catcher with gap power from his 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame. He projects to stick behind the plate as well with good catch-and-throw skills for his age. 

Top Of The Class

The Blue Jays’ top signing this year is 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Cristopher Polanco, who got $2,297,500, the No. 9 bonus overall for a Latin American player in the 2025 class. Polanco drew praise from scouts for his hitting ability. He’s 5-foot-11, 185 pounds with a compact, fluid lefthanded swing. It’s sound hitting mechanics combined with an advanced offensive approach, able to barrel good velocity with the adjustability to produce a high contact rate. Many scouts viewed Polanco as a hit-over-power offensive profile, but he has strong hands and occasional sneaky juice to his pull side, so some think he could end up with surprising power in his prime.

Polanco’s bat has been his calling card, with some scouts viewing him as a future offensive-oriented second basemen, but the progress he has made defensively gives him a greater chance to continue at shortstop. An average runner, Polanco isn’t a typical quick-twitch athlete for shortstop, but he has good body control, improved hands and footwork and arm strength that has ticked up to become an average tool with the ability to throw from different angles. 

Dominican shortstop Juan Sanchez signed with the Blue Jays for $997,500. A leader on the field other players gravitate toward, Sanchez stands out for his size and defense. He’s 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, a big frame for a 17-year-old shortstop, but he moves around with good quickness and agility in the field. He’s a tick above-average runner light on his feet for someone his size with soft hands, good instincts, range and an easy throwing stroke with above-average arm strength that could still tick up. As a righthanded hitter, Sanchez has the size and strength to drive the ball well when he’s on time. There’s swing-and-miss he will have to get under control, but he has the look of a hitter who should grow into above-average raw power. 

Names To Know

Elaineiker Coronado, SS, Venezuela: Jose Coronado was a shortstop who reached Triple-A with the Mets. His son, Elaineiker, signed with the Blue Jays as a 17-year-old for $797,500. Coronado is a baseball rat whose upbringing shows in his outstanding baseball IQ throughout all facets of the game. A member of Venezuela’s U-18 World Cup team in 2023, Coronado grew up playing in a lot of games and it shows in his baseball savvy.

That’s especially true at the plate, where he routinely puts together quality at-bats with good swing decisions and bat-to-ball skills from the left side of the plate. At 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, Coronado isn’t that big and he lacks much strength yet, so he will need to get stronger to produce more extra-base impact. He’s an instinctive infielder with good actions and should be able to handle a middle infield spot, whether it’s at shortstop or second base. 

Kennew Blanco, SS, Venezuela: Blanco had been set to sign with the Blue Jays in 2024, but after a discrepancy with his age, MLB made him ineligible to sign until this year. Blanco, who turns 19 on June 21, signed for $597,500 and is a physical 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. Due to Blanco’s status before signing, there weren’t many scouts who saw him, so there’s more uncertainty in his evaluation, but he has flashed power and feel to hit from the right side of the plate. He has the actions and arm strength to play on the left side of the field. 

Elian Reyes, OF, Dominican Republic: Reyes is an imposing 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, a huge frame from a player who is still 16 and one of the younger players in the 2025 class. Signed for $257,500, Reyes is a lefthanded hitter who has shown a good offensive approach with the strength projection to develop into a big power bat in a corner outfield spot. 

Diego Arce, C, Mexico: Arce is a 17-year-old catcher the Blue Jays signed for $185,000. He’s 5-foot-10, 230 pounds, a thicker frame that he will have to work to stay on top of his conditioning, but he’s strong for his age and that leads to big power. It’s a power-over-hit offensive game with the ability to drive the ball for impact to all fields. He has the game acumen and solid catch-and-throw skills that should allow him to stay behind the plate with a fringe-average arm that could tick up. 

Miguel Pantoja, RHP, Mexico: Signed for $177,500, Pantoja is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, a physically mature frame for a 17-year-old with a strong lower half and a good delivery. There’s a good mix of stuff and pitchability for Pantoja to project as a starter, pitching off a fastball that reaches 94 mph. Pantoja shows good feel for pitching and to spin a curveball that’s his most advanced secondary pitch ahead of his changeup. 

Raduan Perez, RHP, Venezuela: Perez is enormous. He’s 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, a towering presence on the mound, but he’s also one of the youngest players in the class. Had he been born five days later, Perez wouldn’t have been eligible to sign until 2026, but instead he will pitch all season at 16 years old. Signed for $177,500, Perez moves around with surprising athleticism and coordination for such a young, long-limbed pitcher. His stuff is still a deeper projection, pitching off a fastball up to 90 mph that’s ahead of his slider, but the physical upside, youth and body control make for an intriguing foundation. 

Cristhian Duarte, RHP, Cuba: Duarte joined Toronto’s class later in the process, signing in April for $147,500. He’s 6-foot-3, 180 pounds at 17, an athletic, projectable pitcher with good feel for his secondary stuff. Duarte throws strikes with his fastball that reaches 91 mph and shows ability to manipulate multiple offspeed pitches, particularly an advanced changeup with split-like tumble to get swing-and-miss against both lefties and righties, as well as a slider he has feel to spin. 

Sleeper Watch

The Blue Jays signed a pair of prospects from Europe this year. One is Giacomo Taschin, an 18-year-old lefty from Italy who got $75,000. Taschin was the MVP of the U-18 European Championship last year in Germany, where he had a 1.00 ERA in 25 innings with a tournament-best 22 strikeouts and three walks over 14 innings. He’s 6 feet, 200 pounds and has seen a steady upward trend in his velocity over the past couple years, pitching in the mid 80s a year ago and now has been up to 91 mph. It’s a simple, repeatable delivery that helps him throw strikes and flash a quality changeup for his age too. 

The Blue Jays also signed 17-year-old Keegan Pieternella out of the Netherlands for $57,500. Pieternella, who played for the Netherlands in the U-18 World Cup in 2023 when he was 15, is 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, a switch-hitter who is more advanced from the left side of the plate. He signed as a catcher but will get exposure at second base and the outfield as well. 

Top Of The Class

Top signing for the Nationals this year was Brayan Cortesia, a Venezuelan shortstop who got $1.92 million. Early in the scouting process, Cortesia was an athletic, 5-foot-10 shortstop with soft hands in the dirt, but he has grown taller and developed into a well-rounded player. Now 6-foot-1, 165 pounds at 17, Cortesia keeps things simple at the plate with a short, low-maintenance swing from the right side.

He has quick hands, good plate coverage and uses the whole field with a line-drive approach and mostly doubles power, though that has started to trend up with occasional over-the-fence power that should show up with more frequency as he continues to layer on more strength. He’s a plus runner who has a good chance to stick at shortstop, where he has good footwork, hands and an above-average arm. 

Another Venezuelan signing, Daniel Hernandez, is an offensive-oriented catcher the Nationals gave $1.1 million. Hernandez impressed scouts with his hitting ability, using quick hands with a simple, easy swing from the left side with good contact skills and a mature hitting approach for a 17-year-old that has led to a strong track record of game performance as an amateur.

At 6 feet, 165 pounds, Hernandez isn’t physically imposing, but he’s flashing home run power to his pull side now, with large hands and feet, good bat speed and more room on his frame that points to more damage as he continues filling out. Defense will be the key for Hernandez to develop. Some scouts had questions about whether Hernandez would remain a catcher, particularly because of his below-average arm and footwork on his throws, but scouts highest on him liked his flexibility, receiving skills and leadership skills. 

Names To Know

Nauris De La Cruz, OF, Dominican Republic: A lefthanded outfielder from the Dominican Republic, De La Cruz signed with the Nationals for $500,000. He’s 6 feet, 160 pounds at 17 with fast-twitch bat speed that allows him to drive the ball with impact. De La Cruz can hammer a fastball in what could end up a power-over-hit profile with the potential to be a 20-plus home run threat. He’s an average runner who could see time in center field but could move around all three outfield spots. 

Ronny Bello, SS, Dominican Republic: Bello, 17, signed for $450,000. He’s a contact-oriented hitter from the right side who recognizes pitches well and sprays line drives to all fields with gap power from his 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame. Bello is an above-average runner who could see time at shortstop, but he might move around to second base, third or possibly the outfield. 

Marconi German, SS, Dominican Republic: The Nationals signed Marconi, 17, for $400,000, and he could end up one of their better mid-range signings in the class. He’s 5-foot-10, 170 pounds with good instincts at the plate and in the field. He’s a switch-hitter who shows promise from both sides of the plate, using a short swing and line-drive approach with gap power. German is a good athlete with a chance to stick at shortstop too with above-average speed and arm strength. 

Esnaider Vargas, OF, Dominican Republic: Vargas, a 17-year-old who signed for $400,000, trained as a shortstop but moved to the outfield. His offensive upside is what sticks out the most with a chance for a blend of hitting ability and power as he fills out his 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame. He’s an average runner who is still learning the outfield, likely fitting best in a corner long term. 

Jonierbis Garces, OF, Venezuela: Garces, 17, signed with the Nationals for $350,000. He’s one of the most physical players in Washington’s class at 6-foot-5, 180 pounds. He’s an above-average runner underway, which gives him a chance to at least start out in center field, though depending on his physical development, he could end up in a corner with an average arm that could also tick up as he fills out. More than anything it’s the power potential that stands out for Garces with a power-over-hit offensive game. 

Edgardo Figueroa, C, Venezuela: An athletic catcher from Venezuela who signed for $300,000, Figueroa is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds at 17 with above-average speed. It’s a tool that should regress as he gets older, but that athleticism and plus arm stand out behind the plate. He’s a righthanded hitter whose athleticism and defensive tools are ahead of his bat. 

Junior Castillo, C, Dominican Republic: Signed for $200,000, Castillo is 6-foot-1, 190 pounds with a chance to be a power-hitting catcher from the left side. He will need to hone his offensive approach, but he has the strength to drive the ball with impact when he connects and the mix of hands and arm strength to give him a chance to stay behind the plate. 

Sleeper Watch

One of the under-the-radar names to watch from Washington’s 2025 class is Adrian Tusen, a 17-year-old Dominican shortstop the Nationals signed for $100,000. Tusen is listed at 6-foot-1, 140 pounds, a slender, athletic frame with a lot more physical projection remaining and the look of a player who might still be growing taller. The lack of present strength makes Tusen a deeper projection that could take a little longer to click. However, he already has a fluid, easy swing from both sides of the plate and a sense of the strike zone, so he’s a candidate to make a jump once he fills out.

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. 

Top Of The Class

The biggest bonus the Phillies gave this year went to Nieves Izaguirre, a 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop who signed for $800,000. Izaguirre is a cousin of Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña and has a game that’s similar to Mets second baseman Luisangel Acuña. Izaguirre is 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, a compact, quick-twitch athlete with a short righthanded swing and good contact skills. He doesn’t project to be a big power threat but has the bat control to hit line drives around the field and plus speed that should make him a stolen base threat. He’s a smart, instinctive player for his age with an average arm and should fit in the middle infield, with some scouts thinking second base more likely than shortstop long term. 

Names To Know

Elias Marrero, SS, Dominican Republic: Marrero, 17, signed for $700,000. Having grown to 6-foot-1, 180 pounds and a chance he might still be growing, Marrero is an offensive-oriented middle infielder who stands out most for his ability to hit in games. It’s a smooth, compact swing from the left side with good bat-to-ball skills, showing occasional over-the-fence shots to his pull side but with more of a hit-over-power game. He has split time between shortstop and second base and should be able to play somewhere in the infield as he moves up the ladder. 

Deivis Velasquez, C, Venezuela: Signed for $620,000, Velasquez is a 17-year-old catcher who stands out most for what he does in the batter’s box. He has a strong frame (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) with a promising mix of both hitting ability and power for a young catcher. He has a short righthanded stroke, shows feel for the strike zone and is aggressive when he does swing, showing the bat speed to drive the ball with extra-base impact now and more to come as he fills out. With an average arm, Velasquez is more advanced offensively than defensively, so while there are things he will need to clean up behind the plate, he should be able to stick at catcher. 

Geremy Villoria, RHP, Venezuela: Villoria developed into one of the better Venezuelan pitchers in the 2025 class by the time he signed for $425,000. He turns 17 on Aug. 14, so he’s one of the youngest pitchers in the class and will play nearly the entire 2025 season as a 16-year-old. He’s 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, a lanky, projectable build with a fastball up to 94 mph and a lot of space left to fill out and add to what’s already a strong fastball for his age. With a compact arm action and good extension out front, Villoria shows feel for a high-spin slider that’s more advanced than his changeup, making for a good combination of present stuff, projection and starter traits. 

Leandro Carpio, OF, Venezuela: Carpio, 17, is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, a physical righthanded-hitting corner outfielder signed for $350,000. Carpio’s power is his best tool, showing the strength to drive the ball with authority in batting practice, though he will have to make adjustments to make more contact against live pitching. 

Dayber Cruceta, OF, Dominican Republic: A $300,000 signing, Cruceta could be a breakout player in the Dominican Summer League. He’s 6-foot-1, 150 pounds, a slender build with room to pack on plenty of good weight and an already promising offensive foundation. He’s a lefty with a handsy swing, good strike-zone judgment and makes contact at a high clip with a good offensive track record as an amateur. It’s mostly gap power now with the chance for more once he fills out, though it’s his hitting ability that stands out the most. He’s an above-average runner who moves around well in the outfield and should get a chance to stick in center field. 

Romeli Espinosa, SS, Dominican Republic: A $250,000 signing, Espinosa sticks out quickly with his lanky 6-foot-4, 170-pound build at 16 years old. There’s significant upside if he’s able to put it all together with his mix of athleticism, tools and physical upside. He’s a plus runner with a strong arm from an easy throwing stroke and good actions in the dirt. Espinosa will have to sharpen his plate discipline and overall contact skills, but there’s flashes of pull power now with projection to grow into plus raw power.

Carlos Severino, SS, Dominican Republic: Severino, 17, is an athletic shortstop with quick-twitch actions who signed with the Phillies for $200,000. He’s 6 feet, 180 pounds without much strength yet but he’s an above-average runner with an above-average arm and should be able to handle shortstop, though his athleticism and tool set could enable him to be a multi-positional threat in the infield and outfield if needed. At the plate, he’s a line drive-oriented hitter with occasional gap shots. 

Carlos Duran, LHP, Dominican Republic: Duran is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound lefty the Phillies signed for $150,000. He’s a 17-year-old with a shorter arm stroke who stands out for his pitchability and feel to spin. He will scrape 90 mph with good control, mixing in a curveball with tight rotation and showing feel for a changeup. 

Sleeper Watch

Elian Adames is a 17-year-old outfielder the Phillies signed out of the Dominican Republic for $75,000. Adames started to get more attention later in the scouting process as he game began to trend up, and while there’s still some rawness to his game, he stands out physically at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with high-end bat speed and raw power for his age. His speed and arm strength are both around average, giving him a chance to get reps in center field, though long term likely profiles best in a corner. 

The Phillies also signed two pitchers from Mexico who are intriguing lower-dollar signings. One is David Hernandez, who got $70,000 as an athletic lefty (6-foot-1, 165 pounds) with advanced pitchability for a 17-year-old. He touches 92 mph with a fastball rides up in the zone with sneaky life to miss bats and shows feel to manipulate both his curveball and changeup. 

The other pitcher signed from Mexico to watch is Ramon Marquez, who got $10,000. Marquez is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds with a fastball touching 95 mph and feel for a changeup that’s ahead of his slurvy breaking ball.

Top Of The Class

For some scouts, the best player signed out of Venezuela in 2025 was outfielder Yorger Bautista, who got $2.1 million from the Mariners. In the early stages when teams were scouting Bautista, it was his lefthanded hitting ability that stood out. He performed well in games, whether it was against pitchers his age or several years older, recognizing pitches well with a mature offensive approach.

What has changed over the last couple years is that Bautista’s tools have taken a major leap forward. He’s 6-foot-1, 187 pounds, a 17-year-old lefty with premium bat speed to whistle the barrel through the zone with big power for his age and a chance to be a 25-plus home run hitter. Bautista’s athleticism, speed and arm strength also made significant improvements to where he’s now a plus-plus runner with a plus arm with good defensive instincts in center field. 

When teams began scouting the 2025 class, Dominican shortstop Kendry Martinez was one of the earliest names generating attention. There’s no one standout tool with Martinez, but he’s a steady middle infielder with good bat-to-ball skills from the left side of the plate.

Signed at 17 for $2.5 million, Martinez is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds with a good sense of the strike zone and a contact-oriented swing, getting on base by drawing walks and lacing line drives to all fields. It’s mostly doubles power and he doesn’t project to be a big home run hitter. Martinez is an average runner with good hands and a slightly above-average arm at shortstop. He should get an opportunity to develop at shortstop but could end up at second base. 

Names To Know

Maikol Rodriguez, OF, Cuba: Rodriguez, 18, signed with the Mariners for $600,000. He’s 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, a former switch-hitter who now hits only lefthanded. It’s an inside-out swing with a flat path geared to hit line drives, especially to the opposite field. Scouts highest on Rodriguez liked his hitting ability and potential to get on base. He’s an average runner who likely is destined for an outfield corner, so how much power he develops will be important for his future. 

Elias Perez, OF, Dominican Republic: Perez shines on defense. He’s one of the best defensive outfielders the Mariners have signed in several years, moving around well in center field with plus speed and good instincts. Signed for $600,000, Perez has a strong 5-foot-10 frame with the bat speed to drive the ball well, though with an aggressive approach he will have to reign in in what will likely be a power-over-hit offensive game from both sides of the plate. 

Po-Chun Lin, RHP, Taiwan: The Mariners signed Lin for $460,000, the top bonus for a player signed from Taiwan so far this year. Lin is in Arizona, though the 18-year-old righthander is on the injured list and hasn’t made his official pro debut yet. Prior to signing, Lin represented his country in 2023 at the U-18 World Cup in Taiwan, where he threw 3.2 scoreless innings with no hits allowed and struck out six. He’s 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, a compact, strong frame that doesn’t offer much physical upside, but he’s athletic with fast arm speed and touches 96 mph. He throws both a split-finger with solid tumble and a changeup with fade, both of which are ahead of his curveball. 

Christopher Quiroz, RHP, Dominican Republic: Quiroz signed with the Mariners for $215,000 as a 17-year-old with a slender 6-foot-1, 160-pound build. He’s a lower slot righthander who gets lively sink and run on a fastball that’s up to 92 mph. His velocity and potentially his control could both improve once he adds much-needed strength. Quiroz has good deception as well, rounding his arsenal with a sweeping slider and a changeup. 

Sleeper Watch

Mexican righthander Alan Carpinteiro signed with the Mariners for $47,500 and has stood out for his control. He’s 18 and a wiry 6-foot-1, 165 pounds with long limbs and broad shoulders, a frame that projets to hold more weight and allow him to add to a fastball that has touched 92 mph. There’s no one knockout pitch in his repertoire, but Carpinteiro has a starter look with his ability to locate three pitches, including a slider he shows feel to spin and a changeup. 

Wisler Infante, signed for $80,000, is a 17-year-old Venezuelan righthander who is 6 feet, 165 pounds with a fastball into the low-90s and a sweeping slider. His fastball gets a lot of movement from his lower arm angle and his stuff is difficult for hitters to pick up out of his hand because of the deception in his unorthodox mechanics.

Top Of The Class

The Mets signed 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Elian Peña for $5 million, the top bonus for any Latin American prospect in the 2025 class. For many scouts, outside of righthander Roki Sasaki, Peña was the best international prospect available this year.

It’s an exciting offensive package that blends impressive pure hitting ability, strike-zone judgment and power from the left side at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. He has a mature offensive approach for his age, recognizes spin and lays off pitches outside the zone to get himself into hitters’ counts and draw walks. When he does swing, it’s a smooth, compact, explosive stroke that stays through the hitting zone for a long time, showing excellent hand-eye coordination to cover the plate well with a low swing-and-miss rate. It’s already big power for his age with the potential to develop into a 25-30 home run threat, drawing offensive comparisons to Rafael Devers.

Early in the scouting process, Peña looked like a future third baseman who might have a chance at second base. While he’s still an offensive-oriented player who could move off the position, he has improved his speed and defense to the point where he should get more opportunity to develop at shortstop in the lower levels. He has a strong, thick lower half and doesn’t have typical quick-twitch actions for a shortstop, but he has worked hard to improve his athleticism and speed to become an average runner who can throw from different angles with a plus arm. 

Names To Know

Angel Montero, LHP, Dominican Republic: Montero had been training as an outfielder, then late in 2024 he converted to pitching. Things quickly clicked on the mound for Montero, a 17-year-old who carved up hitters during a Miami Miracles tournament in the Dominican Republic in February and signed with the Mets in April for $175,000.

An athletic mover on the mound with a high leg kick, Montero is 6-foot-4, 175 pounds, a frame that screams projection for him to add to a fastball that was up to 88 mph early in the year, has crept up into the low 90s and should be into the mid 90s or better once he fills out. His slider has been an effective pitch in the early goings, and while there’s still a lot for Montero to learn on the mound given how new he is to pitching, it’s a promising foundation with a lot more in the tank. 

Giomar Ubiera, SS, Dominican Republic: Signed at 17 for $100,000, Ubiera is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds with solid bat-to-ball skills and strike-zone judgment for his age. He’s a righthanded hitter with gap power that should tick up with strength gains and has enough range to make the routine plays, whether it’s at shortstop or second base long term. 

Yobanny Sanchez, RHP, Dominican Republic: Sanchez is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds with advanced pitchability for a 17-year-old. Signed for $100,000, Sanchez pitches off a fastball up to 92 mph with good carry with good carry and flashes feel for a curveball and changeup. 

Sleeper Watch

For $25,000, the Mets signed 17-year-old Dominican outfielder Jhonael Cuello. He’s a 6 foot, 170-pound lefty who signed for a lower bonus but produced a strong track record of hitting as an amateur. His bat control is advanced as a high-contact hitter who has a good sense of the strike zone and gap power. Cuello is an average runner with good defensive instincts, which should give him an opportunity to see time in center field and could ultimately move around all three outfield spots. 

The Mets signed Mexican righthander Abner Meza for $10,000. He’s 6 feet, 175 pounds with advanced pitchability for a 17-year-old, filling the strike zone with his fastball, curveball and changeup. He has been up to 90 mph, and while it’s not a big frame, he has the arm speed to potentially reach the mid 90s as he gets stronger.