Philadelphia Phillies Sign Braves Star’s Cousin as Part of International Class
The Philadelphia Phillies spread their money around as they agreed to terms with more than a dozen international free agents
The Philadelphia Phillies are highly unlikely to sign Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. Perhaps the next best thing is signing someone related to him?
The Phillies signed Nieves Izaguirre, a shortstop from Venezuela, as part of their initial wave of international signees reported by Baseball America. The Phillies had not officially released the names of their signees as of Wednesday night.
But, Baseball America reported the Phillies signed 15 players, the majority of which were from Venezuela. MLB.com reported the family connection between Izaguirre and Acuña Jr.
The infielder carries scouting grades that range from 55 for his running and fielding ability and 40 for his power. He’s graded at 45 overall on the 20-80 scouting scale.
Izaguirre is from La Sabana, a city that has produced a large number of baseball players despite the town’s small size, which is about 3,000 people.
Scouts from Baseball America raved about Izaguirre’s high baseball IQ and his short, compact swing. Their scouts believe he has the tools to be a Major League middle infielder but lean more toward him finding a home at second base.
Deivis Velasquez, a catcher from Venezuela, puts another talented player in the pipeline behind the plate. Scouts give him high marks for his offensive profile at a young age. But his bat is in better shape than his glove, which is to be expected from young prospects.
Another player Baseball America highlighted was pitcher Geremi Viloria, also from Venezuela. Aside from his 6-2 frame, he already has a fastball that can hit 93 mph and is developing a slider.
This class comes a year after the Phillies spent $1.4 million to sign Javlin Arias, the No. 19 ranked prospect. Arias spent his first year in the Dominican Summer League, where he slashed .233/.411/.372/.783 with two home runs and nine RBI. The vast majority of this year’s signees will end up in the DSL before they come stateside.
The other reported international signees from Venezuela include outfielder Daibert Cruceta, outfielder Leonardo Carpio, shortstop Rafael Oropeza, catcher Anderson Araujo, shortstop Samuel Salcedo, catcher Nelson Prieto and pitcher Reyner Zambrano.
Philadelphia also signed three players from the Dominican Republic — shortstop Elias Marrero, pitcher Deiry Gonzalez and shortstop Carlos Severino.
Pitcher Filippo Sabatini hails from Italy and is also part of the class.
