Cardinals sign Dominican League’s Fernando Gonzalez
Posted on February 8th, 2011 by azruavatar in International signingsPer Dominican Prospect League via MLBTR
16 year old RHP signed for $66k drawing comparisons to Leo Nunez and you probably won’t hear his name again for another 2-3 years.
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The real question is who is Leo Nunez? 66k not a bad pay day for a 16 year old. Do we have a describtion of this guy or anything?
Live armed reliever with command issues. Plays for the Marlins.
Command issues seem resolved. over a K per ininng and 3:1 K:BB ratio Had 30 saves last year for the Fish – as many as Franklin, right? 1.5 WAR for a reliever is a pretty high total.
Anyone have the grades of his tools?
Comments from Vuck on his pitches
http://yourenotagolfer.mlblogs.com/archives/2011/02/more_on_gonzalez.html
sounds like he could be a solid setup man or closer type if he is similar to Leo Nunez. Agree with you Andrew, 66k isnt bad at all, and if he does reach the majors being a pretty good reliever or in even middle reliever, wont be a bad signing at all.
Low risk signing. $66K in MLB budget terms is chump change. You never know with such a young kid but anytime you get compared to a MLB reliever that has been a SU or CL that is promising.
As a believer in rational markets, it is hard for me to think the kid is too good though if the best he could get was $60K. That means he is seem as having slightly better than average but hardly great potential.
If every baseball team used the same scouting service, I’d agree with you, but because they don’t, I don’t think market theory really applies to 16 year old Dominican baseball prospects.
I agree especially at this young an age. Maybe one of our scouts knows a family who has access to a kid who is just turning 16 with a big arm and we sign him before others know about him.
He played in the Dominican prospect league – every team with a scout in the DR most likely has seen him.
He was 15 when scouts saw him play……..
Any potential prospect that we sign for 66K is great in my opinion. If we signed 10 of those a year for 660K total, eventually some will pan out and contribute on the big club.
The thing is, when it comes to DR or Venezuelaian players, there’s a very good chance none of them ever make it. Probably 95 to 98 percent of them never make it to Low A. it’s still worth the effort though.
False.
The trick here is to remember the name and to check in on him in three years.
“The trick here is to remeber the name —–and then forget that name and keep track of what the name is changed to after the documents are verified and it’s found out he’s actually 18 and not 16—— and to check in on him in three years.”
;-)
Question for the MLB rule aficionados in the community: when does the clock start on international players for purposes of Rule 5? I assume the year(s) a 16 year old bonus baby spends in the DSL do not count. Matias-Martinez is coming to the USA late due to the visa problem. Not that I expect him to languish in the system but how soon does he need to go on the 40 man roster or be exposed in the Rule 5 draft?
I am pretty sure it is 5 years of exemption…here is the rule eligibility notes:
Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization’s 40-man roster and:
– were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or
– were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.
The DSL years count the same as years in the US. However, in the case of Martinez, the Cards didn’t sign him until last year. He only spent one year in the DSL.