Houston signed six position players and three pitchers
HOUSTON, TX — The Houston Astros have agreed to terms on contracts with nine international free agents, including eight players from the Dominican Republic and one from Venezuela. The announcement was made by Astros Assistant General Manager Charles Cook. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
“We are excited to welcome a new group of international players into our organization as the 2023 signing period begins,” said Cook. “Our International Scouting department does a tremendous job leading a cross-departmental effort to identify, evaluate, and acquire amateur talent across the globe. Today’s signings mark the culmination of that process with significant contributions coming not only from our International Scouting staff, but also from our Player Development, Performance Science, Sports Medicine & Performance, and Research & Development departments. We look forward to supporting this class of players as they begin their professional baseball journeys and expect them to positively impact our farm system quickly.”
The current MLB International signing period, which began today, runs from January 15 through December 15, 2023.
Among today’s signings are Dominican shortstops Camilo Díaz and Germán Ramirez along with Dominican outfielder Esmil Valencia, who are each ranked among Baseball America’s top 30 prospects in this year’s international signing class.
“Camilo Díaz is a tool-sy and dynamic shortstop with a plus arm and the athleticism to stay in the middle of the diamond, “ said Assistant Director International Scouting Raymon Sanchez. “He has a big, strong build with present raw power, and projects to hit in the middle of the order with HR/RBI production. Díaz has the potential to have well above average tools across the board, and we are excited to add him to our system.”
“Germán Ramírez is a lanky and athletic infielder with the arm strength and range to play shortstop,” said International Scouting Director Brian Rodgers. “Germán makes consistent hard contact in games and continued to polish his hitting approach during our scouting process. A hard worker who endears himself to peers and baseball evaluators alike, Germán is another impressive prospect who we are excited to add to a talented and deep 2023 International Signing Class.”
“Esmil Valencia is a medium-framed outfielder who does it all on the baseball field,” said Dominican Scouting Supervisor Alfredo Ulloa. “An above-average and explosive athlete, Esmil projects as a top-of-the-lineup hitter who can hit for average, power, and steal bases. An above-average defender, Esmil plays center field and shows a 70-grade arm on the 20-80 scouting scale. We are excited to add what we feel is one of the better international talents to our organization.”
Below is the full list of international free agents who were signed by the Astros today:
Name Hometown Age Pos HT WT B/T
Camilo Díaz Constanza, DR 17 IF 6-3 208 R/R
Eduardo Pérez Puerto Plata, DR 16 OF 6-4 214 R/R
Esmil Valencia Nizao, DR 17 OF 5-10 182 R/R
Eudy Liriano Santo Domingo, DR 18 RHP 5-11 165 R/R
Germán Ramírez San Pedro de Macoris, DR 16 IF 6-0 179 R/R
Joan Ogando Santo Domingo, DR 18 RHP 6-1 179 R/R
Juan Sierra San Cristobal, DR 17 OF 6-1 208 R/R
Rafael González Santo Domingo, DR 18 RHP 6-0 195 R/R
Sandro Pereira San Juan de los Morros, VZ 17 IF 5-8 147 S/R
