Top 50 International Prospects | Baseball America

Given the caveats from the story linked below, I think the Giants did well with their signings.

The #2, #11 and #37 ranked prospects on the list are now potentially future Gigantes.

RK	Name	POS	COUNTRY	MLB TEAM	Bonus
2	Marco Luciano	SS	Dominican Republic	Giants	$        2,600,000
11	Jairo Pomares	OF	Cuba	Giants	$            975,000
37	Luis Matos	OF	Venezuela	Giants

There are 7 remaining unsigned players, including the top-ranked Victor Mesa from Cuba. I think the Giants work here is pretty much finished. There are scouting reports and YouTube videos listed below from the article for the Gigantes prospects.

These are very young prospects, so don't expect to see them on the big club for quite some time. Given the bonuses doled out, Luciano would appear to be considered the equivalent of a 1st - 2nd rounder and Pomares, who it looks like the Giants signed at a very reasonable price, is the equivalent of a 3rd - 5th rounder. Give or take a round or two.

This is a sad caveat from the story:

Due to requests from players and families, we will not be publishing any signing bonus amounts for Venezuelan players at this time.

They might want to consider extending the same courtesy to Cuban players as well. 

The Dominican Republic continues to dominate the ranking in terms of quantity and quality, with Venezuela second and Cuba third. The Cubans have to be of a higher quality to overcome the burden of  removing them from a "closed" society. Sadly, it seems as if it won't be long before the Venezuelans suffer the same fate. 

Viva la Revolution, right Comrades?

Row Labels	Count of Name	Average of RK
Colombia	1	41.00
Cuba	6	18.33
Curacao	2	30.50
Dominican Republic	28	26.64
Mexico	1	34.00
Venezuela	12	23.58
Grand Total	50	25.50

from baseballamerica.com
https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2018-top-international-baseball-free-agent-prospects/

Projecting the future of international prospects who are 15 and 16 years old involves a high level of risk and uncertainty. For the 2018 class, that is particularly true, with little consensus in the international scouting community on even the top 2018 players. In general, scouts seemed more enthusiastic about last year’s strong 2017 class and another talented group ahead in 2019. That made it a challenge to line up the top prospects in the 2018 class, particularly with the reality that players have had commitments in place to sign with clubs for more than a year in some cases. 

This year’s list also includes Cuban players who are subject to the international bonus pools. While 21-year-old outfielder Victor Mesa is an exception, most of the top Cuban players out now are in the same age group as the top 16-year-old players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. However, due to the circumstances of how Cuban players are scouted and become eligible to sign, there are Cuban players who might belong on the list but have been omitted until more information on them becomes available.

These are Baseball America’s top 50 international prospects for the 2018-19 international signing period, which opens on July 2.

RK	Name	POS	COUNTRY	MLB TEAM	Bonus
1	Victor Victor Mesa	OF	Cuba
2	Marco Luciano	SS	Dominican Republic	Giants	$  2,600,000
3	Diego Cartaya	C	Venezuela	Dodgers
4	Noelvi Marte	SS	Dominican Republic	Mariners	$  1,550,000
5	Osiel Rodriguez	RHP	Cuba	Yankees
6	Richard Gallardo	RHP	Venezuela	Cubs
7	Orelvis Martinez	SS	Dominican Republic	Blue Jays	$  3,500,000
8	Gabriel Rodriguez	SS	Venezuela	Indians
9	Francisco Alvarez	C	Venezuela	Mets
10	Misael Urbina	OF	Venezuela	Twins
11	Jairo Pomares	OF	Cuba	Giants	$     975,000
12	Alvin Guzman	OF	Dominican Republic	D-backs
13	Alejandro Pie	SS	Dominican Republic	Rays
14	Antonio Gomez	C	Venezuela	Yankees
15	Kevin Alcantara	OF	Dominican Republic
16	Starlyn Castillo	RHP	Dominican Republic	Phillies	$  1,600,000
17	Jose de la Cruz	OF	Dominican Republic	Tigers
18	Omar Florentino	SS	Dominican Republic	Royals
19	Juan Guerrero	SS	Dominican Republic	Rockies
20	Eduardo Lopez	OF	Dominican Republic	Red Sox	$  1,150,000
21	Junior Sanquintin	SS	Dominican Republic	Indians	$  1,250,000
22	Abraham Calzadilla	RHP	Venezuela	D-backs
23	Jerming Rosario	RHP	Dominican Republic	Dodgers
24	Sandy Gaston	RHP	Cuba
25	Alexander Ramirez	OF	Dominican Republic
26	Malcom Nunez	3B	Cuba	Cardinals
27	Jose Lopez	OF	Dominican Republic	Cubs
28	Eduarqui Fernandez	OF	Dominican Republic	Brewers	$  1,100,000
29	Freddy Valdez	OF	Dominican Republic	Mets	$  1,400,000
30	Ryson Polonius	SS	Curacao	Rays
31	Rainer Polonius	SS	Curacao	Rays
32	Fernando Ortega	RHP	Dominican Republic	Phillies
33	Warming Bernabel	SS	Dominican Republic	Rockies	$     900,000
34	Fernando Villalobos	C	Mexico
35	Sergio Campana	OF	Dominican Republic	Pirates	$     500,000
36	Jose Rodriguez	C	Venezuela	Rangers
37	Luis Matos	OF	Venezuela	Giants
38	Adinso Reyes	SS	Dominican Republic	Tigers
39	Angel Martinez	SS	Dominican Republic	Indians	$     500,000
40	Estanli Castillo	OF	Dominican Republic	Rays	$     350,000
41	Branlyn Jaraba	3B	Colombia	Brewers	$  1,100,000
42	Joalbert Angulo	LHP	Venezuela	Phillies
43	Denny Larrondo	RHP	Cuba	Yankees	$     550,000
44	Diomedes Sierra	LHP	Dominican Republic	D-backs
45	Jose Bonilla	SS	Dominican Republic
46	Rafael Morel	SS	Dominican Republic	Cubs	$     850,000
47	Joel Machado	LHP	Venezuela	Cubs
48	Agustin Ramirez	C	Dominican Republic	Yankees
49	Eduardo Garcia	SS	Venezuela
50	Daury del Rosario	SS	Dominican Republic	Rays

2

Marco Luciano

Dominican Republic SS/OF

Notes:

Born: Oct. 9, 2001 | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R

Scouting Report: In a year that lacks a consensus top 16-year-old international prospect, Luciano has an exciting combination of offensive upside and athleticism, with a compact, explosive swing that produces effortless power. Luciano has strong hands, quick wrists and generates snappy bat speed, using his lower half well with good rhythm and swing path. He generates impressive torque in his swing and shows plus power to all fields. He does it both in batting practice and against live pitching, with home runs to his pull side and the opposite way in games. With broad shoulders on a lean, well-proportioned frame, Luciano has the physical projection to potentially develop 70 power. While some scouts had concerns about swing-and-miss tendencies they saw early on from Luciano, he has cut down on that and generally manages his at-bats well with a solid feel for the strike zone for his age. He is a good athlete with slightly above-average speed. Luciano grew up playing shortstop, but when he hit a growth spurt, his trainer moved him to the outfield. He spent eight months in the outfield, then in February 2017 moved back to shortstop. While some scouts still believe Luciano will outgrow shortstop and end up at either third base or right field, he handles himself well at shortstop for now. Luciano isn’t flashy but he fields his position cleanly, making the routine plays with a strong, accurate arm. Luciano trains with Ray Castillo and is expected to sign with the Giants for a bonus in the $2.5 million area.

https://youtu.be/RMu2qltbDs4

11

Jairo Pomares

Cuba  OF

Notes:

Born: Aug. 4, 2000 | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 185 | B-T: L-R

Scouting Report: Pomares played in Cuba’s 15U national league in 2015, when he ranked sixth in the league in batting average by hitting .383/.447/.533 with 16 walks and just six strikeouts in 141 plate appearances. Now a 17-year-old in the Dominican Republic, Pomares has a large, athletic frame with promising offensive upside and a pretty swing from the left side. It’s a fluid stroke that’s quick, compact and efficient, producing a high contact rate in games. Pomares has natural, easy hitting actions, with good rhythm and timing in the box to go with a solid idea of the strike zone for his age. Pomares shows over-the-fence power in batting practice, though in games his swing is more geared for line drives than loft, with the potential for average power. Pomares is a good athlete who has shown plus speed underway in the 60-yard dash. When Pomares played in Cuba in 2015, he mostly played left field with a little bit of time in right field as well. With an average arm, Pomares has the speed for center field and scouts highest on him thought he could play there, though others thought his defensive instincts were better suited for a corner. The Giants are expected to sign Pomares, with a bonus likely around $1 million.

https://youtu.be/nDuCgYhwTmE

37

Luis Matos

Venezuela OF

Notes:

Born: Jan. 28, 2002 | Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 160 | B-T: R-R

Scouting Report: Several scouts consider Matos to be one of the best hitters this year out of Venezuela. Matos represented Venezuela last year at the COPABE 15U Pan American Championships in Colombia and earns praise from scouts for his track record of hitting well in games with a knack for squaring up live pitching. He’s a savvy player who puts together quality at-bats consistently, with quick hand speed, good hand-eye coordination and a mature offensive approach. Matos can occasionally send a ball to the alleys, but he doesn’t project to be a big power threat, with a hit-over-power profile. Matos’ projected offensive production would fit in center field, but his fringe-average speed might be stretched thin there, while a corner outfield spot would place more demands on his power spiking down the road. At his best he has flashes above-average arm strength that would fit in right field. The Giants are likely to sign Matos, who trains with Andres Veliz.

https://youtu.be/t0MNAkY38a8